When Instinct Falls - Clean Version
by upplet
Summary: This is a secondary version of my Rated-M story, When Instinct Falls. This version has many edits and revisions to it throughout the story so as to better suit the wants of those who prefer less explicit content. This story contains many similarities, but is otherwise not a complete clone of the original version.
1. Society's Violating Gaze - Introduction

12:00

The Witching Hours.

Thousands of years ago, it would be the time when insignificant prey hid themselves from the glow of the moon; hid themselves from the fangs of the predator, vehemently searching for its next meal in total blackness.

But now, millennia later, things have changed.

Once, only the moon lit the vast expanses of their world once it past the reach of the sun. Now, the city they have wrought through rock and time stands as a testament; A challenge to those ancient ideals. At night the city gleams with the light of thousands of appliances, homes, and businesses. But this city stands for more then just a change in setting; But a change in heart, ideology, and perspective. During the old times, predator and prey mercilessly tore at one another beneath the blanket of darkness that was the night.

But now - The city - Standing erect and shining with a luster incomparable to anything before it; Says otherwise. Predator and prey live in harmony, peace, and cooperation.

It boldly stated that anyone could be anything.

And what a lie that was.

Those who came to the city found out right away that this was merely a misnomer. You could only be what you are, they were told. They were expected. And those that stepped out of line; those that tried: They were looked down upon with disgust. Some with hate. Others with pity. The rest with a look palpable to that of disappointment.

The both of them were met with that and nothing else upon their entrance to this city. One looked at with revulsion and fear by all below it. Expected to be nothing more then a conniving swindler. Hustler. Thief in the shadows. The other, seen as a weak little thing. Nothing more then a morsel for some fanged superior to devour. The two of them met on opposite ends of the spectrum. Against the societal outlook, they became comrades. Then friends. And lastly, lovers. They believe that they had earned the right as well; through blood, sweat and tears. Any who view otherwise can feel free to express. The two of them won't care. For roughly three and a half years following the conclusion of the Night-Howler case, they endured pressures from the outside. Those threats gradually lessened throughout that time as more and more citizens began accepting their relationship. Siding with them. Forgiveness would follow. Admiration soon after. Soon enough, most citizens accepted the fact that their world has changed for the better. Inter-species relationships began popping up left and right. But none would forget the first. The two most unlikely animals to side with one another, much less adhere to a complex relationship: A fox and bunny. One born to shed the other's blood. The other born to flee and hide in fear from all that it saw as threats.

Oh, how the times have changed!

Now they strolled by one another, spoke with open-minded vigor about their thoughts, and expressed their love through one another's warm embrace. But all that aside, they had yet to indulge in a far more intimate ritual. Ever since their first loving acceptance, they both have wondered how this ritual in question would play out. Would they dare attempt it, in fear of themselves or fear of discrimination? For the longest time they simply wondered. These wonders ran rampant in their minds even greater after marriage followed. They pondered if it could even be done. Their mental questions were answered with silence, for neither truly knew the answer, but it mattered not, in the end...

For if they had to be the first to prove it, if only to themselves, then so be it; They would.

They loved one another greatly. Time had proven that much, at least. Society may not approve one way or another, but they didn't really care. To bend a knee before these ridiculous expectants would be to surrender to everything that they had worked so hard to fight against for the past three and a half years: Injustice, discrimination, racism.

They sought alms for their troubles. They sought for one another's warm embrace, yes, but far more intimate. The city they lived in called for it: Zootopia, where anyone could be anything. The two of them had spent the last three and a half years proving that statement true to the best of their abilities, both to themselves, and those around them, even their fellow colleagues at the ZPD. They believed that the both of them, perhaps more than anyone else, had the means to express this seemingly unalienable right.

After all... If anyone can be anything: Who says a fox and bunny couldn't become mates?


	2. Perspective and Perception

It had often been said that the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference.

Did the other animals look down upon his kind because of who they truly were, or because of who they were thought to be?

 _No. It isn't true hate. Never was. It's just because I'm different from them_... Nick would think to himself.

Personality was a malleable thing, but perception is stone: Shaped only by the harsh weather of expectation. Did those other animals really believe that foxes were nothing more than conniving crooks, or was it the skewed perception of stories and expectations that drove them to believe so? To Nick, it mattered not. His only view on the whole situation was that anyone could believe what they wanted. He went about his days doing exactly what everyone expected him to do. Lie, cheat, steal: Hustle his way into and out of every person's lifestyle, the more gullible the better. The world saw him as just that -what he was - and nothing more. It didn't give him any second chances at all.

Liar. Cheater. Thief. Fox... Often said as if the word left a taste of bitter ashes on the tongue.

He often told himself he was living the dream, when in reality, he was living the expectations of all who saw him as nothing more then what he was.

Liar. Cheater. Thief. Fox.

The day his own perspective changed was the day he never thought would come. But it did; And in the most ironic and unexpected way he could have ever dreamed of.

His day was normal: Conning people left and right. Then _she_ showed up.

Despite the fact that her species was supposed to look upon his own as the bane of their existence, she approached him unafraid and eyes full of sympathy and naivety. Those kinds of people were always the easiest to hustle. _Always_. Their simple and optimistic mindsets made them the perfect target for tricking out of money and time, ultimately giving the hustler more to work with, and a much higher chance of success. And then he met the bunny that would turn his world upside down, and change it so.

Nick could hardly believe a bunny would ever dare join the ZPD. She did. Then again, he could hardly believe he'd ever be able to change his shifty ways. He did. Who did she think she was? Nick almost felt sorry for the bunny, at the time. Her name slid over his ears without much traction, at the time: He didn't care. It was only when he truly realized the error of his ways and the goodness of his heart did her name not only stick to him; But matter, as well. Judy, she had called herself so confidently. Judy Hopps.

 _Aahh... Judy..._

He never imagined the day where he would find himself working alongside some bunny. But she marched right into his life with her head held high and her ears even higher. He admired that about her. Standing against her own stereotypes and expectations. If she could bare the brunt of society's violating gaze, then who said he couldn't too?

After an adventure that almost got them both killed many times, Nick started to accept this bunny and her peculiar ideologies into his own life with open arms. He changed his ways, and joined the ZPD alongside his new partner. Together they showed the world that anyone really can be anything. Some time followed before that phrase really started to kick in. Though, the fox did still hear the whispers in the shadows... The threats and taunts of society's most ignorant and blunt. He saw the glances directed toward the two of them as they went about their day. But few ever expressed their distasteful perspective directly to their faces. Over time, more citizens began accepting, and even promoting and partaking in inter-species comradeship. In no time at all, inter-species marriage was fully legalized in the city of Zootopia. With it came a thought...

Throughout his time with Judy, Nick wondered if his relationship was more than just that... More than just some mutual friendship.

More time passed. Marriage between the two ensued eventually. As it turned out, Nick had been right: Their friendship did go beyond the ability to just simply withstand one another. The fox never could have guessed that he would get himself married, especially to someone like Judith Laverne Hopps. The two of them were practically polar opposites, not just personality wise, but biologically wise, for Nick was a fox, and Judy was a bunny.

Simple as that.

Because of that simple fact, society often said that it couldn't work... And even if it could, that it shouldn't work: A prey and predator of two very different species finding love outside the boundaries of their own genus? Forget about it! Such an act had never been done before, or at least publicly. The negative consequences of coming out as an inter-species couple were high: Workplaces shunned, colleagues judged, and the world become less bright of a place.

But in the end, they really did find love: Eachother. In the end, that was all that mattered to them, really.

They may have had their differences, but they were a team, and a really effective one at that. They worked together brilliantly, and after three plus years of jobs on the force together, they wed one-another and became the first inter-species couple to do so in the history of Zootopia. No one could have guessed. Society begun to look to them for a message of companionship: The two of them worked hard to get people to accept them... To accept the fact that times were changing, and that not only could anyone be anything, but that anyone could _be_ with anyone. What the two tiny mammals faced was difficult, but deemed far from bothersome to them. Just another day in the life.

And in the end, it was more than worth it.

* * *

 _SSTCHZZZ_

Nick heard the soda can sputter and croak as he snapped off its lip. He drank deep from its opening; yet savoring every drop that he tasted. When he was finished, he nonchalantly crushed the can and dropped it at his feet, kicking it beneath the seat of the police cruiser, and earning himself a hard glare from the bunny sitting in the driver's seat.

"Nick! Come on... You're better than that! We can't have our car all trashed up! Our flat is bad enough on its own; Can't have you bringing your filthy habits in here too."

Nick simply gave her a lazy smirk and stared her down with half-lidded eyes. Judy held his gaze for a while before clearing her throat. Nick decided to break the silence.

"You're cute when you're frustrated, you know that right?" He calmly stated. Judy's ears drooped in embarrassment and flattery at his unexpected comment.

"Just pick it up, you lazy bum!" She chided at him with narrowed eyes.

She knew this fox better than anyone, and she knew that he would probably follow it up with another comment. She however was slightly taken back when Nick leaned down and reached for the crumpled canister. He straightened out and tossed the garbage in the air, casually catching it with his other paw before slipping it into one of his pocket.

"Better?" He asked with an innocent look on his face.

"Better." She responded, smiling warmly all the while.

The car was parked in a narrow alley not too far off from the local movie theater. Night-time.

12:47 A.M

The two animals were on a simple patrol... Keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity. After nearly an hour and a half of coherent peacefulness, the two of them began the journey back to the police station's HQ for a quick report with the Chief. The two officers had spent that time talking amongst one another about varying subjects and topics that sprang up and upon their open minds before emptying out into the world in the form of words. Gazelle's latest album, the weather, and even their current moods all stood as viable discussion points. Whatever took away from the ever-encroaching boredom that came with being locked in a police cruiser.

Having known eachother for nearly three years, yet only been married less than three months, conversation came to them as easily as a heated knife moving through a block of butter. Syllables and conversational topics rolled off the tongue with ease and simplicity. Nick and Judy were simple friends as much as they were lovers, and it showed.

Judy kept a watchful eye out for anything that moved as she drove them back to the ZPD head-quarters, Precinct One, in the very heart of Savanna-Central. It was but one of many different and diverse precincts spread throughout the territory of the city, but to them, it was a second home away from home. Currently, they weren't exactly driving in the best part of town, and both Nick and Judy knew that. Stick-ups and assaults and all manner of crime were common place on this particular block. It was one of the few places in the city's main district that wasn't very law-loving. Thankfully, few animals were venturing outside on this windy evening.

As if the thugs and thieves weren't bad enough, the wind certainly was: A sparse few individuals did brave the atmosphere and dangers of the night though.

The bunny spotted a ram with a hat tucked under his arm, struggling against the wind as he walked around. Judy didn't see anything suspicious in him, so she continued onward. Judy saw a hyena in a dark yellow trench-coat with long matted fur, and hair covered in leaves and twigs. Homeless, no doubt. Nick pursed his lips in shame.

The both of them locked eyes for a brief moment before the hyena broke the gaze and started walking away. Judy, with her enhanced hearing, could have sworn she heard the Hyena mumbling something about washing machines as he wondered off into the night. Still she continued driving, keeping her gaze focused on what was ahead of her.

Nick occupied himself by fiddling with his thumbs and picking at his nails. He looked out the window occasionally only to be greeted with the black veil of the night and the dancing of the trees in the wind. He stared at his wife and carefully picked his coming words.

"Hey, Carrots, when we get back to the ZPD, could you go ahead and file the report to Bogo without me?" He asked her, eyes still trained on the horizon.

"Hm? Why not? We're a team you know, don't forget that. Besides, it'd be better if Bogo heard it from both our perspectives, right?"

Nick had a feeling that she'd say something like that: Fortunately for him, he had planned out his words beforehand.

"Right, but it isn't like we saw much out here tonight. The most interesting thing we experienced was that hyena blabbing about home appliances."

He smiled for added effect, and then continued;

"You could give the report to Chief, easy. Besides, I uh, got some stuff of my own to take care of."

Judy quickly swiveled her head and looked Nick in the eye.

"Stuff?" She asked, her voice laced with trace amounts of concern.

Judy had long since caught on to her husband's tricky ways. When he claimed he had stuff to take care of, it could have meant anything from picking up a dry-cleaning to picking a lock on a vacant automobile: One she believed too unimportant to possibly let Nick leave early for, and the other too ridiculous to even think of letting him go for.

"What do you mean by stuff, huh?" She questioned him once more.

Nick scratched irritably at the back of his neck.

"Well... I figured this briefing with Bogo could afford to go on without me. I've got a bit of an important call to make, you see."

Judy wondered who could possibly be worth calling at this ungodly hour and why.

She intended to find out just that. "A call? With who?" She asked.

The fox cleared his throat aloud before answering slowly;

"My dad. I haven't spoken to in about thirteen years. Just the other day, I found out from my mom that he was in town, and had gotten himself a new phone line, too. I've had no idea where he's been for all this , I gotta do this."

Judy simply stared at him with fascination. He rarely spoke about his father to her. From what she'd gathered about him thus far, he wasn't exactly a great role model. He'd apparently abandoned Nick and his wife at a young age, for reasons unbeknownst to either of them. From the few times Nick had spoken of his father, it had been with spite and disgust. He despised him for abandoning his family. But still, he had long since desired to speak to him. They had much to discuss, that much Judy agreed upon in full.

"Really Nick?" Judy asked for clarification. "He's here?"

"Yeah. I don't wanna miss this opportunity, Whiskers. You can drop me off at the station, and I'll walk home, from there. You can tell Bogo that I had some personal matters to attend to. I'm sure he'll spare me." The fox let loose another one of his favorite half-lidded grins. "And I'll take whatever punishment follows, if he's feeling extra moody."

Judy gave some thought to her husband's words. She couldn't say that she was the biggest fan of his plan, but if his father really was available for the first time in over a decade, then this was something that he couldn't miss out on. Judy knew a thing or two about lost opportunities, and didn't want Nick to feel the same about this scenario.

"Alright." She gave in, at last. "Just be careful, okay? This wind isn't the only thing out here capable of flipping you on your tail!" She added with a coyish smile.

Nick returned it warmly.

"Thanks, Fluff. This means a lot to me." He leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll be waiting for you at the apartment"

Judy nodded her head in understanding. "Got it. See you soon!"

A few short minutes later, they arrived at the station. One they were parked accordingly Nick opened the door to the police cruiser and clambered outside, turning around one last time to give Judy a confident smile and a quick thumbs up of approval before walking out into the night, phone in hand and all alone. The rabbit watched as he paced off.

 _Be safe_ , She thought to herself.

From there, the rabbit descended from the driver's seat and onto the pavement before closing the door behind her with a satisfying thud. As she walked toward the station's entrance, she couldn't help but imagine what would go down between Nick and his father. She sincerely hoped that they could patch up their rather fragmented relationship.

When she reached the large glass doors, she stopped and once again looked back in the direction Nick had walked off. She didn't see him, but had a feeling that he was still out there. Judy then turned around, letting out a small, contentful sigh before pushing the door inward and advancing towards the front desk, where her favorite carb-loaded cheetah was lounging in his chair, drinking from a straw in a soda bottle as he typed away at his keyboard, relaying messages back and fourth between officers and allies.

"Hey Clawhauser, is Bogo here?" She asked as she approached the desk.

The overweight Cheetah blinked, looked around, and zeroed in on Judy before turning towards her.

"Well, well, well! Back from midnight patrol, now are we?" Clawhauser smiled, momentarily locking eyes with the bunny before turning his attention back to the computer.

"Yeah, it was dreadfully boring, as expected, but went well! Just gotta file in to Bogo before I can finally head home and relax." She replied back with ease.

Clawhauser's ears pricked up at the mention of Chief Bogo.

"Chief? Ah, well, he isn't here right now, actually. He was earlier, but ran off when he got a call from the hospital. Apparently, some homeless hyena attacked his sister, or something... Not too sure. He left and told me to cancel any reports he had scheduled for the rest of the day... Er, _night_ , I mean. So I guess you're free to go, for now!"

Judy blinked in surprise. "Oh, that's unfortunate." She muttered.

The bunny was concerned for the Chief and all, but at the moment she was more than glad to be able to go home and see Nick. She was still wondering how his talk with his father had gone, and anticipated hearing the outcome. Judy made herself a mental note to make sure to catch up with both Bogo and Clawhauser sometime later tomorrow.

"Well, I'll just fill Bogo in tomorrow, I suppose. Catcha' later Clawhauser!" Judy spouted as she turned and started jogging back towards the cruiser.

She had many things on her mind, and hoped to alleviate her concerns by reuniting with Nick.

1:03. A.M

Well past midnight, Judy had to restrain herself from going above the speed limit as she drove back to the apartment. She couldn't help but feel agitated. Concern washed over her like a cold chill in Tundra-Town. She had the strangest feeling that Nicks' discussion with his father hadn't gone very smooth. It may have been paranoid, but still...

Perhaps it was just her own subconscious chiding her as the car glided across the road and into the night.

She pulled into the nearest parking garage and stepped out into the windy blackness. Her long ears flopped in the wind and the fur on her body rippled as she began making her way across the street to the apartment complex. The wind blowing down from the overcast sky above was relentless, and only helped hasten her effort to shelter indoors.

Their apartment was on the far corner of the property, and no one lived in the area surrounding their home: A convenient predicament that allowed them to chat as loud as they wished. She ascended the staircase and walked down a long hallway, looking into the dark windows of each room as she advanced toward her own on the farthest side.

No one lived in any of them, but she couldn't scrape the feeling of being watched.

She turned her shoulder and stared backwards from where she had came for a few moments before her ears shot up in detection: She heard yelling, and it was coming from her apartment. But there was only one voice, it seemed. The voice was cracked with anger, and something else: Sorrow. Disappointment. She knew the voice all too well.

It was Nick's.

She began jogging toward their home with increased pace. The yelling only got louder as she drew closer. Finally she reached their flat, but stopped for a moment.

She heard Nick inside, loudly arguing with... Someone... But who? The only voice she heard was his. But that could only mean...

 _Oh Nick_ , she thought.

Without any more stalling, she then opened the door devoid of hesitation or regret.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Again, I just wanted to quickly make mention of the fact that it only gets better from here on out. As a content creator, it can't be helped when we look back on our old work and find ourselves cringing with distaste, for our current skill-levels have far surpassed what we've created in the past, it seems. I do so apologize for bringing this up once more, but I really wanted to emphasize it at least one more time: From here, the story only gets better and better in terms of quality, storytelling, characterization, and dialogue. Virtually everything under the metaphorically shining sun that is the art of writing itself. Regardless, I thank you for reading this far, and I implore you to continue with the story; It is a long endeavor due to its length, yes, but I assure you, it is nothing less than fulfilling. Plenty of adventures and mysteries await out favorite dynamic duo in the many coming chapters.**

 **As I'm sure you've been able to tell, these beginning few chapters carry a more philosophical tone to them, which bears some weight of its own, but ultimately becomes less frequent as time goes on, quickly becoming a more practical and enjoyable writing style for all to enjoy, especially those who like their fill of Wildehopps. I simply cannot emphasize this point enough. Thank you for your time and consideration, and keep up the good work, everyone.**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	3. Love's Foundation

As she flung open the door, she was immediately met with the rancid smell of tension in the air. The small hallway and the rooms branching out from it were smothered in shadow, the only source of light being a cheap lamp tucked away in the corner of the living space.

Judy advanced slowly through the rooms as she searched for Nick. She hadn't heard his voice in a bit, but she doubted that he had heard her enter their home. Soon after planting a foot in the living room, her ears were greeted with a strange sound... almost like a cross between a growl and a whimper.

"Nick...?" she quietly asked the area.

No response.

Then Nick's voice again, but only this time did she managed to make out the words he was saying.

"NO, DAD! It... It... _Isn't_ like that! I... I-I don't see it that way."

She was about to turn the corner and confront her husband when she heard another voice: Distinct. Gruff. But scratchy as it was from the source that it emitted from: The phone, no doubt. She didn't recognize the voice, but had a feeling she knew exactly who was behind it.

Nick's Dad...

At first it sounded garbled and messy... but as she leaned in closer and focused, she heard a few choice words slip from the other side of the phone-line:

 _Disgusting. Unnatural. Disgraceful._

It was at this moment that Judy decided she had heard enough. She turned the corner and stared down at the bedroom entrance. She saw Nick's tail swish in and out of view from the door-frame. It was puffed up and messy; quite unlike him.

Judy continued forward until she reached the bedroom, hearing Nick quarrel more with his father over the phone as she approached.

"You got some nerve old-man... _WHAT_? NO! I-I... Ugh... It's _OUR_ life!"

At the last word, Judy leaned into the room and finally saw Nick. She thought that she would recognize him at first sight.

She didn't.

Throughout their years of companionship, Nick rarely showed his darker emotions: Sadness, bitterness, regret, and disappointment were all quite rare in his lifestyle. Judy knew that they were there, but were very rarely acknowledged. She admired her husband's ability to keep a straight face in a sticky situation. His personal motto, ' _Never let them see that they get to you_ ', was something he lived by daily with pride. Rarely did anyone _truly_ get to him... It took a lot for that, apparently.

But when she envisioned Nick bantering with his father, she expected him to at least _look_ calm and collected.

However, she did _not_ expect to find him standing in the corner of the room, shirt off; thrown haphazardly and onto the floor. He had his back to her, no doubt completely oblivious to the Bunny that had snuck up on him. He looked severely agitated: Hunched over, free hand clenched in anger. The other arm held his phone rigidly against his head, as if he was afraid the device might electrocute him any second.

Judy's eyes traced his form from top to bottom. The fur on his torso was matted in some parts, and stuck up in tangled clumps in others. It was obvious that he had been running his fingers through his fur, as it was a nervous tendency he often did in certain situations. It stuck up all over the place, glistening with sweat from the glow of the moon shining through the window.

Nick's voice continued flowing. Broken. Angry. He spoke as if he'd just been strangled. His sweltered words sliced through the silence of the night like a knife through warm butter.

"You _never_ appreciated us... a-and despite the world accepting... _changing_... you never did."

His mellow tone was followed by a response from the phone. It spoke slowly, as if to emphasize a point. This time, Judy had no trouble understanding its words:

"Son... you _need_ to understand! This isn't about _our_ past... This is about _YOUR_ future! Your... your... _Affiliation,_ with this bunny is _unacceptable_! Unnatural! No _fox_ , no son of mine, would partake in such an _irregular_ way of life!"

Judy withheld the urge to gasp.

 _So that's what they've been arguing about_ , she mentally realized.

This entire time she believed that her husband was arguing with his dad over the fact that he abandoned his family. In truth, Judy's father-in-law was quarreling about his son's relationship...with _Her_.

Nick's jagged voice broke her train of thought:

"No f-father... _you_ don't understand. This is what we've worked years striving for, ever since we first met. The world has _changed_! I don't see why _you_ can't grasp the fact that... That as different as we are... We've found love. Each-other."

Judy's heart wretched in her chest as she forced back a small sob. Despite the fact that Zootopia had begun to finally see inter-species relationships as culturally and biologically acceptable, some animals were still highly against the mere idea of two different species forming a coherent partnership.

It was apparent to Judy that Nick realized too late that his father was one such animal.

She was admittedly taken back by Nick's words... He truly did appreciate his relationship with her.

Nick began speaking again, and the Bunny decided to take the time to listen a little bit longer.

"It... It doesn't matter dad. It's what we've come to accept here in the city." Nick began turning around, "And if you can't recognize that... then you ca-"

He stopped talking when his eyes met with Judy's. His were red and shiny from crying, but full of surprise at his wife's unexpected entrance. Hers were full of worry and concern, but shown with relief that Nick had managed to calm down and gather his bearings...

Nick took a raspy wheeze of a breath before ending his tirade.

"Then you can abandon me _again_."

With that finale, Nick shut off his phone and simply dropped at onto the floor. He let his arm go limp at his side, but that didn't stop his hand from shaking.

"Carrots...?" He paused "What are y-!"

Nick barely had time to begin his next few words before Judy slammed into him, intertwining her arms around his back, and pulled him into a grasping hug. The dam broke. Immediately, the stinging tears that had been welled-up in her eyes began flowing forth in rivers that wetted the fur of Nick's chest. He stared down at his wife, mouth agape, unable to formulate the following words. He sputtered a slight cough as Judy held him tight. He prepared to speak out, but was cut off when Judy wept louder into his chest.

"Oh Nick..." She cried for a few minutes. Her eyes gradually draining themselves of tears until she could weep no more. She felt for Nick. Despite being raised by two loving parents, she felt his anguish, and Nick knew that. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, then ran his hands down her back and back up: an effect that usual calmed her down, but this time it held no visible difference in lightening the Bunny's despair.

"Carrots, how long were you listening? H-how much did you hear?"

Judy didn't answer. She simply kept shaking in his arms.

Nick moved his hand beneath Judy's chin and lifted her head slowly until she locked eyes with him. This time, it was _Nick_ whose eyes were full of worry and concern, and Judy's whose were red and watery.

The fox spoke out spoke out, saying his next few words exactly as he told her the first time, all those years ago.

"You bunnies... always so emotional."

Despite everything that had crashed down upon her within the last few short minutes, Judy couldn't help but stifle a smile. It tugged at her lips for a brief moment before fading and being replaced with sadness. Despair. Anguish. Worry.

"I-I heard... a good chunk of it.." She answered to him with a slight feeling of guilt. "I let myself in... Bogo wasn't available..."

She swallowed briefly before continuing.

"So I-I came home, and I h-heard yelling, and I thought..." Her voice trailed off as it cracked under pressure. " _Oh god_ , Nick... I was so worried!"

She hugged him tighter. "I didn't know what to expect!"

Nick sighed and released his hold of Judy: She didn't resist. He then trudged over to the bed and flopped down with a grunt. He laid back, took a deep breath, and sighed heavily once again.

" _I_ didn't know what to expect either," He began. "I would have thought that h-he would have been... _proud_... of me... _no_... of _Us._ "

He tilted his head and eyed Judy, who had shuffled over and lain down next to him. She reclined her head upon his upper chest, just below his neck. Her long ears were folded back behind her own neck as she made herself comfortable.

"Everything we've accomplished over all this time... all the lives that we saved... things we helped people realize about themselves, about society..."

The fox's face hardened.

"And the only thing he cared about was _you_. You and me." Nick started off with a look of disgust on his face. He spoke slow and methodical.

"It started out fine... Then it turned sour early in: He started ranting about how ridiculous these inter-species relationships were... he said that they were a cancer on society..."

He stopped, taking a moment to breath before proceeding. "It all went downhill from there... we fought... he called me disgraceful, unorthodox, _revolting_... as if _he_ was anything but..."

Nick stopped talking all together to take a brief peek at his wife, who still clung recumbent to his side. Their eyes met for a brief second, but in that moment all of their sorrow and pain reflected to one another with ease: Judy's worry, and Nick's anger.

Neither creature had to go on... It was all there. Evident, apparent, and available for all to see.

Something clicked in that brief moment.

Nick stared deep into Judy's eyes, and saw all her fears and worries: Judy in turn saw all of Nick's doubts and rage.

They both laid there... silent... unmoving... The only sound being the steady breathing from both lovers, which had aligned in unison.

The only feeling was their steady heartbeat's upon one another's chests: A symbol of their life. Their will. Their _love_ , above all else.

The only sight one saw was the form of the other. To them both, the world could have ended right then and there... and neither would have noticed, much less cared.

The only thing that mattered was them... Now...

 _Forever_...

Judy seized the opportunity and leaned in for a kiss. It was a short one, no more then 5 seconds. But in those 5 ticks of the clock was an eternity of passion. The kiss broke when Nick pulled away, slightly startled at his wife's sudden act. Deep down, he wanted it to go on... he wanted it to advance... but he simply had too much to say... Too much that needed to be dealt with. He set aside his desires and looked Judy in the eye before starting;

"Whiskers... I-" She shushed him, cutting him off from now unspoken words.

" _Nick_... I know that must have been _so_ difficult for you... But we just need to come to terms and realize that not everyone a-appreciates... appreciates _us..._ or _any_ inter-species relationship. Your dad isn't alone on his opinions... but _you_ need to let him live _his_ life. _We'll_ live ours... free from him... free from the hate that we've worked so hard against. The two of us represent something that _he_ could _never_ hope to appreciate..."

The fox filled his lungs with air before looking around, and then back at his wife. He then spoke his mind.

"Carrots... sometimes I just feel that nobody cares about what we've done... That nobody bothers to look past the fact that love is a fluid thing. I feel like _nobody_ apprecia-" Judy interrupted him with her own statement;

"No Nick! _I_ appreciate! I appreciate _us_! I appreciate what we've accomplished... what we've come to represent!"

Nick clenched his jaw before presenting his views. "Come on fluff... my own father is disgusted by me! What _DO_ we represent, huh?"

The floodgates opened. The dam broke. The vault breached. Judy couldn't take it anymore.

She was tired of animals looking down upon them.

She was tired of being seen as some proxy for an idea that was viewed as wrong.

She was tired of Nick being so pessimistic, so down, so _hard_ on himself and society.

She realized right then and there that there was only one way to truly prove herself to Nick. To show his arrogant self the meaning behind everything they've striven to achieve AND accomplished over the past 3 and a half years: To show him what they _really_ represented. She gave him an answer... _The_ answer.

" _This._ "

Judy grabbed the back of his head and pulled him into a deep kiss; unlike any they've experienced before. Nick struggled in surprise and tried momentarily to pull away. He soon gave in. Surrendered. Completely and utterly melted into Judy's action. His pent up desires blew off the dome of their prison like the top of a teapot, exploding in a shower of passion, remembrance, and love.

But there _was_ something else that was released from his mental Pandora's Box: Something older than any _other_ emotion he'd kept hidden. He had bound it in chains and tossed it into the bottomless pit of his mind. He tried to keep it together... but instinct... _this_ primal emotion, could only be contained for so long.

After several more seconds of being locked together in that kiss, they broke off, both breathing heavily from the lack of air taken in from the past few moments.

Judy shattered the ensuing silence;

"And if your father, or _anyone else_ can't see that... then that's _their_ fault!" She said with a sense of self-righteousness and heart.

Nick, practically lost for words, stared in awe at his wife. He realized the intentions of her words: Despite everything, they _did_ represent something... The two of them represented... _defined_ , the idea of love between two different animals. Judy proved that to him with one simple word.

"You're right..." He muttered softly to his wife. "Judith... I love you more then anything else on this crazy earth..."

Judy's _own_ pent up desires began driving her thoughts.

 _This is what you've been waiting for..._ _This is what you have been wanting..._ They told her.

She smiled warmly at him, but past her mesmerizing gaze, Nick thought he saw something else: A flicker of something... _carnal..._

Judy spoke, her honeyed words flowing over him like a stream through a cluster of pebbles.

"I love you too Nick, now and forever... but... I think I need to... to _prove it to you._ "

The bunny continued to pierce her gaze deep into his Nick's eyes. She knew that _he_ thought the exact same way about her: In the past, the two of them have had discussions about the prospect of inter-species mating... It was something that they both had greatly considered throughout their relationship. It wasn't a very prominent thought during their first few years of dating, but after their marriage of two months ago, the idea had long since resurfaced, and stronger than ever before.

Judy and Nick _had_ previously discussed the complications and the set-backs on the prospect of inter-species mating... It was something that as far as either of them knew, had _never_ been done before. If they were to be the first, they'd had to know about each-other's anatomies and ideals. At first, that conversation had been awkward and near-distasteful, but eventually, they'd managed to learn very much about each-other in the end.

Although they _have_ had close moments before... moments that had nearly driven the two of them over the edge and into primal intimacy... They both agreed that they would save their desires until the right time: They both respected each-other too much to just throw away the passion in some whimsical, heat-of-the-moment decision based on raging hormones and naive ideals. They intended on saving their desires for the right time... And it seemed that that time was at last upon them.

There was no need to say it, no need to express it... Judy just simply knew... Knew that Nick was ready...

 _Finally..._


	4. Forgiveness

It has been said that forgiveness, not intimacy, is the final form of love.

Forgiveness. It stands on a level of its own. Above the likes of comrades, friends, and even lovers. Because to forgive someone is to bestow the purest form of love; Mercy.

Showing someone mercy is the ultimate form of appreciation, acceptance, and forgiveness.

The two lovers had been through much. Discrimination. Hate. Threats. Even blackmail. Those terrible grievances never left their mind. They would always remember the worst: Burned into their minds like brands. But they _chose_ to remember them. Like the great city of Zootopia itself, those threats stood as a testament to their resolve. Their will. Their Love, above all else. They remembered them so that whenever they were facing dark moments, they could reach into the depths of their minds and pluck fourth one such memory. They would use it to their advantage, reminding themselves that they have always faced the worst of society. Did they forgive those that cursed them so?

Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Yet over the years many of those same that blasphemed their relationship as unnatural and wrong, realized the error of their ways. They were only causing pain. Citizens began accepting the idea that not only could anyone be anything... _but that anyone could love anyone_... and that it was an unalienable right to all who lived within the reaches of their expansive, diverse, and forgiving world. But still, there were those who chose not to. Stubbornly refusing to accept changes; in society and within themselves. These were the ones who would swat aside any ideas of, say, a wolf Loving a sheep. These were the ones who organized rallies in protest of this "disgusting practice". The ones who gave ruthless glares at a certain pair of inter-species lovers, in particular. Their glares did not go unnoticed. Unrecognized. Or unappreciated.

They hurt.

Each glare that accumulated upon their small forms was painful. So much so, that there was a point where neither animal would hold hands with one another in public, over fear of public-humiliation. Discrimination. Hate.

It was a sad time.

But those that were forgiving enough to turn a new leaf, as they say, were the wise ones. Those that recognized such behavior as normal, and accepted it, or even partook in it were deemed such. Wise. Socially-accepting. Forgiving.

Over time, the city and its inhabitants accepted and culturally-legalized the concept. And the two little animals that were the face of such prospect, were raised on shields and cheered for. They were the first, it was believed. The first of two different animals to partake in an inter-species relationship. A predator and prey, no less. A fox and bunny.

Unfortunately, this wasn't viewed by all as acceptable. Many still deemed the pair unworthy of one another. They still felt the hard glances of resentment on their backs as they walked down the street, hand in hand. They didn't care. The world had changed. They had achieved their goal. They had shown society that anyone can love anyone. The heart-wrenching concept stood as a representation of Zootopia, almost akin to the likes of 'anyone can be anything!' Life was good. Life was accepting. Life was merciful.

But then why did the fox still feel so bleak? He this thought to himself for days after the argument. He tried to tell himself that it was in the past, that he need not worry about it now. Yet he couldn't help but feel so distracted. So incomplete. So... _not_ himself. Emotional. Nick didn't like it when he got overly emotional, especially around others.

Of course, he didn't let his demons shine through, especially around his mate. He believed himself to have thick skin as it was, but it was hard for him to keep it bottled up. It had gotten so bad, that for a terrifying moment, he thought his father's hurtful words had reached to him. There was a time when he and Judy were enjoying a movie together: After hours of staring at the screen, respectively silent, Nick turned to check on Judy, who lay curled against his right side. When he looked into her face, he heard his father's words in his head.

 _Disgusting. Unnatural. Unorthodox._

He had leaned away from her when he imagined the quotes. And to his horror, Judy noticed. Judy noticed the apprehensive action, but the look on his face was what gave it away. It was guilt, as she had described it to him after the tears had dried and the apologies had been gifted.

Nick wasn't guilty of his relationship with Judy... was he?

 _No_...

He didn't have a single regret towards Judy or their relationship. But the event from that night had put a stain on the tapestry of their relationship, One Nick was afraid he wouldn't be able to clean off. The days went by continually, yet the words never left him. The memory of Judy's face and his reaction to it never left him. They haunted him. Unrelenting. Unstoppable. Unforgiving.

Nick couldn't get rid of them.

Finally, the stress got to him. He _had_ to resolve this, one way or another. He could no longer stand idle while these unbound thoughts tore apart his relationship with Judy. His love. His wife. His mate.

His everything.

* * *

10:37, P.M.

It was a restless night. One of no sleep and much stress. It had been a full day at the ZPD, much work was accomplished in the rays of the sun. But now, the only light was the moon, shining fruitfully through the window in their bedroom. Nick sat upon his bed, staring at the phone in his hand.

 _Just one call... just one call... .come on Nick, Fix this crapstorm!_

Nick mentally repeated those thoughts until his brain could handle no more. He cracked and opened up his phone's contact list. He scrolled down. Finnick. Bogo. Flash. Judy. He saw all those pass by as he scrolled downward. He stopped. One single world illuminating itself right into his very soul. A word he'd always spoken of in disdain or disgust or disappointment. Now, he was to speak to it with forgiveness. At that, he clicked the button in his contact list he'd only ever clicked once before, with disastrous results.

Father.

A new page displayed itself on the screen. The icon circle was empty. He had no pictures of his father: His mother had destroyed all the photos of his father after his leave. She obviously tried hard to erase him completely from their lives. The only real recent memory he had of his father was the argument with him. That thought made him sad.

Without further hesitation, he stamped the 'call' button and placed the phone to his ear. It buzzed. It buzzed again. And again. And again. When Nick had just about given up, the buzzing abruptly stopped. He heard breathing on the other side. Then, he heard a voice. One he had come to despise. But it was also one he knew that he had to forgive.

"Hey dad... I, uh, just thought I'd call you one last time." Nick started slowly. "I'm sorry about some of the things I said, but... It's just that... Ugh."

The fox stammered off. Truth was, he barely even knew what to say.

"Nick... Son." The voice stopped. Silence.

Seven seconds of it.

Then...

"Find me." The voice told Nick right before its owner hung up.

Nick brought the phone down from his ear and stared at it longingly. He understood. This was a union that had to be done face-to-face.

He thought back to the words his father had told him. He knew what he had to do. He muttered reassuringly to himself the goal that he would achieve;

"Find him"

He chuckled a single time to himself, and then turned off his phone, slipping in into his left pocket and standing up before walking out of the closed door of the bedroom and into the living room. He saw Judy leaning on the counter-top in their kitchen. She glanced nervously at him, but Nick smiled reassuringly and walked up to his mate, wrapping her in a hug. He kissed her forehead. Judy smiled herself and broke the silence moments later:

"So, how did it go? It went by pretty quick." She said with worry laced in her tone.

The Fox remembered the short conversation with his dad. He had said nothing, and his dad had said only four words words. But he had given Nick the opportunity to make amends in the most efficient way possible. It was an opportunity he _was not_ going to let slip away. He gave her his answer:

"It went better then I could have possibly imagined. But we're not finished just yet. There's one more thing we need to wrap up."

Judy's face morphed into one of confusion. "And what would that be?" She asked.

"We have to find him... We need to talk face-to-face. It's the only way. Problem is, I have no idea where he lives." His then face shifted into his favorite half-lidded smile.

"But I think I know someone who does."

* * *

 **Hello everyone! I'm pleased that you've made it this far, and I sincerely hope that you've enjoyed what I've dished out so far! :D**

 **I believe I have two (maybe three) more chapters left before I conclude this story. And don't worry, I'll make sure there is more dialogue in the coming chapters, so you can get the chemistry between these two animals down nice and good. I let this chapter be one of those more reflective and thoughtful ones, with sparse dialogue and lots of thinking. But I'll make it up to you. I promise. Intimacy will follow suite! The candle of romance will burn onward!**

 **Be sure to leave a review if you wish, It'd be most appreciated! And as always, I hope you enjoyed! It only gets even better from here on out. Stay tuned! :D**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	5. Recovery

"When the pain doesn't fade and the scars don't heal, it's too late." - Johnathon Tropper.

* * *

2:00 A.M

Morning once again. The events of dawn's precursor weren't one of waste. The messages tossed throughout the night between one and another were frequent and many. But the likes of one such message: Short. Bland. Uneventful. Yet meaningful, all the same. Nick had learned and thought much of his father's last and most recent words to him.

They were exactly that: Short, bland, and uneventful.

Yet meaningful.

As the rabbit and fox lay side by side in bed; one was enraptured by peaceful sleep. The other, couldn't help but repeat those four words in his head.

Again and again.

Nick's mate, Judy, was curled up against him in comfort. Both creatures were in the nude, as they preferred to sleep that way, yet no intimacy had preceded their attempts at slumber. But unfortunately, only one had managed to actually achieve that attempt. Nick just couldn't sleep. Not after all that he had been thinking about for the past hour.

His father, whom the only memory he has had of for over thirteen years was a bitter argument over phone, had contacted him once more. But this union had not ended in spite or ill-will, as the last one had. It was the beginning of forgiveness. Of recovery.

Despite that positive thought, sleep did not find Nicholas Wilde that night. He had given up trying at around one o' clock in the morning. But it did allow him more time to reflect upon his father's words, and to be able to imagine what he would say when the two finally converged. He despised his father for abandoning his wife and son, though Nick knew not why he had in the first place.

Answers. He wanted answers.

He didn't want an apology or some tear-jerking confession from his father. He wanted answers to his many questions. Why did he abandon them, why did he view his relationship with Judy as wrong, specifically? _Why_ had he not at least tried _once_ to contact his son in over thirteen years _?_

"Why?" Nick asked himself as he stared out the large window in their living room. The canopy of Zootopia shined with the light of many business and workplaces, alongside homes and advertisements. Aside from those, the world was dark and cold. Take away all those lights, and you have a chilling blanket of blackness and cold.

But no...

Their world shined with vigor and luster brighter then the moon itself. Nick knew this. Opportunities are plentiful in the city. He went from nothing, living in a rusted shack beneath a bridge to one of Zootopia's top cops. He glanced back at the bedroom door, which hung slightly ajar in the darkness.

 _Because of her..._

The fox shook his head and turned his attention back toward the city skyline. He sighed and picked up his coffee mug, taking petite sips from it every so often as he stared down the rising sun, and all that came with it.

* * *

4:00 A.M

Judy awoke to the sound of a sneeze, followed by a crash, and a disapproving; "Crap!"

Her ears had shot up at the sound of the first noise, and she winced when the crash's aftermath had reached her ears. But she calmed when Nick's voice, albeit a curse, filled the air. She threw the sheets from her naked form and began creeping towards the door-frame. She pushed the already barely open door to its full range of motion as she stepped outside of the bedroom only to see Nick, glaring down at the floor with disgust. Then she saw why.

Unsurprisingly, he had dropped his coffee mug; shattering ceramic and painting decaf on the floor of the living room. His fur was dripping with brown liquid. She giggled at the sight of it all.

Nick froze and twitched his ears. He turned around slowly and locked sight upon his mate, leaning casually in the door-frame. He masked his embarrassment with a facade smirk:

"Great sight to wake up to, eh Carrots?" Judy placed her hands on her hips.

"I can think of a few better ones then this." She replied with ease.

The fox spread his hands and dipped low in a bow. "Impossible!" He stated. "Nothing bests 'coffee-mug-crash' at-" he glanced at the nearest clock. "Four in the morning!"

Judy couldn't help but laugh at the whole event. Her husband's way with words and charm was always an attribute she cherished about him.

"Well... you better clean that up at least, or else the next event is gonna be 'fox-gets-pummeled' for making a mess!"

"Can we change that to 'fox-gets-a-kiss' for his efforts?" He asked innocently.

"Maybe we will after said fox cleans up!" She started to turn around, intending to go dress herself, but stopped momentarily when Nick spoke again.

"Sly bunny, you!" She heard him say behind her.

She grinned and responded with her favorite two words; "Dumb fox."

She then strutted into the bedroom in search of something more substantial to wear.

Nick thought to himself, _Y_ _ou know you love me,_ as he picked up the broken ceramic and dried off the coffee spill. He was already loving how the day had started.

But he still had matters to take care of. Amends to fix. Promises to fill.

Recovery.

* * *

5:00 P.M

The two lovers didn't ascend to the ZPD that day. They didn't have to. They'd earned themselves a small vacation over the weekend. They intended to make the most of it.

Nick and his mate were driving along in search of his father's address.

"So, are we almost there Nick?" Judy asked as their van glided along the road on the outskirts of Sahara-Square. Well, it was actually Finnick's van. Aside from the police cruiser, which they only used for work, neither fox nor bunny owned their own automobile. Fine by them. Their home was not too far from the police station, so they believed owning a car would just be a wasteful mess of unnecessary paperwork and time. Besides, Finnick was more than happy to let them borrow his van, even though it was rather suggestive with its paint design. The titular sand fox had given them a warning not to let a single scratch find itself on the vehicle, by the time the were done with it, though.

Nick quickly pondered back to the address he had been given earlier by his mother. When he called her, she seemed unsurprised that her former husband had been so hard on him for being an an inter-species relationship, but she was pleased that the two of them were trying to make up somehow. She gave him the address willingly.

It was then that he saw the brick gates that bordered the suburban neighborhood. "Not almost. We're here right now!" He said excitedly as he pulled into the entrance.

It wasn't a very wealthy neighborhood from the looks of it, but it was far from being a full-blown ghetto, or tenement. Nick kept his green eyes trained on the various house numbers as they drove through the neighborhood. It was otherwise uneventful, save for the occasional passing mammal or palm tree. Judy was the first to spot the address.

"There!" She shouted. Nick turned his head and gazed at the one-story house labeled with the number two-thousand. This was it. His father's home. Nick stopped the van and parked it right next to the mailbox. He closed his eyes and sighed after unbuckling his seat-belt. Sensing his anxiety, his beloved mate took the chance to reassure him.

"Hey Nick, it's gonna be alright, I'm sure. I'll be right beside you the whole time." She said soothingly.

Nick didn't admit it, but he honestly wanted Judy to sit this one out. He appreciated her company and intentions, but was afraid of how his father might react if he waltzed up to the door, arm-in-arm with the very same bunny that he and his father had fought about in the first place. He thought back to his father's words on his relationship with her;

 _Unnatural. Unorthodox. Disgusting._

Nick breathed in and exhaled through his nose. He then made his choice.

"Alright whiskers, but just let me do the talking, at first. I didn't exactly manage to tell him that I was bringing you along, and don't want him to freak out. Understand?"

Nick instantly regretted the way he worded what he said when he saw Judy's ears droop in disappointment, and the small smile melt away from her face. Judy must have noticed, because she rubbed her neck and said quickly; "Okay, sure. Um... Let's just get this over with, shall we?" before opening the door on her side of the van exiting it.

She hipped out before slamming it shut with a little more force than necessary.

 _Oh great... You made her upset..._ He thought to himself. _Dumb fox._

No sense wasting time now that they were here, he figured. He opened the door and stepped outside, squinting at the sunlight as it bared down mercilessly at his sensitive eyes.

 _Should have brought my shades_.

Judy had positioned herself in the middle of the sidewalk leading up to the house. Nick tried to ignore the scowl he felt on his back as he walked past and stepped up to the door.

 _Nothing left to lose._

He rang the doorbell a single time. It echoed out deep into the house. Fifteen seconds passed and there was still no answer.

Nick heard Judy shuffle up closer behind him in curiosity. Nick was about to knock on the door when he saw a dark bit of movement behind the haze of the one-way window embedded within the door. He stepped back in apprehension as the old hinges squeaked like mice, and the door itself was swung open, inward to the depths of the house.

A face peered around the corner. Another fox, Judy saw, though much older than her own. The fur around his face was tinged with various licks of grey. He was dressed in a plaid red shirt and denim jeans that were at least two sizes too big for his thin frame. They were held up with overall straps that connected to the waistline and ran up and behind his shoulders. Judy couldn't help but stare at his weathered face. _He looks like Nick,_ was one of the many thoughts that circulated through her conscious as she gazed at the old fox that stood in front of her and Nick. The ensuing silence was broken when the wizened animal cleared his throat loudly and furrowed his brow at the two guests.

"Well... You certainly took long enough!" He grumbled.

His voice was leathery with age, but spoke with the same charismatic undertone that Nick had; The kind that made you think he was either about to crack a bad joke or tell you off for being stupid. He gave a smile identical to Nick's favored smirk; half-lidded eyes, easy grin, and pleasant gaze.

"I think you should come in. It wouldn't be very hospitable of me to have you standing on the porch the entire time, would it?" He claimed before turning his back on them

Nick just stood there with a confused look on his face. He was prepared to give a quick heart-to-heart, get some answers, and then leave, but his father apparently had other plans. Nick glanced back at Judy, who gave him a simple shrug, before turning around and entering the house. Nick sighed before following her inside and closing the door.

* * *

Judy closed the door behind herself as she stepped inside. The first thing that she really noticed about the place was the smell: Mahogany wood and candles. It was an inviting scent, but she didn't exactly feel very welcome. Nick's words to her back in the van hadn't helped. She personally hoped that his father would just ignore her so she wouldn't have to feel anything towards him. Better than being discriminated. But she was apprehensive of anything friendly the old fox might do towards her. After hearing those unsavory words from his side of the phone those many days ago, she believed that any hospitality towards her might be forced in order to appear nice, and appealing.

She sighed and eyed the living room of the house. It was cozy, and large, like a cabin; Many of the furniture pieces made with visible wood. A fireplace lit the room with a soft orange glow. The mantle was decorated with tiny wooden sculptures of various animals and other strange objects. There were four paintings hanging around the room on opposing sides. One of a flower, another of a stormy sea, a third of a sunlit meadow, and the last... Judy nearly caught her breath. The last one was of the Wilde family. Nick's mother stood in a dress, hand placed upon the shoulder of Nick himself, albeit younger then his present self. She wondered why his father wasn't in the picture.

The old fox caught her ogling the painting and said; "Do you like it, my dear?" Judy turned and saw him smiling at her. He raised his head and eyed the painting with a look of longing. "Painted it myself some time ago... Back when I could hold a brush without my paws shaking all over the place." He shook his head with seeming disappointment.

Judy looked around the room again at all the paintings. It was then that she noticed a small worktable in far the corner of the room, dusted with wood chips and splinters. A dull looking blade was planted into a block of wood, half carved into some object. The bunny then noticed an easel and set of paintbrushes set to the side. Propped up against the foot of the table was a half-finished painting of a bowl of fruit, smeared with paint swipes and brush marks of assorted colors. She moved her field of view to the larger table in the center of the room, where the same bowl of fruit sat, the only difference being that someone had taken a bite out of the apple.

"You did all this?" She asked with a look of amazement.

The old fox sighed and slowly lowered himself into a small, padded sofa. "Yup." He said flatly, his eyes set upon the floor. "I... I'm an artist."

He lifted his head and stole a brief glance of his son, who had positioned himself across from his dad on a two-person sette. He then said;

"I'm sure you have a lot to say, son... A lot to ask. Take your time if you have to. I've got all day."

Nick eyed at his father with confusion and bewilderment. It was clear that he had no idea where to start, as there were simple too many questions that needed answers. He gathered his bearings and took a deep breath before asking the one question that stood out and above the rest.

"Dad... Why did you..." He stopped himself and swallowed hard before continuing. "Leave us?"

Nick's dad didn't make any movements. He sat as still as the wood-carved statues on the mantle of the fireplace, which itself crinkled quietly with a warm flame. He took a deep breath before beginning.

"Well, son... It should come across as no surprise that I fell in love with your mother... But after you were born, things just weren't the same. I-I didn't spend as much time at the house as I should have. After work, I would go to the bar and drink... And then after that I would lock myself in the garage and create art while, eh... Not all myself."

He chuckled softly to himself and looked over at the table with the knife embedded in the block of wood. For the first time, Judy noticed that he was missing a few fingers.

"Whatever magic we had before got lost. We didn't love each-other anymore. We fought and fought, again and again... I was too selfish... I sh-" He stopped himself and blinked hard a single time. "I should have been a better husband... Better father. But it didn't work in the end." He sighed and shifted his weight uncomfortably in the couch.

Nick had has paw on his chin and was listening intently to his father; Who continued on for some time about what he did after he left, his feelings for Nick, and even about his views on various political and social outings. Judy listened, but was more focused on Nick, who she kept sneaking glances at. _No Judy..._ she mentally told herself... _You're supposed to be angry at him_. But she couldn't help but feel conflicted while she watched him as he spoke with his father. She shook her head and parted her gaze from her mate, and focused on the words of the reason they had come: The elderly fox sitting across from her. His words were many, and as time dragged on, Judy started looking for something else to focus on. She started zoning out into the wood cabin walls and Nick's eyes when his father's voice made her left ear shoot up in detection at a certain word.

"-Bunnies. It was just something I told myself." He sighed. "I know I put some... Pressure on your choices, and said some rather insensible things," He looked at Judy guiltily when he said those words. "But I've changed my perception for the better, Nicholas. My son. You live your life to the fullest. Don't listen to some crotchety old canine about his thoughts on inter-species relationships." A small smile tugged at his mouth. "I'm so sorry about what I said. I take it all back. I was just... Feeling surprised, at the time."

Nick's father then turned towards Judy, who was still standing not too far off from the aforementioned gathered pair.

"My dear... I deeply apologize for my words." He stood up and faced her with his whole body. "I'm so sorry that I judged you for who you seemed to be, and not who you really are." He breathed in deep before continuing. "Do you forgive me, Mrs. Hopps?" Judy just stared at him. A multitude of varying thoughts swarmed her mind like bees.

Yet one stood out above the rest: Mercy.

She walked up to the old fox and locked him in a hug. He was taken back by her sudden action, but soon returned it, patting her shoulder with his hand. Judy severed the silence that was brought with the moment. "I do." She said calmly. And she meant it. She could tell his words were true; He really was sorry, and Judy accepted it every bit.

She broke contact with him after some time and stepped away, smiling. She looked at Nick, who was trying his best not to look emotional, but Judy could see through the act. She knew that he was relieved, but happy above all else. Happy for himself, his father, and her. Happy that he had finally managed to patch up this nasty problem of his.

That thought made her previous anger at him melt away like an ice-cream cone in Sahara-Square at noon-time.

Nick clasped his hands together and spoke loudly. "Well... I'm glad we managed to fix all this, Dad. But it's getting late... We should probably be going."

A thought suddenly pierced Judy's mind, _How long have we been here?,_ she asked herself. The bunny looked around the room, but there were no clocks available. Nick answered her mental question when he whipped out his phone and turned it on, reading the time it presented: "8:21, it says."

Judy followed it up with a statement of her own; "Wow. We've been here for ages: Almost three hours" She shook her head in disbelief. Time had gone by really fast.

To her, it felt like it had been no more than an hour or so. Then again, she had been zoning out and admiring the many decorations of the living room for some time, all while listening in on her husband's conversation with his father. Most of it wasn't really her business to listen in on, anyways, but she definitely had learned more about the Wildes.

"No kidding." Nick's father added. "You two best be on your way, I suppose. I've held you captive long enough." He mumbled as he walked over in the direction of the door.

He opened it once he reached it. Nick and Judy followed suite. The couple exited the door, but Nick turned around to say one final good-bye. "Dad... Keep in touch."

The old fox smiled, and for the first time, Judy didn't see it as forced or fake. She only saw it for what it truly was: Caring.

"I will Nicholas. And don't forget; I love you. I always have.." He starting closing the door. " So long, you two... And be sure to give me hybrid grand-kids before I kick the bucket!" He said jokingly before winking at Judy and closing the door with finality, leaving them outside. That wink looked _exactly_ like something Nick would have given her.

 _Nick..._ She thought as she turned towards her mate, who was giving her his favorite smirk.

"Oh, wipe that smug look off your face, you!" She said to him, but he didn't change his expression.

"I don't want to _sound_ smug, but I'll admit that I'm reasonably satisfied with how that went." He replied to his mate.

She just crossed her arms and pointed to the nearby vehicle with her chin.

"Get in the van, fox, I'm hungry."

Nick smiled and trudged over to the driver's seat, which he promptly took his place in while Judy climbed into the passenger's.

"So, wanna go out or just order somethin' at home?" He asked the bunny.

"Surprise me." She replied easily.

And with that, Nick started the engine and drove back towards the city, eternally pleased with the day's experience so far.

Little did he yet realize, it was only going to get better.

* * *

7:00 P.M

The dinner was exquisite. The two of them had treated themselves for a successful day by going out to one of the finest restaurants in the Rain-Forest district. The entrees were diverse, and both predator and prey were able to choose something that aligned with their tastes and appetite. Judy ordered a fruit salad with extra carrots and Nick had gotten himself a slab of salmon sprinkled with fried crickets. The following ride home was pleasant, filled with good talk and good laughs. Both animals were joyous, yet Judy couldn't help but feel a tad bit conflicted. Was she still mad at Nick for admitting that she wasn't fully needed? Not really. Their experience with Nick's father had turned out better than either of them could have ever imagined or hoped for, and all the fun that they had that evening greatly out-shined that one tempered moment from before.

Perhaps not all things were meant to be as they were. Instead, Nick and Judy both chose to make them what they should have been.

* * *

7:30 P.M

After dropping the borrowed van back at Finnick's place, they made the walk back home. It wasn't _that_ far, but the chilling night winds made Judy long for the rusted old van. Neither of the two of them had expected their recent meetup with Nick's dad to have taken so long, so they didn't bring anything to prepare for the chillier night temperature. They walked side-by-side in silence, the most audible sound being the howling of the winds as they tore between the old buildings of the city block, chilling the nighttime air.

Another cold gust made Judy shiver, and she huddled up closer against Nick as they walked, embracing his warmth. Nick wrapped his left arm around Judy's shoulder and smiled at her. She smiled back, and despite the freezing gale, it was safe to say that the connection between the two lovers warmed the hearts of both fox and bunny alike.

They continued strolling until they reached their flat, where they opened the door, walked inside, and slammed it shut without a second thought.

"Oh, man... About time we got out of that horrible wind!" Judy said through slightly chattering teeth.

Her mate was no better, his fur standing on end in response to the cold temperature; "Yeah, feels nice in here now, doesn't it?" He asked.

"Sure does, Slick." she nonchalantly replied before making her way to the kitchen for a drink of water.

"Thirsty?" She asked while offering him a glass.

"Nah, I'm fine. Drank plenty back at the restaurant." He replied, not taking his eyes off his phone.

"Suite yourself. I'm parched!" She told him after a shrug. The bunny then filled a tall glass of water nearly to the top before she placed it to her lips and drank deep from its contents. When she was finished, she dropped the glass from her face and let out a gasp of breath in relief. Nick chuckled lowly before throwing out a comment of his own.

"Dang, you were pretty thirsty, huh Carrots?"

"Yeah, I guess I was." She said before looking at her husband. She thought back to her plan earlier, and decided that now was the time to put it into action.

"Hey, Nick... Can I ask you something?" She asked, earning his his attention from his phone.

"Anything you want, whiskers. I'm all ears"

She then continued her question;

"Well, I was wondering about a few things. Right before we spoke to your father, you said that you thought I shouldn't help you out. Why?"

Nick's head dipped in shame at the question. "Oh... Well, I just didn't want him lashing out at you, Carrots. I would hate it if you two had gotten off on a bad note."

She crossed her arms. "And even if I had stayed in the van and it _had_ gone well, you just assumed I wouldn't ever meet him?"

"Uh... Well, no." He stammered. "I just thought that the first time around wouldn't have been the most ideal scenario to introduce you to him."

He spread his hands before concluding;

"Make sense at all?" He asked his wife.

She smirked before responding. "Yeah, I suppose it's understandable." Her grin widened. "But what, you thought this bunny couldn't handle your old man, huh?"

Nick donned a grin of his own. "Not at all, Judes. You can take anyone, anytime." She was pleased by his words.

"You got that right, Slick." She advanced towards him while letting loose a brief yawn. "I'm pretty tired, now, though. Ready for bed yet?"

"Yeah, I think it's safe to say that I am." The fox admitted.

At that, the two mammals retrated into their bedroom before cuddling up in bed, intent on recovering from their long day.

They huddled closer, and Judy finalized their night with one last statement, but unquestionably the most meaningful of them all;

"I love you Nick. Sleep well, sweetheart."

Nick chuckled softly to himself before throwing in his own, final comment;

"Right back at ya, Fluff-Butt."

He then closed his eyes and slept more peacefully than he ever had before, dreaming of Judy and salmon sprinkled with fried crickets.

It was beautiful.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **This was a fun chapter to write up. Glad to have finally met Nick's father. You'll meet his mother eventually, that much I can promise you. Stay tuned!**

 **In the meantime, please, if you haven't already, know that you are most welcome to Favorite/Follow this story of ours. I'd appreciate it very much, indeed. Regardless, I still thank you all for your generous time, consideration and interest in my work thus far. It only gets even better and better from here on out.**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	6. Spring Sweetness

"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want—oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!" - Mark Twain

...

"Breath in thine scents,

Gaze upon thy blossoms,

Feel the breeze upon your face,

Taste the sweetness of the season,

Hear the whistles of the birds,

Inhale the fragrance of the... ah... ah... **ACHOO!** "

Judy sneezed into her elbow, nearly ripping the sheet of paper, which she still held firmly in her grip. The Fox who leaned overhead behind her recoiled back at the sudden action, but quickly recollected himself and donned his favored half-lidded smirk.

"Springtime getting a little too close for comfort, eh Carrots?" He asked the Bunny, who quickly sniffed and wiped her nose before turning around to answer.

"You could say that, I suppose. May I finish your poem now, Nick?"

Nick glanced back at the sheet of paper that Judy held in her hands. "As long as you don't get your Bunny snot all over it, be my guest!" He earned himself a scowl.

Judy cleared her throat before bringing the paper back to eye-level, where she finished the last few lines.

"Inhale the fragrance of the pollen, and welcome the joys of Spring." Judy concluded before sniffing harshly and letting out a soft snicker. "Kind of ironic that one line, with the pollen, isn't it?" She asked.

Nick nodded in agreement. "Yup. You nailed that one at the perfect time." He raised his hands and looked up at the tree that shaded them. "Thank you, conveniently timed pollen, for invading my Judy's cute little nose at the perfect moment!" Judy teasingly punched him in the arm.

" _Cute_? I'll show you cute, slick!" She exclaimed before grabbing the back of Nick's neck and pulling him into a kiss. Both animals lost their balance and fell over, rolling down the side of the hill while locked tightly in each-other's embrace. Once they reached the bottom of the hill, the dazed Fox lolled his head and took in the scene set out before him.

The farmland of Bunny-Burrow stretched out before them in an almost never-ending view: It seemed to go on forever. Despite the fact that throughout their 3 and a half years of marriage, and that Judy had taken Nick to her homeland many times on vacation, the sheer size of the sprawling fields and unending farmland never failed to amaze the Fox. Nick turned his head and looked back behind him, staring at the hill that they had just tumbled down. It wasn't very big; a small tumor of the earth against the backdrop of seemingly endless flatland. The tiny thing was topped with a craggy old apple tree, complete with apples. The fruit that the tree held glistened in the sunlight: Large, red apples which dotted and hid themselves within the leaves of the tree.

Then Nick brought his eye-sight down to his mate, Judy, who lay pinned beneath him, breathing steadily. She was smiling from ear-to-ear, her toothy grin lighting up Nick's world. Her violaceous purple eyes bore into his own with an ecstatic sense of longing. Her joyous laugh filled Nick's ears, and was soon after accompanied by words.

"Hooo... That was fun!"

"Sure was, whiskers." He replied easily , but then realization struck him suddenly. "Hey, where's my poem?" He asked.

Judy smirked before pushing Nick off of her. She rolled over and faced him, lying on her side. Nick shook his head and locked eyes with his mate. The hand that lay draped across her hip disappeared behind her thigh, reaching for the pocket on her rear. She pulled out His poem seconds later.

Nick's eyes widened at the revelation. "My poem! It's all crumpled! _Not_ cool, fluff!" Judy herself just smiled at him warmly.

"Don't worry Nick... words as timeless as these don't need to be written down." She tossed him the paper ball, which he caught in his left paw. He briefly looked at the rumpled piece of paper in his hand before he lifted his gaze to Judy.

"Wise Bunny, you!"

Judy giggled and then got to her feet, raising her hands above her head to stretch her shoulders and back. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her muscles unwinding themselves and stretching. Meanwhile, Nick took advantage of the moment to stare at her as she stretched out. His eyes traced the outline of her body from the start of her toes to the tip of her ears, which stood on end cutely. Since they weren't working that day, neither Fox nor Bunny chose to equip themselves with their Police gear, instead choosing to clothe themselves with more casual wear. Judy wore a Pink and black plaid shirt, her favorite outfit for working on the farm. The sleeves drooped loosely around her wrists. Her usual baggy jeans were ditched because of the increased temperature, and instead she wore a more skintight and much shorter pair of jeans which clung tighter to her waist, complimenting the curves of her hips. The jeans ended at mid-thigh, exposing her long, smooth, and muscular legs. She wore no shoes, which was quite normal in their society.

When she had finished stretching her taunt tendons, she cracked her neck to the left before looking down at Nick, who lay on the ground with his hands behind his head, trade-mark smirk plastered on to his furry face as he stared upwards at Judy. The Fox was't wearing anything special himself: Just his usual outfit consisting of a wrinkled green shirt, striped purple tie, and tan-colored khakis. After scanning his form, Judy cleared her throat at the Fox, who was still staring at her. He raised his eyes and innocently hummed, "Hmmm?"

Judy placed her hands to her hips and shifted her weight to her left foot. "What're you staring at, Fox?" She asked him.

"Just my lovely Bunny on this lovely afternoon." He nonchalantly responded.

Judy rolled her eyes while smiling and offered him a hand, which he willingly grasped. She lifted him to his feet, and as Nick regained hit footing, he planted a quick little kiss on her nose. "Thanks Carrots."

Judy nodded. "No problem, Nick." She started. "But hey, we should probably be getting back to the house soon, If we want to eat dinner at least."

Nick pondered the idea for a moment. _Well, I am pretty hungry,_ He thought to himself. He gave her his answer.

"Sure. I'm pretty hungry myself. You?" He asked as he took her hand and they began making their way back towards Judy's family's house.

Judy thought for a second before being interrupted by a piercing growl, which she soon realized had emanated from within her.

"I guess that answers it, huh?" She giggled whilst placing a paw over her stomach. Nick nodded in agreement. "Sure does. Let's get going, Carrots."

The two lovers strolled back to the apartment hand-in-hand, eager to relish their appetites.

Judy however, had an appetite which exceeded Nick's by far. This urge though, was more then just hunger in of itself: It was a rumbling desire to sate the biological craving that accompanied her kind each Springtime. This carnal impulse was gnawing at her sense of will, yet she kept it chained and held down. It was only a matter of time before her lustful yearning would become unbound.

But for the time being, her only longing was to find something to eat.

...

Nick and Judy were visiting Judy's family farm over the Spring-break. They weren't very accustomed to vacations, being Police officers, but they had taken the time to come down to Bunny-Burrow to visit Judy's family. Nick was hesitant at first, as on his last visit he had been subject to frequent attacks by hordes of Judy's brothers and sisters, whom would swarm and tackle him to the ground in a playful manner. But Nick had reaffirmed his will to go at the idea of being able to taste some of Gideon's near-famous blue-berry pie, which he loved almost as much as Judy. _Almost_.

As the Fox and Bunny walked back towards the farmhouse, the both of them couldn't resist eyeing the beauty of the countryside that accompanied itself with each Springtime.

Flowers bloomed and blossomed around the land, their various colors of stark contrast against the sea of green grass. They were dotted all around the area, but seemed to be in a particular abundance around the hill that Nick and Judy had just left. The large farmhouse could be seen in the distance, as it was perhaps the largest thing in all the horizon. It's size was no coincidence though, as the family that called it home was a massive family at that. 277 Bunnies, including Nick's beloved and her parents.

The sky was still sunny, but gales of wind would roar past occasionally: the run-off of a coming storm. And sure enough, in the distance, huge storm clouds covered the sky, blanketing the land below in massive shadows. They didn't look very threatening, but both Nick and Judy knew that with wind that boisterous and clouds that big, rain was soon to follow. The imminent storm was still miles away however, and both animals didn't allow the prospect of the coming weather to dampen their moods.

As they neared the house, Nick spotted a large purple flower in the ocean of grass. It was right next to the path they walked upon, and as they passed it, Nick reached down and plucked it from the ground. He looked at his mate and said, "For you." Judy smiled as she eyed the plant.

Nick caught a whiff of it's scent as he handed it to Judy, whom momentarily stopped to breath in the smell of the flower.

"Stop and smell the roses, right smalls?" Nick said to her, to which she responded jovially, "That's right!"

Nick smirked and admired the palette similarities between the flower's petals and Judy's irises. He wasn't an artist like his father, but he _had_ inherited an appreciation for the 'artsy' things in life. He was about to make a comment about it, but his words left him and his smile evaporated into confusion when he saw Judy pop the flower into her mouth and gulp, swallowing it whole. He eyed the lump that contained the flower as it sank lower and lower into her throat, soon vanishing as it passed behind her collarbone, bound for her stomach.

"What the heck, Hopps? Did you just... _E_ _at_ my present?" He asked her with eyes wide and eyebrows scrunched in apprehension.

His mate fixed him with an innocent stare. "Mmm, that was lovely." She started. "Thanks for the appetizer, Sweetie!" She then noticed Nick's look of horror and fascination. She shrugged, "What?"

"Judes, what _was_ that?" The Fox asked while chuckling. Judy smiled before telling him.

"Oh, well... In Bunny culture, if your significant other gives you a flower during Springtime, it's a custom to eat it! Been that way for as long as I can remember." She said.

Nick raised one if his eyebrows. "But _why_? I mean, that flower could have been _toxic_ for all you know!" He exclaimed to the still smiling Bunny.

"Why?" She repeated. "Not too sure, It's just been a little custom here in Bunny-Burrow. I guess it's because the Bunny who receives the flower treasures it so much, that the only thing they can do is eat it."

Nick pursed his lips. "Kinda strange, but I can see where you're coming from." Judy crossed her arms before following up with her own statement.

"As for the toxic part, don't worry about that: us Bunnies know our plants when we see them! That was a _Viola Odorata,_ or just commonly called a violet. It's edible," She paused and licked her lips. "And yours was delicious..."

Nick smirked. "Well, I suppose we best get you back to the House before you start eating the rest of the little flowers, now should we?"

Judy smirked at him and administered a playful hip-check; swinging her waist and clipping the Fox on the side. Nick stumbled briefly before regaining his balance.

He dusted his shirt off before saying, "I'll take that as a yes then. Let's get going, Whiskers." Judy winked at him and began walking ahead. Nick shook his head and smiled smugly as he watched his Wife strut off towards the farmhouse. He watched her lower-body sway hypnotically from side-to-side as she put more distance in between them.

Nick's ears shot up in detection when he heard Judy call from ahead without looking back, "Quit staring and pick up the pace, Fox!"

"But I don't think I want to, Carrots!" He yelled back at her as he trained his eyes on her rump. "The view back here is great!"

He laughed to himself as he ran up ahead to join his mate.

...

When they reached the farmhouse, they promptly let themselves in. Most of Judy's siblings were running around outside, minding their own business and playing with one another. Only a select few had entered the house for dinner, but the dining room was still packed with Bunnies, ranging in size and shape. Nick and Judy squeezed their way past the crowd and found a seat at the table.

Nick looked out the single window that adorned the dining room, and saw that the clouds had gotten closer, albeit not by much: The storm was still far away, and Nick doubted it would reach them in time for the annual Bunny-Burrow vegetable contest. The contest was held every year mid-spring, this year being presented rather close to the Hopps's property. From what Nick had gathered about the contest, participants could choose to enter their largest grown vegetable for the chance of winning first place: which was accompanied with a handsome prize of 500 bucks. Judy's family chose not to enter this year, as all of their grown crops had been normal-sized.

 _Nothing better then celebrating mother-nature's organic mishaps then with a contest,_ Nick thought to himself. The idea of parading around genetically-malformed vegetables was something that amused Nick.

Much to the cynical Fox's disappointment, he had heard from Gideon that the largest blue-berry was not the size of a basketball as he had hoped, but was only a mere few hairs-widths wider then the average blue-berry: That one had been grown by Gideon himself.

The sound of Judy's father, Stu, broke his train of thought and Nick turned his attention toward the older Bunny, who sat at the head of the table next to his wife, Bonnie.

"Good having you all here tonight, especially you Nick!" Stu smiled at him proudly.

Nick couldn't help but remember the first meeting he had with Judy's parents, all those years ago. Well, it wasn't _that_ long ago, but long enough that the change in tone was evident between the Fox and his mate's parents. Their first meeting hadn't gone very well, as he recalled. Judy had taken him to her home town of Bunny-Burrow to meet her parents. They had been only dating at the time, but they knew they were meant for each-other. Nick was hesitant of the Idea of a Fox coming to a town filled with Bunnies, but Judy had assured him that he wouldn't be the only Fox there. She told him of her relationship with Gideon Grey, whom Nick wanted to hate because of the way he had treated Judy when they were children, but couldn't manage to do so: Both Foxes had struck up a friendship the moment they started talking to each-other. Nick was personally hoping for the other Fox to be present at the farmhouse for dinner, but Nick knew that he wouldn't be available: He was no doubt down at the festival, setting up his own little Pie stand and maybe even entering his own vegetable to be judged.

The meet-up with Judy's parents, however, had been _disastrous_. Stu had reacted exactly how Nick feared he would; scared, frightened, and worried that his precious daughter was dating a shifty Fox.

But what he _hadn't_ expected was for the old rabbit to whip out a can of 'Fox-Off' and spray him directly in the face with it. The repellent was painful, but after the apologies had been given and the tears had dried, Stu began to warm up to Nick. Now the two of them were old chums, and have grown to respect one another. Stu was proud that Judy had managed to find the right guy, even if said guy was a shifty Fox.

After reminiscing of old memories here on Judy's farm, Stu's voice once again broke Nick's train of thought. He hadn't heard much of what the old bunny had said to the crowd, but he had heard a few choice words which painted the picture of that evening's vegetable contest.

"So regretfully, we'll just have to wait and see whether or not the event is cancelled. That storm is not slowing down, and there's a good chance it'll rain out the contest." He said.

Nick heard one of the other Bunnies sitting at the table let out a discontented, "Aaawwww!" Stu hurriedly added to his previous statement before he was bombarded with more whining Bunnies.

"Ah-eh, but don't worry!" He stammered. "I'm _sure_ that if the festival is canceled, it will be rescheduled to tomorrow!" He claimed with a reassuring smile.

"But for now, let's dig in! Dinner is served!" Nick heard Bonnie say. Then the horde of Bunnies swamped the table, grabbing for food and piling carrots on their plates. Nick sat back with his plate already filled with crickets and blueberries. Bonnie had been considerate enough to get the Fox his own custom meal, as vegetables and celery probably weren't his most favored dish.

As the family ate, they discussed various topics that came to mind. One such subject involved the last visit that Nick had paid to the farm, which had been during the previous summer. Another conversation revolved around the idea of Bunnies eating gifted flowers, which Nick just had to ask: The concept was something that intrigued him. Bonnie and Stu, being the eldest Bunnies at the table, gave their take on the matter. Both believed similarly to Judy, in that the tradition had been devised as a means to express affection not for the gift itself, but more for the giver and the giver's appreciation.

"So yeah, it's perfectly normal 'round these parts to eat any flowers that yer given," Stu said with finality. "As long as they ain't any of them Ol' Night Howlers! Ha!"

He laughed and elbowed Bonnie, who rolled her eyes at her husband's comment. Nick himself had taken the moment to glance at Judy, who in turn was staring at him. They both stifled their own chortles as they remembered their first case involving the Night Howlers.

Nick shuddered. Mental images involving wolves with tasers, him and Judy flushing themselves down a toilet, and the two of them falling down a water-fall passed through his mind.

But one memory tugged... No _... Clawed,_ at the fox's conscious more then any other. He remembered Judy tripping, her ankle torn by some haphazardly spaced tusk. He remembered the feel of the Ram's hard horns as he knocked them aside and into that pit. Worst of all, he remembered the moment of their daring plan: The act of Nick chasing Judy around on all-fours, pretending to be savage.

Pretending to kill her.

It may have been staged, but Nick was worried. He was worried that he might have hurt Judy. That was the last thing he wanted. To have her blood on his hands would have been an absolute nightmare.

He pushed those dark thoughts aside and gazed toward the wall, where he stared out the window at the coming storm.

Nick's eyes widened at the unexpected sight: The windstorm had somehow halved the distance between the house since Nick last looked at it. It was no more then half-a-mile away at this point: Practically at the doorstep of the homestead.

Stu had caught Nick's eye and followed it to the clouds outside. He gulped and breathed in before saying his next words.

"Well... looks like the festival might be cancelled after all." Stu said with an undertone of sadness in his words.

Bonnie took the moment to add her own comment. "That sure is unfortunate." She then turned toward the sea of Bunnies.

"Kids, don't get your hopes up too much! I have a feeling the contest ain't happening tonight. "Not with _this_ weather, no no!"

A few Bunnies groaned in defeat and disappointment. Nick thought he heard one of them mutter softly, "Yay!"

Before he could decide whether or not he heard that, the Fox detected Judy speak at his side. Nick turned his attention toward his mate.

"Aaaw... cheese and cra-"

"Watch your mouth at the dinner table young lady!" Nick heard Bonnie's voice pipe up from his left. He bit his cheeks together and resisted the urge to laugh out loud.

Judy scowled at her mother before continuing. "I was looking forward to that contest! I was gonna take Nick there, but I guess not anymore now."

Nick plastered on his half-lidded smile and rubbed his wife's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry Carrots, there's always tomorrow, right Stu?" He asked the Bunny loudly. Stu jittered in surprise, nearly dropping his fork. "Uh, right Nick! Definitely" He said, clearly with no clue as to what they were talking about.

Bonnie snickered and rolled her eyes before confirming Nick's question. "Yes Dear, there's always tomorrow. This festival is too big to just get dropped because of a little rain!"

 **CRA-BOOOOOM**

Thunder shook the house, and the sound of a downpour outside flooded the ears of every animal in the dining room. Bonnie shifted her weight in her chair and laughed nervously, "Make that a _lot_ of rain!"

...

After dinner, the crowd of Bunnies had flooded upstairs and into their various rooms, leaving Nick, Judy, Bonnie, and Stu alone in the dining room. They all worked together by taking the time to clean up and do the dishes. Nick soon discovered that cleaning up after 20 plus Bunnies was no easy task. He had no clue how Bonnie and Stu had managed to do so, on top of raising and taking care of their dozens of children. Still, the old pair of Bunnies seemed pleased with their lives, and loved all their children deeply.

Nick admired that about them.

Growing up as an only child, he had often found himself desiring a brother or sister to play with, especially since he didn't have very many friends in his youth. He figured Judy had no such problem. Another problem Judy didn't need to wrestle with was family dysfunctionality. Sure, living in a house with _that_ many siblings would drive _anyone_ crazy from time to time, but Nick doubted that his mate's childhood was as twisted as his own.

At the time, it seemed that his washed-up dad cared nothing for his family, Leaving Nick's mother to take care of everything most days. He still remembered the night his father had abandoned him.

It was much like this one: windy, rainy, claps of thunder accompanied by flashes of lightening in the distance. Storms were rare in Zootopia, but every once in a while one managed to find its way to the mammal city.

That was one such day.

Nick didn't witness the event of his father's leave with his own eyes, as he was in his room with the pillow clutched over his ears: trying to block out the sound of his parents fighting. Their shouts at one another were louder then usual, and it was clear to the young Nick that something was different about this quarrel. It was more significant and meaningful then the others that had preceded it. Nick knew something bad was going to happen.

After a few minutes of hoarse yelling and banter, Nick heard a crash of something downstairs. He would later find out that in her bit of anger, his mother had thrown a plate at a wall, shattering it against the wooden surface into a million tiny pieces. Nick's blood started to pump.

He remembered hearing his dad shout out, "DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" His mom followed up with something he couldn't quite hear from his room.

Then, "SHUT UP WOMAN! JUST SHUT UP!"

Nick had heard his mother cry out, and then it got quiet - but not in a good way.

Nick remembered bolting from his room and running down the stairs, stopping at the base of the staircase as he gazed down at the sight below him.

Right next to the front-door of the house, Nick's father was standing over his mother, who was lying on the ground. His fists were clenched and teeth were grit together in frustration, but his anger melted away at the sight of his wife upon the floor, her lip slightly bleeding. He bent over to her height and reached out, trying to help her up, but she waved him away in disgust.

" _Just get away from me!_ " Nick's mom yelled at her husband.

" _Oh no_... I'm sorry! It was an accident! It was just an accident-" His father stammered, but was cut off by his mother.

"I know that, and I don't care! Just _back off!_ " Then she noticed her son, arms clasped against his chest and tears streaming down his eyes, standing at the base of the staircase.

"Nicholas! Come here, sweetie! Come here!" She beckoned him forward by waving her paw. Nick obliged, running over and burying his muzzle into his mother's neck. Nick heard her scream to his father, " _Get out of here_!"

Nick raised his head and locked eyes with his father. Little did either of them know, but it would be the last time father and son would see one another for the next 6 years.

His dad had his jaws hanging open in bewilderment, his eyes were glazed over at the sight set before him. He slowly stepped backwards before saying one final time;

" I'm _Sorry..._ "

Nick's father turned around and ran off into the night, leaving his family behind for the final time.

...

Nick's conscious pulled him back to the present, where he sat upon the bed in Judy's room. He looked at the clock which sat atop a nightstand in the corner of the room

11:46 PM

He breathed in and exhaled heavily. The past few hours had been a blur. After cleaning up the leftover dishes and silverware from dinner, Judy and Nick had occupied themselves by continuing conversation with Stu and Bonnie. Two hours later, they had excused themselves and retreated to Judy's old bedroom, which was tucked away in the corner of the house, farther from her other sibling's rooms. Nick was thankful for the added privacy, as the army of Bunnies could often prove to be an interrupting bunch. He and Judy had talked to each other for some time before she had excused herself to the washroom.

Nick himself took the time to remissness about his fucked up childhood.

He thought back to all the terrible moments, but even though they had never stopped haunting him, one fairly new memory shown through the cloud like a lighthouse piercing through the darkness of a hurricane.

The memory of his most recent meeting with his father, which had been only 2 months ago, shown brighter then all the terrible thoughts combined. He and has father had patched up their fragmented relationship. After 13 years of silence, the two of them had taken the first few steps to rekindling their broken bond.

Nick was happy for his father, who had turned a new leaf. Nick's dad had been against inter-species relationships for some time, but his son's arrival had shown him the error in his ways and caused him to change his outlook on the concept of inter-species relationships.

Nick still remembered that day. And he remembered it well. Aside from the little get-together with his father, he and Judy had indulged themselves in unparalleled sex.

Now _that_ was unforgettable.

But little did the Fox seem to realize, it happened to be _that_ time of year. That time when mammals reconsummated their biological desires to mate with one another. No species knew this better then the Bunnies of Bunny-Burrow. Although Bunnies were fertile year-round, the Springtime was a particularly antsy time of year.

Perhaps it was the pheromones floating through the air,

Perhaps it was the hormones swirling in their blood,

Or perhaps it was the pent-up desires of two lovers lusts.

It did not matter.

It did not matter for Judy, for she had intended to mate with Nick _sometime_ during their trip to her parent's farm. Her sexual appetite continually pestered her to back Nick into a corner and ravish him. She was smitten with desire, but kept it hidden. From who? No one in particular. As Nick might say, she just didn't want everyone to see that Springtime was getting to her.

But no matter how hard she tried to quell her urges, they just kept coming back, stronger each time. There was no end to her depravity.

No end to her desire to Mate with Nick.

She intends to justify that fact this evening, even if it takes all night.

As she fantasized about the things she would do to Nick that evening, she took the time to brush her teeth: She didn't want to be kissing Nick with carrot bits caught between her teeth, after all. Once she spat out the liquefied toothpaste along with everything that was caught in her teeth, she quickly undressed herself and opened the door to the bathroom, entering the bedroom, where she saw Nick lounging on the bed with his back to her. Like her, he was naked: the usual way the two of them slept. But tonight, Judy had something she wished to accomplish beforehand.

Judy licked her lips in anticipation. She then cleared her throat audibly in an attempt to get his attention. It worked apparently, as Nick shifted his weight to the other side of his body and faced his mate, who leaned seductively in the doorway. Nick's gaze traced her nude form from bottom to top as he took in the sight of it all. He smiled and spoke,

"Well you look nice, tonight." He said teasingly, yet truthfully.

Judy smiled back at him warmly before playing out her plan. "So... Real bummer that the contest got cancelled, huh?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah, I honestly _was_ looking forward to checking out those deformed vegetables: Especially if it meant getting to try some of Gideon's blueberry pie!"

The Bunny rolled her eyes. "Shoulda' known you'd have your reasons." Nick smirked before responding, "You know me well enough to expect so, Carrots!"

Nick stood up and trudged over to his wife, who still reclined against the door-frame.

"But yeah, tell me about it... All that anticipation for nothing!" He yawned momentarily. "I'm pretty beat, whaddaya say we get some shut-eye, eh Whiskers?"

The Fox maneuvered around Judy and aimed for the bed, but was halted when she seized his arm and spun him around to face her.

"Now hold on just a minute, Nick." She began with ease. "There's something we have to get out of the way first, _then_ you and I can get some sleep."

Nick raised his eyebrow in apprehension. _What could she be getting at now?_ He thought to himself.

"What's this _something_ , you're referring to, Judy?" He asked, to which Judy simply smiled.

"Tell me Nick... what season is it?"

Nick choked. "Uhh... _Spring_ , right?"

"Perhaps you need a more _visual_ refresher."

Judy administered a shove to the Fox's chest, knocking him flat onto the bed.

"Judy, what was the for?" He questioned in a sharp whisper while picking his head up and staring at her, eyebrows furrowed in apprehension.

A brief flash from a lightening bolt outside entered through the window, illuminating the room. In that moment, Nick caught sight of Judy's face, revealing her narrowed eyes and the sultry smile on her face. She didn't answer right away. Instead, walking to the foot of the bed until the fur on her belly brushed lightly against the fox's toes.

Judy breathed in before saying, "You're right. It _is_ Spring. And I figured since you and I missed out on the chance to go to the the festival, that we could perhaps do... something else, in it's place."

Nick's pulse increased as he took in her words. He remembered the way she had been looking at him when the lightening flash had lit up the room. He had a feeling that he knew what Judy's intentions were.

A good feeling.

But that didn't stop him from pointing out the draw-backs. "But Judy... I doubt now's the best time. Your sibling's rooms aren't that far away... what if they hear us when we-"

He stopped when Judy shushed him. "Don't worry Nick. They're all asleep, and they won't wake up and bother us. Besides, the weather isn't playing nice, so why don't we follow the same example and indulge in some late night romance?"

Before Nick could reply, Judy climbed up onto his bare stomach and lay down on top of him, compressing him against the surface of the bed.

"We haven't mated in _forever_ , Nick. It's that time of year after all, and I want to feel every inch of you. Don't you want to feel me too?" She asked him.

Nick's heart was racing in preparation beneath his skin. He couldn't manage to break away from her seductive, mesmerizing eyes as another streak of lightening made them shine.

Just before Nick was about to formulate his refusal, Judy relaxed her body and sank down even further on to him. Nick momentarily lost focus when her intimate area briefly grazed against his, sending ripples of inviting pleasure coursing up his spine.

He just couldn't resist.

"Alright Judy... You win."


	7. Outfoxed

"If we desire a society of peace, then we cannot achieve such a society through violence." - Bayard Rustin

* * *

The fox awoke to the sweet sound of birds chirping from outside. Their peaceful whistles aroused him from slumber, and He groggily sat up in bed and glanced at the nearest clock, which happened to be positioned atop the nightstand to his right.

6:29 A.M

 _Thank goodness... More time to sleep._ He thought to himself wearily.

Nick took great satisfaction in flopping his head back into the mess of pillows. If there's one thing he loved even more then blueberries, it was being able to sleep in. Once, back in his high school years, the young fox had slept for a full twenty hours straight; nearly an entire day claimed by the tides of sleep. And he didn't regret that day one bit.

Nick then took the moment to look over toward his mate, Judy, to see if she was still asleep. His eyes came to contact with her dozing body, which reclined itself against his side. Her eyes were closed, still asleep no doubt, but she had a small smile tugging at her lips, as if she were enjoying a pleasant dream. Nick smiled at the thought, and later raised his mouth towards her forehead, which he softly kissed before wrapping his arms around the bunny in a comforting gesture. He too soon fell into sleep once again.

* * *

8:37 A.M

Both animals had retreated from their bedroom and dropped themselves into the kitchen, where breakfast was being prepared and dozens of young bunnies were shuffling around impatiently as they awaited the prospect of food.

As Nick squeezed his way past crowds of rabbits (many of which poked and prodded him as he passed), he couldn't help but pick out a few choice words from some of them.

"Mom, when's breakfast gunna be ready!"

"I'm hungry!"

"Stop pulling my ears you twit!"

"Harold, don't call your little brother a twit, you hear?"

"Yes ma'am... _twit..._ "

"Anyone else here those weird noises last night?"

"The lightening?"

"No, it didn't sound like thunder; sounded like it came from Nick and Judy's room!"

"Maybe they got in a fight?"

"Must've been a pretty rough fight..."

"We should ask them!"

So many words flooded Nick's head at once. He couldn't help but bite his cheeks down to suppress a laugh as he caught Judy's eye when that one bunny mentioned the 'mysterious noises.' She winked at him before taking her seat at the table, directly across from the fox, who was practically swimming in a sea of bunnies.

"Too many... Can't b-breath! Ack!" Nick sputtered aloud as various bunnies grabbed at his clothes and pulled at his fur. It started to get pretty uncomfortable for Nick, but after Bonnie shooed all the little ones away, it became quite peaceful.

After all the kits had gotten their food and dispersed, the only people at the table were Nick, Judy, and her own parents. It was silent for a while as the group ate their meals, but after most of the plates had been emptied of their contents, Stu took the chance to make an announcement.

"So, guess what?" He asked them. "The contest is back-up and runnin'! Starts at twelve O' clock and goes 'till she ends." He jovially explained the news to the group as they finished eating.

Judy was getting excited, as she had really been hoping for the contest to take place during Her and Nick's time there, and Her hopes were confirmed at the notion of her father's news.

"Hear that Nick? Oh, this is gonna be fun! I haven't been to the festival in ages!" Judy said to him ecstatically.

"Sounds interesting enough... Can't wait to pair up with O'l Gideon though! I can taste the pies already!" Nick replied easily, the thought of chowing down on Gideon's blueberry pies still fresh on his mind.

* * *

12:17 P.M

The festival had begun.

Crowds of various animals flocked in and around the field where the event was taking place. Still, the majority of the crowd's participants were bunnies, as their kind were the largest racial group in the Tri-Burrow area. Some sheep, pigs, and even a few deer roamed around the plain, checking out the presented stands and commodities.

The contest was the largest community outing in the entirety of Springtime, and it drew many diverse faces from around the vicinity, but there was no doubt about the fact that two animals in particular stuck out among the communal. The crowd involuntarily parted for them as if they were bathed in flames, the two animals strode hand-in-hand down the path as they admired the festivities and other events taking place.

Nick looked around, wide-eyed at the sheer size of the crowd and joyous nature of the contest. Multicolored tents were pitched parallel to a dusty dirt road, where patches of grass poked through the exterior, some brimming with blooming blossoms.

After some time exploring, Nick saw the _last_ person he'd expect to be at a place like this. There, casually leaning up against the wall of a barn, was Finnick. At his feet was an ice chest choked full of Pawpsickles.

Nick laughed out loud. _Of course you'd be here you sly shorty!_ He mentally said to Finnick from across the pasture. Nick knew that Finnick was still on his own, as it had been that way ever since the two had split up. It made perfect sense that the sand fox would take the opportunity to sell cold, refreshing treats on this warm spring afternoon, and what better place to sell them then at a large communal gathering such as this? Besides, no one from around here would recognize him, so he was bound to make some easy sells. Nick smiled, proud of the lil' guy for being so crafty and resourceful.

Nick turned away form his old friend and took a deep breath in. He couldn't see Gideon's pie stand yet, but he sure could smell it: The inviting aroma of baking bread and sugar filled the air. There wasn't exactly much contest for the scent. The many vegetables and fruits presented didn't exactly give off very noticeable odors, but the smell of Gideon's pies sure did.

Judy on the other hand, was taking in the sights of her old stomping-grounds. She tried to recognize the place as it would be without the cluster of the tents and the density of the crowd. The deformed-vegetable contest took place on the same ground where the Oktoberfest in celebration of autumn did. In fact, this was the very same place where Judy had performed that little play and revealed to the world her goals on becoming a police ffficer all those years ago.

She then looked to the side, where she spotted a mid-sized oak tree cropping up from behind several tents. That had been the very same place where she had gotten in that fight with Gideon...

All those years ago...

A movement caught her eye, and she scanned in its direction. Not too far off from the tree, she saw Gideon manning his pie stand, his pink truck parked not too far off. She couldn't help but smile. This was the same spot where years ago, she and her old enemy had clashed with one another. And now, it would be the spot where she would meet up with her old enemy on healthier terms.

As friends.

The pair strolled up to the stand, Nick nearly floating as he was hooked by the smell of baking pies like a fish on a lure. Judy hadn't seen Gideon in a little under a year, as her career in the city often took up the majority of her time, the remainder of which was spent with Nick, but she still grinned widely as she made eye-contact with the Fox.

"Well lookie who decided to show up! C'mere you two fuzzballs!" Gideon boomed before scooping up both Nick and Judy in a bone-crushing hug. After a few painful seconds had passed, Gideon released his hold on the couple and placed them back on the ground. Judy took the time to size-up her old rival with her new-found mate, a little game she played every time the two met.

Despite being the same species, Gideon was twice Nick's size, and a _lot_ less suave. He was rather ungainly, a slight bit of weight accompanied his towering height. Though he had seemed to lose a few pounds and even put on some decent muscle since her last encounter with him. He wore the exact same outfit she had seem him in last time; blue jeans below an indigo plaid shirt, topped off with a pink apron that dangled low at his ankles. He had a big smile on his face, clearly pleased that the both of them had taken the time to show up. He clasped his hands together, and a small cloud of sugar blew off from between his sandwiched palms.

"Real glad ya'll two could make it! I-I was hoping that-that that big ol' storm wouldn't have scared you two off!" He admitted to the pair.

Judy spoke gleefully, "Ain't nothing' gonna scare us off big guy!" She glanced over to Nick. "Besides, I doubt slick-snout here would miss your pies for the world!"

The smaller fox just shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say?" He began. "Your pastries are the best thing since fried crickets, am I right?"

His comment earned a hearty chuckle from Gideon, who clapped Nick on the back of his shoulder, knocking him forward slightly. Nick just kept grinning, but didn't relent from rubbing his shoulder tenderly: Gideon didn't always know his own strength.

"Well is good to see ya'll here, ayup! I saved a pie j-just for you two." He muttered as he turned around and walked to the back of his truck, where he pulled out a steaming pie and two forks before handing them all to Nick.

"Her' ya go fellers, hope ya like it!" Gideon said matter-of-factly as he plopped the pie in Nick's waiting arms.

"I'm sure we will big guy, I'm sure we will!" Nick said to Gideon, though his eyes were focused on the pie he held in his hands. He began walking away in the direction of a picnic table on the other side of the pasture.

Judy leaned in for a quick hug. "Thanks Gideon!" She said before breaking the hug and running off to catch up with Nick, who was already digging in to the pie at the picnic table.

The bunny slid in beside Nick with a smirk on her face, "You jerk! Ya don't just take the pie and walk off, do you? You didn't even thank him!"

Nick, who had just shoved a forkful of blueberry pie into his maw, mumbled before replying; "Can't talk... Eating!"

Judy playfully punched him in the arm, making him drop his fork into the pie. The box choked in protest. "Hrmph!"

Judy picked up her own fork and took a small bite of the pie before saying, "Come on you dumb fox, spit it out!"

Nick swallowed his mouthful of pie and sputtered, "You mean bunny, you!" To which she just waved off with her hand before setting down into the Pie once more.

They ate in silence until the entire pie was finished. Once they returned the pie-pan back to Gideon, they went about the festival, seeing what it had to offer. There were lots of vegetables, but the deformed ones were the real stars of the show. In the center of the entire field was a spherical stage, where the top finalists proudly displayed their terrifying veggies.

Judy recognized the Hareson family, who specialized in growing corn, but this time around had hauled in a hideously crooked squash. She also noticed the Orin family, whom were her own family's biggest rival in the carrot market. They three brothers of the family had brought a freakishly mutated carrot, which looked more like a tree-branch then a vegetable. There were several more competitors on the stage, including a kit who'd grown a strawberry shaped like a cube, and an old sheep who had somehow lugged a watermelon the size of Nick onto the stage. He sat on top of it, munching from a zip-lock bag filled with grass.

Judy was having a pleasant time viewing all the disgustingly deformed produce, but Nick decided to skulk off and find somewhere to use the bathroom. He didn't tell Judy, but figured she wouldn't mind: she seemed much more interested in those crooked carrots then anything else at the moment. Nick scoffed to himself,

 _Crazy bunnies and their crazy contests... I'd settle for a good old Pawpsickle right about now... Maybe I should go look for Finnick... He's got some!_

After a few minutes of trudging around the complex, and cursing at nothing, Nick managed to spot a line of outhouses in the far corner of the field, shaded by several large trees. It was kind of obscure: stuffed away in the back corner of the wasn't anyone else in the vicinity, and the hidden location of the outhouses made it hard for anyone to spot them.

 _No wonder it took me so long to find it..._ He thought to himself.

As he approached the smelly plastic shacks, Nick felt a tap on his lower back, just above his tail. He turned around, preparing to face whoever had stirred him, but ended up facing downward as he stared down a group of bunnies. There were three of them, all pretty short compared to him, but one of them was large for a bunny. He had mud-brown fur and flat facial features, as if he spent his spare-time smashing his face into brick walls. His right ear had a few peppery holes in it, and he had a couple small scars below his left cheek. The fox recognized this group of bunnies as the trio of brothers from the big stage... _The Orin family_ , Judy had called them out to him as, previously.

Nick couldn't help but think this guy looked like trouble. All his years on the streets had slowly taught him to recognize anyone who might be of any threat to him or his safety, but his time with Judy had forced him to change his ways: he couldn't judge a book by its cover.

But doubt tugged at Nick's conscience as the taller bunny smiled, showing off corroded teeth as brown as his fur.

"Well, looks like dis here Ol' foxy done slipped into the wrong part o' the fair, dontcha' think Ronny?" The large bunny asked as he glanced over to the rabbit on his right, who nodded stupidly, his long ears flopping haphazardly. Nick breathed in slowly, trying to keep his cool. He _did not_ want to show this 'cutsie little wabbits' any weaknesses.

He planned to began cautiously, to emphasize peacefulness... Yet sardonically, to show that he wasn't in the mood for any tricks.

"So... You three here to use the outhouse, or what?" He asked easily, plastering on a facade smirk of confidence.

The middle bunny just chuckled softly; A humorless laugh that made Nick want to walk away without a word.

"Actually, we're 'ere tuh have a lil' talk with ya!" He flexed his fingers, cracking a few joints for effect. "You dat Big-City-Slick-Nick everyone an' their mother been talkin' about? Whatch yers name... Uh... Rick, 'aight?"

The fox had minor troubles even _understanding_ what the rabbit had said, but he managed to find his words. "That's _Nick,_ to you. Any more questions?" He asked flatly.

At that, the bunnies all looked at each other, grinning wide and toothy smiles that were just as creepy as they were disgusting.

"Naw, we's jus' wanted to talk to ya 'bout that rabbit squeeze you got yourself."

 _"Rabbit squeeze?"_ Nick questioned through grit teeth. "You mean Judy? Where you going with this, you little fur-ball?"

The bunny obviously didn't like being called fur-ball. His meaty little fists clenched into balls, and through scrunched jaws he spat his next words.

"We see you prancin' round wit yer lil' Judy like yous got just the greatest thang in the world... As if a _fox_ could ever have anything right circlin' up _here_!"

The bunny reached up and flicked at Nick's forehead. He continued haughtily;

"To be rollin' with a piece a cotton as fine as her! Yous runnin' up in here, takin' our finest does, and leaving _us_ with the leftovers, eh? I mean... C'mon!"

One of his cronies nodded in agreement. "Yeah! A doe like 'er should be wit' guys like _us_! Not some nasty ol' _fox_!" He hissed

The bunny spat that final word as if it left acid on his tongue. And for good measure, a little bit of spit actually landed on Nick's snout. But he didn't flinch. He didn't even blink.

 _So that's who these clowns are... Couple of thugs acting bad. They obviously don't seem to care for inter-species relationships either..._ Nick thought to himself.

"Now wait just a minute-" He began, but was cut off when the thug bunnies all spat at him, their disgusting globs of spit landing on his body, wetting his clothes and sticking his fur. Nick looked down, horrified at his favorite shirt dripping in bunny spit. The fox's anger began to rise, but still, he kept his emotions to himself every step of the way.

One of the bunnies continued;

"Now, if _I_ had the chance to get me some a that fine Hopps girl," He cackled a hoarse laugh and whistled. "I'd treat her right good. _You_ need a lesson, though!"

The trio of bunnies closed in like a pack of wolves. Nick would have found the irony amusing were he not the one being targeted. One of them stepped into his personal space and then grabbed at his arm, as though trying to pull him. The fox simply pushed the smaller rabbit away, the force of his shove causing him to fall to the ground with a thud.

"Oh, yer askin' for it, _fox!_ " The bunny shouted as picked himself up and then charged at Nick. All of his cronies followed.

There was no time nor space to run away or call for help. Not this time. Nick knew that he would have to defend himself.

Despite the fact that Nick was bigger, there were three of them against only himself. As Nick wrestled with the trio of bunnies, he stole a glance at the small alleyway between the two shacks that he had squeezed through to get here. He momentarily saw a glimpse of Judy, and was about to call out for help, but a pair of mangy paws clamped around his windpipe, cutting him off from breathing, much less speaking. The bunnies were taking turns whaling on him, spitting on him, biting him, pulling at his clothes; pretty much anything anyone could think of. Nick tried swinging his own punches, using what little combat training he could remember from his days at the Zootopia Police Academy with Major Friedkin, but the bunnies grabbed his arms and restricted his throws. He wasn't doing very good, and Nick knew this wasn't going to end well.

In that moment of despair, a howl pierced his ears.

A single note of pure rage personified into a bone-shaking growl. All four animals looked over to the source of the terrifying noise.

Before them, a small sand fox, feet planted into the ground, stood menacingly just a few short yards away. He had a toothpick jutting from between his teeth, and a pair of shades rested on his muzzle, covering his eyes.

Nick tried to call out, but his voice was muffled from being choked. " _Furnick_! Ack!"

Nick heard the large bunny speak from behind him, hands still wrapped around his throat. "Furneck? That who this lil' cutie is?" Nick heard the bunny chuckle mockingly along with his cronies.

 _Bad idea..._ Nick thought to himself. _Bad, BAD idea!_

The sand fox bit down hard on the toothpick, snapping it in half: one piece fell to the ground, the other was promptly spat out from his mouth. He lifted his shades above his eye-level, showing a pair of burning brown eyes. He then threw the shades behind him and leaned his neck to the left, an audible cracking noise accompanied the action.

Then he spoke - spoke in that impossibly deep and resonating voice - a pair of words that Nick promised he would never forget for as long as he lived;

"It's _Finnick_."

Then the sand fox screamed loudly and charged at the bunnies, throwing a single punch that landed right between the eyes of the large one. Nick felt the grip on his throat release, and he breathed in deep, filling his lungs with much needed air. He scrambled away from the commotion before turning around and setting his eyes on the Fennec fox:

He thrashed around wildly at the trio of bunnies, punching, kicking, and even sinking his teeth into ones arm. The largest bunny grabbed Finnick by his polo shirt and tossed him toward Nick, who rolled out of the way as Finnick came soaring in, effectively face-planting into the dirt and sliding a good few feet before coming to a stop.

 _He's not gonna be happy when he gets up..._ Nick thought, but turned his attention back onto the Bunnies before him when one spoke.

"Ya'll are dead, ya hear!" The largest one shouted.

Nick briefly glanced to his right, where Finnick had pulled himself out of the mud and positioned himself aside Nick. The sand fox's shirt was streaked with a line of mud, and he had a few scratches on his face, but other than that, he looked fine.

Finnick spat out a glob of mud out from his mouth and then wiped his snout with his forearm.

"I'm gonna bite your face off!" He shouted

Nick couldn't help but smile. Here, facing down three thug-bunnies at this corny festival, Nick stood side-by-side with his old friend.

 _Just like old times, buddy._ Nick mentally said to Finnick, who had locked eyes with him. Nick had a feeling he was thinking the exact same thing.

Finnick's deep voice broke the silence. "Whaddya say we show these hicks how we do it downtown, huh Nick?"

Nick felt a surge of adrenaline course through his veins.

"Consider it a guy's-day-out." The red fox panted.

Finnick scowled at him momentarily before smiling.

"Whatever. Let's just do this."

It was that moment that the trio of bunnies ran towards the two foxes for one final push.

Both Nick and Finnick fought together brilliantly, their punches and swipes being administered faster than the thugs could follow. Soon enough, all three bunnies lay in an unconscious heap, groaning as weariness overtook their bodies. The two foxes slumped against the nearest barn, leaning against it for support. They inhaled heavily, taking in copious amounts of oxygen before they slid down the wall and sat upon the dirt ground. Neither spoke for a few minutes: Both predators relishing their moment of rest.

Eventually, Nick broke that silence;

"Thanks Fin, I couldn't have done that... Without you." He heaved.

Finnick smirked and lazily lolled his head to face Nick.

"Any time, bro. Was the least I could do."

More silence ensued.

Finnick's deep voice broke it once more;

"So, uh, isn't this kinda stuff illegal?" He asked Nick.

The red fox thought for a second. "I wouldn't think so... We were being attacked, after all. Still, if these guys come calling, then we might have to testify."

Finnick groaned and slammed the back of his head into the barn with a painful sounding thud, but the sand fox didn't even look phased.

"I _cannot_ go back to jail!" He looked over at Nick. "This never happened, right Wilde?"

Nick thought to himself for a minute. No one had witnessed it, sure. This was very much against the principles of all that paperwork he signed those many years ago, when he first joined the force. But the moment of fellowship he felt between him and Finnick was one he hadn't felt in a _long_ time... He didn't want to ruin that. He'd long since forgotten the feeling of doing shady stuff with Finnick. Besides, he was pretty sure what had occurred qualified as self defense. Those bunnies were pretty touchy, after all.

He also did have a _little_ fun beating the living carrots out of them, too. That counted for something.

"What never happened?" He asked Finnick innocently.

The sand fox's face morphed into a huge grin, and he promptly punched Nick in the shoulder. "Ow! Was the _really_ necessary?" He complained.

"Yup. Now I say the two of us book it before these three cronies wake up, eh?" Finnick suggested. Nick shrugged. "Sure."

* * *

Admittedly, Judy had been slightly worried when Nick had vanished. She wasn't _that_ worried, as she knew he could take care of himself, and she wasn't exactly a very clingy Bunny herself, but she couldn't help be a little but concerned.

So when she saw Nick casually strolling toward her with Finnick at his side, she felt relief wash over her. She ran up to them and enveloped _both_ foxes in a hug.

"Don't you run off without telling me anymore, slick!" She said as she broke the hug.

Judy then eyed their conditions, which more or less looked pretty awful. Both foxes were caked in a fine layer of dirt from head to toe, and Finnick looked like he'd gone swimming in a mud-pile.

"What the heck happened to you two?" She asked them.

Nick and Finnick met eyes for a second, and they both snickered. Finnick decided to fill her in;

"Don't worry girl, we were just ova' there catching up and such."

He replied steadily while pointing his thumb to the corner of the pasture. The sand fox then continued;

"Took a spill in the mud when this clumsy dingbat tried pickin' me up. I don't do hugs, and he was askin' for it, so we both went down."

"Nothing to worry about!" Nick added cheerfully. "Now, I'm pretty beat. Whaddya say we go treat ourselves to some pie, no?" He asked the group.

Judy pursed her lips in distaste, but otherwise didn't question her partner's intentions. A few minutes later, the bunny and both foxes were enjoying an extra large blueberry pie, courtesy of Gideon Grey's greatest ingredients. But that day, Nick and Finnick learned valuable lessons: Never leave your friends hanging, no matter what the scenario.

* * *

 **Hey everyone!**

 **Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! Do feel free to keep reading and reviewing, of course.**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	8. Woes Accompany Wounds

"Let's not forget that it's you and me versus the problem, not you versus me." - Steve Maraboli

* * *

We've all heard that the occasional fight between partners is good for the relationship. Despite their differing natures, Nick and Judy have gotten along just fine. It wasn't hard to believe that they'd get into an argument sooner or later...

For it happens to the best of us...

If you don't bash heads with your significant other every once and a while, then It's clear something may not be right.

Because no relationship is perfect. No two people can stand each-other indefinitely. And _no one_ is capable of liking everybody.

But these apparent facts didn't keep him from loving the life he was living. Nick Wilde couldn't have enjoyed his life much more then he was at the moment; Sitting next to his mate, Judy, as they watched the sun rise over the stretch of seawater that seemed to go on forever. It had been a few hours since the two of them had left Bunny-Burrow in the evening and returned to the city. That morning, Judy had (somehow) managed to drag Nick out of bed extra early that morning, because the the bunny figured that the two of them could enjoy a nice, leisurely stroll on the beach that lovely morning. Despite Nick's pestilent protests, Judy did not relent her advances. She told him that the both of them could use the exercise, alongside the fact that such an endeavor may prove to be delectably romantic.

Nick finally agreed.

Now, the two of them were peacefully sitting atop a blanket of sand, far from the reaches of the more 'public' beach zone: Desiring even more privacy, Judy lead Nick to an obscure little cove on the far east of the Zootopian Coastline.

"Come on Judes, is all this extra effort _really_ necessary? It's five o' clock! We could plant ourselves right in the middle of the beach, and probably wouldn't see a _single_ soul for hours." The fox complained. He didn't really see the necessity of dragging himself to the most obscure corner on the beach, at ' _No Thank You O-Clock_ ' in the morning, especially when there was seemingly nobody else for miles in every direction. Judy frowned and spun herself around, facing Nick whilst pacing backwards with a slight smile.

As she walked, she spoke to him.

"Lazy little fox!" She began, almost teasingly. "Don't you want to make yourself some memories?"

The rabbit allowed herself a brief chuckle before continuing;

"Besides, haven't you ever heard that the more effort you put into something, the greater the end product is?"

Nick smirked in response to her question. "I sure have, Whiskers. Problem is, the only end-product we're gonna get outta this is a longer walk back."

The bunny rolled her eyes and elbowed her mate in the rib-cage with a little more force then what could be described as purely 'playful'.

" _Unh_ -Hey now! No need for animal abuse, Carrots!" The fox exclaimed as Judy's elbow met his sternum. "I'll comply." He admitted.

However, in that moment of physical contact between her elbow and his chest, Nick felt a slight stinging sensation: Pain. Albeit weak, but pain nevertheless. He rubbed at his side, thinking back to the scuffle that had transpired at the vegetable fair the other day over in Bunny-Burrow. His body was starting to catch-up with him, by the looks of it.

Judy smiled triumphantly and snatched the fox's forearm in her paw, severing his train of thought.

After about twenty more minutes of walking, the two creatures finally reached the aforementioned cove, much to the fox's delight. He promptly perched himself upon his own haunches before sitting himself down in the sand, his bushy tail sticking with grains as he swept it behind him. He let out a groan of discomfort as he leaned his weight back.

"At last..." He started. "Can we go home now?"

Judy stifled a slight laugh at his out-of-the-blue, but totally expected statement.

"I figured you'd say something like that." Judy confessed. "Can't you just enjoy the sunrise?"

Together, the two tiny mammals silently watched as the sun began to grow over the edge of the horizon, coloring the sky with a miasma of bright red and yellow light. Judy eventually spared a glance back at her husband. On the ground beside her, she noticed something peeking out from his collar for the first time: A missing patch of his red fur.

"Nick... What happened to you _?_ " She questioned him, concern washing over her features as she leaned forward and gently touched his chest.

The fox blinked before staring down at his chest. He bit back a curse.

"Oh, it's nothing." He promised. "Just a scratch."

"What happened?" Judy asked again, more sharper than the first time. The fox glanced down at his collarbone once again.

A path of fur from just above his chest was gone, likely torn out from that fight the previous day. He had hoped that the fur would grow back before Judy would notice. Nick's conscious then took him back to a moment in time just about sixteen hours ago, give or take. He recalled a trio of thugs cornering him in the Bunny-Burrow spring festival. He remembered getting beat, their kicks and punches connecting to his thin body many times. He reminisced the moment of hope when he saw Finnick come to his rescue.

But somewhat regretfully, he remembered leaving the scene of the throw-down as if nothing ever happened. He and Finnick had agreed not to speak of their actions to anyone else.

What happened in that shoddy mud-pit behind those out-houses was to _stay_ between the two of them.

He formed his answer.

"I-I fell down some stairs." He lied.

He tried to force as much fake truth into that claim as he could, but it obviously wasn't enough. Judy simply knew him too well, by now.

"You're lying, Nick." She told him. "Don't you _dare_ lie to me. Not with this." She placed her arms atop his shoulders and forced the fox to look at her.

She then shifted her weight before staring him dead in the eye. She was _not_ going to take no for an answer. She asked him one last time;

" _What happened?"_

Nick sighed in defeat. There was no swindling his way out of this one: Judy wasn't going to let him get away without the truth.

"I... Yesterday at the f-fair... I left to go and find an outhouse. I got jumped. That's all there is to it."

Judy tightened her grip on Nick's shoulders and lightly shook him, his head swaying from the action.

"No Nick! That is _not_ all there is to it!" She nearly shouted at him. "Tell me _everything!_ "

Nick was somewhat taken back by his mate's sudden outburst. He couldn't blame her though. If he had found out someone had ravaged Judy, he would be pretty riled up too.

He spilled. Everything. He told her about the thug bunnies; The way they had insulted Nick and his partnership with Judy. The way they had spit at him and mocked him, but even more painful than the beating that followed was the way that that one bunny had threatened to attack Judy herself. That was what had truly set him over the edge.

Nick may sometimes be easily suceptive to annoyance and minor irritation, but there are few things that _truly_ make his blood boil. What that hick had said was one of them.

Nick continued telling Judy his story: She listened quietly and with intent, not interrupting him even a single time. He appreciated that.

The fox began recounting to his mate the moment when Finnick had came to his aid. He described the way that the two of them overpowered the thugs and beat them into the ground. Nick assured her that they didn't hurt the bunnies _too_ badly, but after remembering Finnick's involvement, personally found that assurance a bit hard to believe.

"And Finnick and I promised eachother not to tell anyone." He began, but stopped mid-way when his own conscious interrupted him in a sarcastic tone of voice;

 _Looks like you certainly kept your promise._

Nick sighed once more. "So we just left the scene." He clamped his mouth shut with finality. He was done. Finished. He'd spilled everything he had to offer on the whole event, and now the only thing he had left to show was bruises... He shuddered before slipping his shirt back on: He didn't want his mate to see his weaknesses.

His bruises...

Judy had stood up and began pacing around in circles, visibly agitated. The sun had began rising across the horizon, but if Judy noticed, she didn't show it. The coming light was pooling around the cove, filling it with a honey-like color.

It certainly was beautiful.

But Nick's focus was trained on that of his own beautiful sun, whom had her fists clenched tight into rigid balls of frustration. After a few short seconds of agitated pacing, Judy turned her attention toward the fox, who scurried backward when the bunny jabbed a finger in his direction.

"Do you have any ideahow _serious_ this could be, Nick?!" She yelled at him. "Did you even _think_ of the repercussions of your little throw-down?!"

Nick stared slack-jawed at his mate, unable to find the words to answer her question. It was true: He _hadn't_ given much thought at the consequences of fighting with those thugs with Finnick. He had gotten so enraptured in the heat of the moment that the thought of having to answer to any potential legal matters didn't simply stick with him.

Judy's furious cries demanded his immersion once more.

"Do you know what could happen if the ZPD, or the public finds out about this?!" She was nearly screaming now. " _Y_ _ou could lose your job_ , Nick!"

Judy threw her hands in the air in frustration before continuing her tirade.

"You're a _cop_ who _picked a fight_ with three civilians, then and _fled_ the scene!" She panted harshly.

Each pause she took between reciting his sins made the next statement even louder and angrier. She was obviously trying to control her anger. It was clear to Nick, at least.

"You... You... _DUMB FOX!_ " The bunny shouted, anger spilling over, between, and around each word.

Nick's eyes glazed over.

His mouth hung open.

His face, emotionless.

Whenever Judy called him a dumb fox, it was always with teasing intention. But this time: hearing those words spat out at him in anger, Nick didn't know what to think.

To him, a punch in the face would have been less painful. Then anger started to build up within him. Who did this bunny think she was? She couldn't judge his actions, could she? He acted in self defense, right? These thoughts and more began clouding Nick's mind. He didn't regret what he did. Heck, he even had _fun_ beating up those thugs!

They deserved it, or so he thought. These thoughts drove him to his next words;

"So? They deserved it! Don't you put that crap on me, fluff! You've gotten in fights before, right? Remember good ol' Gideon Grey?" The fox asked mockingly. "You said you kicked him in the face for stealing your stuff and flooring you. You fought him Judy... so don't tell me _you_ haven't done those same kinds of things!"

Judy's ears twitched at the mention of her past grievance. "I kicked him _once_ , Nick... I've never horribly _beaten_ someone!"

"Oh please..." Nick stepped forward, examining Judy with a look of disappointment. "It's only a matter of perception. I was defending myself with Finnick!"

Nick then walked closer to Judy, stopping right in front of her. "And-I'd-Do-It-Again!" He hissed while poking Judy's chest with his finger, emphasizing each word.

"Those thugs probably ended up winning the vegetable contest anyways. As for me, you want to know what _my_ prize was? Just a bunch of bruises and missing fur..."

The bitterness in his voice leaked over, but he quickly recomposed himself.

"I didn't _just_ get hurt, though." He growled. "They said... I-I thought that they were going to hurt you, too... And I couldn't let that happen."

His words flowed over Judy's long ears soothingly, calming her anger. She realized that Nick was speaking the truth, and nothing but.

Judy realized that Nick had had the right intentions - protecting her and himself- But that he had executed those intentions in the _worst_ possible way.

"Nick, there was no need to hurt them though." She told him carefully. "You could have ran as soon as they let you go when Finnick saved you!"

A small amount of anger came surging back to her. "You _should_ have ran as they let you go!" She then cried.

Nick's eyes narrowed. "I... I wasn't thinking straight. You're right... I _should_ have ran." Nick admitted. He then pulled himself to his feet and dusted himself off.

"I'm going home, Judy." He shook his head. "I knew it was a mistake to come here."

Nick then trudged off in the direction of home, not caring what happened along the way. He stopped and turned around to spare one last glance at his mate, who still stood silently in the shade of the cove, her arms slumped against her sides, face bearing a look of despair.

He then spoke out;

"For what it's worth... _I'm sorry._ " He rotated away from Judy and resumed walking. "I'll be back at the apartment." He finalized softly, near muttering beneath his breath. But Judy heard him, and she willingly let him go: She needed some alone time...

As Nick distanced himself from the cove, Judy turned herself away from the shrinking form of her mate in the distance. She walked over to the spot in the sand where the two of them had been sitting, chatting peacefully just minutes ago...

Judy sighed longingly.

She had originally hoped to undergo some early-morning romance with Nick here in their little private slice of nature, but fate had other plans apparently. The bunny cursed angrily, and in a fit of frustration, raised her leg back and kicking at nothing in particular, sending a wave of sand flying forward. The anger within her soon quickly dissipated.

Then came the tears.

Horrible, heart-wrenching sobs contrived from her as she sat down hard atop the blanket of sand. She buried her face in her paws, not caring about the grains of sand that stung at her corneas. She wept, but not for herself. She wept for her love with Nick, now seemingly in tatters because of their argument. Perhaps bunnies really were overly emotional. To Judy, It mattered not if they could ever fix it, for even if they did, a terrible scar would stay: a gruesome reminder that _no_ relationship was without its flaws.

 _No relationship was without its flaws..._

The bunny replayed those words over and over again in her head, as a reminder of exactly that. She sniffled before softly speaking aloud, "No relationship is perfect."

From there, the hard truth bore into her like a bolt of lightening from the heavens themselves.

"No relationship is perfect." She repeated, this time slightly louder.

Judy got to her feet, her eyes fixed on the horizon which was the rising sun: Which itself represented new beginnings. A new day.

A new chance to right what had been wronged.

In that moment, Judy had stopped crying. She realized that it was pointless cowering here in solitude, giving in to her looming fears and sorrow. She wasn't some damsel in distress! She was Judy Hopps, first rabbit officer at the ZPD, valedictorian of her academy class, and above all else: The wife of the fox she had so thoroughly wounded.

Somewhere out there, Nick was walking off in shambles, hurting because of her. She wasn't going to allow that.

Then she took off in the direction that Nick had went, intent on catching up with him to fix this whole mess. She was _through_ with letting this stay broken.

 _I'm so sorry Nick..._

She sprinted along the beach, the blanket of morning sunlight casting its way across the path to recovery. Together, they would fix this: That much she was certain of.

* * *

Nick hadn't bothered looking back after that.

He knew that Judy wasn't following him. He knew that he had left her there, and he knew that he had hurt her with his words.

The fox sighed. He hadn't expected his day to start off so awful, but given his seemingly rotten luck, didn't expect it to get in better.

The only thing that could make him feel better was the thought of going home and getting some sleep, if only to distract himself from his current thoughts.

 _Gosh... Stupid, stupid! I shouldn't have fought those thugs! Shouldn't have abandoned her back there, either!_ Nick mentally scolded himself.

Abandoned...

Nick flashed back to that moment nearly twenty six years ago. His dad, fists clenched in anger as he stared down at his wife, who lay strewn across the floor and in pain. Tears were streaming from all three fox's eyes as the terror of the situation settled over them all, suffocating them like blanket.

Nick's father had hit his wife. Just one strike, but that was all it took to change their lives forever. His father had then left without a word.

 _Like I abandoned Judy..._

He wiped his eyes before he went from walking to jogging, then slowly began running. He never liked running very much. Perhaps it was his laziness, or maybe just his current mood. But whatever it was, it didn't matter to him now. He wanted to get as far away from that beach as he could. To put the maximum distance between it and him.

As the sandy dunes beneath his feet turned into concrete pavement, and the city's looming skyscrapers sprouted around him, Nick began wondering if that's what his father had felt like... Felt like when _he_ hadran from his own problems, all those years ago. How he had ran from his own family, if only to get as far away from them as he could.

Nick was sprinting now, running through the streets of the city as fast as his legs could carry him. His father's heart-breaking actions and cruel words swirling through his head. But through the mist that was his crappy childhood, Nick saw a lighthouse piercing the fog. A beacon of hope. A pillar of light, edging him to his destiny.

That beacon of hope,

That pillar of light,

That light in the dark...

Was Judy.

 _I'm so sorry, Carrots..._ He internally muttered.

He wasn't paying much attention to the scenery around him as he ran. The backdrop became a blur of colors as his thoughts penetrated his will, forcing him one step at a time toward his destiny. Nick reared around the corner of a building and shot across the road beside it, not bothering to stop and look for traffic. Years on the streets had taught him how to be careful when crossing the roadways, but now, his own thoughts and emotions were too overbearing. The basic act of the routine escaped his mind.

A flicker of movement caught his eye.

He heard it before he saw it.

The horrid screeching of tires on asphalt; Hot friction grinding a massive object to a sudden stop.

Nick barely had time to turn his head in the direction of the awful noise before the vehicle struck him, sending him careening into a world of blackness and pain.

* * *

 **Hey everyone!**

 **Major cliffhanger here, as you just saw. It will be resolved in the coming chapters, I promise. Stay tuned!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	9. Ruination

"Only on the edge of the grave can one truly conclude anything." - Henry B Adams

* * *

Inevitably, all beings must die eventually.

They cling to life with fevered desperation, for death is a cold unknown, filled with uncertainly and bleak, everlasting finality. An eternity of unperceived ideals. That is what death is, to many. Some accept their fate with grace. Others are dragged kicking and screaming, though in truth, none would go to death's hands willingly.

Nick Wilde didn't want it to end like this.

He'd never known what fate would have in store for him at the very end of things, but he knew that he didn't want to go this way. He'd always envisioned himself living to a ripe old age, and perhaps dying peacefully and painlessly in his sleep. Nick didn't want to go this way: His life taken from him in an instant. That wasn't what he truly wanted.

In that split second before impact, only two things pierced his mind: One, was his fear of death It was understandable. He may not have had much, but in his current life, he had more than he'd ever had before. Losing it all would have been a real major bummer, to say the least. The second thing that reached his mind was that of a single name.

Judy...

So when the black jeep struck him, the fox didn't know what to think. His brain barely had a single second to map anything out before the vehicle collided with him, sending his comparatively minuscule frame flying about a half dozen feet back, and his head slamming into the hard concrete pavement below him, effectively knocking him out cold.

Nick felt little pain, with the peak of it's reach being the moment of impact, and after that, his mind was lost to the void. However, his body still remained, vulnerable, lying in the middle of the road. He may have had only an instant to react before the collision, but in that short time span, a single thought managed to find it's way up from his mind.

 _Judy_...

* * *

The bunny spared no time to waste as she sprinted from the cove. Her mate may have ran off in disappointing finality, leaving her alone with nothing but her cracked cries and broken hopes, but Judy had no desire to sit around weeping anymore. She had work to do, and the first thing on her list was catching up with Nick to make-up with him.

Judy was a pretty decent runner, not stopping a single time on her journey in the direction she had last seen Nick wander off to. Alongside this, the adrenaline pumping its way through her circulatory system was driving her towards her beloved partner ever faster with each passing step forward. As she ran through the streets, her sensitive ears caught the sound of an ambulance in the distance. She reared a corner, and saw a sizable crowd of varying mammals gathered around a fixed point in the middle of the road.

The commotion happened to be right in the way of the direction she was currently running in, so she decided to spare a glance as she ran by.

When Judy lay her gaze upon the source of all the commotion, her heart nearly stopped.

There, lying in a broken pile in the middle of the road was Nick. One of his shoulders was leaking blood profusely, and he wasn't moving.

Judy's shaking hands hovered above her mouth in an attempt to clamp it shut, but it was of no use. She called out Nick's name, but even she could barely hear it past all of the commotion around her. Judy pushed herself to the front of the crowd, and stared down at Nick as he lay still on the asphalt below their feet. The rabbit wanted to run up to him, but she knew that doing so would only make things worse. She new basic first-aid, but that was a far-cry from the medical attention that Nick would need for this.

His crumpled body was losing more blood by the second. Even Judy knew that if he didn't get medical attention soon, he wouldn't live to see tomorrow.

Judy's ears shot up in detection when an ambulance screeched against the pavement and slid to a stop just a few meters off. Thankfully, Zootopia's ambulance system was very advanced. She wasn't sure how long ago the collision had occurred, but now, the only thing that she wanted was for Nick to be alright, to make it through the pain.

Another noise soon caught her attention. Judy turned to her left just in time to see the driver door of a black jeep slam shut, a hippo behind the wheel, and then turn on the engine with an audible hum. The hippo then floored the gas, driving the jeep in reverse and away from the scene. The front of his vehicle had a busted light. It was a hit and run. A small part of her pestered her to chase after the law-breaker, but there were far more urgent matters to attend to. Judy turned her attention back towards Nick, who was now being placed upon a stretcher, the medical operators careful so as not to cause any further damage. The medical professionals packed him up into the ambulance

A few tears streamed down her face in silence. For once in her life, she wasn't sure what to do.

After a few seconds of uncertainty, she then took a step forward and broke out into a sprint, running

* * *

The bunny ran until she reached the building, not stopping a single time before nearly slamming herself into the glass-screen doors. She had skidded to a stop before contact, but hurriedly rushed inside and made way straight towards the receptions desk. That had been nearly five hours ago. Now, she stood in the waiting room, too stressed and agitated to even bother sitting down. Every time the surgery sector-doors would open, she'd quickly look up, hoping to something that it was the surgeon, there to tell her that Nick was alright. That he was safe, and most importantly; Alive. But not a single time did such an event happen. She was left waiting and in abject emotional misery.

She had so much to tell Nick. She'd never forgive him or herself - especially herself - if he didn't make it.

 _No Judy... Don't think that... Please..._ Her conscience forced her to believe.

The bunny was so enraptured in her own thoughts that for the first time, she failed to notice the sound of the surgery-sector doors opening. Two words broke her thoughts;

"Judy Hopps?"

She turned her head in the direction of the voice. A female pig in a nurse's outfit stood holding the door open. The bunny shot to her feet.

"You can see Mr. Wilde now." The nurse continued. "Right this way, please."

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter of ours. It's rather short, but the coming ones will make up for it, I'm sure. Do stay tuned! :)**

 **Also, as a point of fact, I'll have you know that the coming few chapters are going to be all for patching up the dreary moments we saw take place in this chapter and the chapter before it. After that, well, let's just say that the story's main plot finally kicks it into high gear! Keep reading, and you won't be disappointed, that much I promise. Nonetheless, I still thank you for your generous time and effort in the likes of my work thus far. It means a lot to me.**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	10. Reconstruction

"The emotion that can break your heart, is sometimes the very one that can heal it." - Nicholas Sparks.

* * *

Hurt...

Yet Hopeful.

Those were the only feelings that drove the bunny forward, one step at a time, towards the unknown which lay ahead of her.

Hurt...

Because deep down, she knew that her own choices had played a part in Nick's injuries.

Yet Hopeful...

Because she refused to let go of the prospect of Nick's recovery.

Judy clutched her hands to her forehead and pressed against it so hard that it blurred her vision. While doing so, she accidentally collided into the back of the nurse, who had stopped in front of her. The badger turned around and gave Judy a distasteful look before wiping it away, replacing it with a look of forced cheerfulness.

"Here we are, Mrs. Hopps. Your husband is inside this room, and the surgeon is making some final post-surgery notifications. You can ask her of your husband's condition."

Judy turned her head to the large oaken door that sprouted beside the two mammals as they stood in the hallway. Plastered onto the front of the door was a small peeping hole, and a plaque bearing the room's number: 115. She took in a deep breath before thanking the nurse, whom promptly turned tail and left Judy standing alone in the hallway, the only obstacle between her and Nick looming directly in front of the bunny like a guillotine, locked and raised, ready for the kill. She hated the similarities of it.

She sighed once more before raising her hand to knock on the the door.

And with that in mind, she practically kicked down the door as she threw her weight against it, unlocking the door simultaneously as she charged into the open room.

* * *

Judy's eyes had grown accustomed to the bright lights of the hospital hallway that she had ventured through minutes earlier, but when the bunny entered the new room, she couldn't help but squint.

For starters, the window was open: Bright morning sunlight streaming through every inch of glass that it could. That, on top of the already beaming (more like burning) over-head lights made Judy's eyes scream out in pain.

After a few painfully obnoxious seconds, she tried once more to open her eyes, yet this time she actually managed to get a good look at the room she was now standing in.

Obviously, the room was bright: The sunlight glistened through every corner it could reach, anything shiny and metallic (which happened to be a lot of things) reflected the luster with ease. When her eyes had adjusted as best that they could, Judy took the chance to scan her new environment. The surrounding walls were white of course, painted completely spotless so as to burn her eyes even more. Retracting her gaze from the walls, she brought her attention to the horned doctor whom stood just a few feet in front of her. At the foot of the bed was a tall antelope, her glossy curled horns were so long that they nearly scraped the ceiling. She glanced over at Judy with a warm smile, which thankfully, didn't appear forced or faked.

"Hello! You must be Judy Hopps! Pleasure to meet you ma'am." She stuck out her hoof in front of the flustered bunny, who hesitantly shook it before turning her attention to the bed's occupant.

"Nick!" Judy quietly stifled.

There, he lay peacefully atop the mattress, the thin blue blanket pulled up to his sternum. He was clothed in the standard-issue hospital gown, of course. The majority of his upper body rested on a mound of thick, fluffy white pillows. His fur was clean looking, but his form seemed to radiate a sense of pain. Around his chest wrapped a grey-ish cloth, and his right arm was propped up with a shiny metal brace. The aforementioned limb was wrapped in a cast.

Broken.

The Bunny shook her head lightly and trained her gaze once more upon her mate, who seemed to be asleep at the moment; His eyes were closed shut and his body made no sudden movements. Like his torso, the top of his cranium was wrapped in a dense white cloth. Then Judy took notice of his other arm, which was half covered by the blanket. Snaking from under the sheets was a long and narrow tube, which stretched itself along the length of his arm until it was cut short in connection with a wrinkled sack of water, which in turn was suspended above the bed on a lanky metal rod.

Judy shuddered. She'd always hated hospitals; The smell, the sights, the sounds... All of it... Horrible.

She hated seeing Nick latched onto all these appliances.

She hated the seething bright lights that refused to show mercy. She hated the disgusting scent of cheap air-freshener and gauze. She hated the unending sounds of dreary electronic hums. And perhaps worst of all, she hated the feeling of helplessness as these latex-clad doctors and nurses poked and prodded you, mending broken things and repairing your misfortune. Judy hated surgery worst of all. She'd seen many officers wounded on the beat have to be carted off to a hospital for surgery. Some never made it back. It gave her a distasteful outlook on it all, even though she recognized the benefits of modern medicine and technology, of course. Hospitals took as much as they gave.

The doctor's soothing voice penetrated her thoughts, directing her attention back towards its source.

"Mrs. Hopps, are you alright?" She questioned gently.

Judy glanced over towards the antelope. Given her hatred and disgust toward hospitals, the bunny tried to single out anything untrustworthy or deceiving in the doctor's face. She found nothing of malice. The doctor truly did look concerned. Caring, and nothing less.

She relaxed.

"I... I'm fine." She lied.

Whatever got this doctor out of her face. She most certainly was not fine! Nick just went through surgery after nearly dying from being hit by a car, yet here she was mentally whining about her own problems. That fact made her sad. She felt the tears start to well up in the corners of her eyes, but she blinked hard in an attempt to drive them away. She didn't want the doctor seeing her in this sorry state. The doctor cleared her throat audibly before placing her hoof on Judy's shoulder. An almost tender gesture, but the look on the doctor's face told the saddened bunny that this was, in fact, a very serious matter.

"Mrs. Hopps, would you like for me to tell you of Nick's injuries?" She asked slowly and reassuringly.

The bunny thought for a moment. She didn't want to hear any of Nick's problems right now: That would only make her feel worse. As if she was the one that caused them all.

"N-no. Not now, please." She admitted.

The doctor didn't seem very surprised. Getting the message, she walked over to bedside, where a tiny nightstand perched adjacent to the crown of the bed. After a few moments of shuffling through the folds of her clipboard, she selected a single paper and placed it atop the nightstand. She glanced momentarily at Nick before turning her attention back towards the Bunny, who now slumped against the far corner of the room.

"I'll leave the medical records here." She began. "That way, if you wish to look over his condition, you'll have free reign to do so."

Judy just continued staring at the doctor as she trotted to the doorway, ducking underneath it to avoid hitting her glossy antlers on the ceiling.

Before closing the door, she leaned in one last time and spoke;

"I'll leave you two alone for now, but do keep in mind, Mr. Wilde is in a pre-conditioned state of trauma. He was lucky that he didn't go into a coma! So please, refrain from making any physical contact with him until he wakes, at least. I'll send Nurse Honey to check up on you in a while. If you need anything, press that red button over there."

Judy nodded and spoke out, "Thank you. Thank you so much." The doctor nodded at her comment before closing the door, a finalizing 'click' reverberating through the silence of the room as the door's lock slid shut at last.

Judy breathed in the lemon-scented air slowly. Her fur stood on end as a chill seeped its way across her body. With a twitch of her ears, she opened her eyes.

Nick still lay sleeping, the room was still bright, and she was still miserable.

Groaning, she flopped down into visitor chair that was stashed away in the corner of the room. She stole a glance at the fox who still reclined silently in the folds of the hospital bed. After a brief moment of staring at his dozing body, she looked away in shame. Those same vile thoughts that pestered her earlier returned once again.

The bunny shook her head quickly from side to side. The putrid stench of manufactured lemon filled her nose, which scrunched up in a distasteful response. Alongside this, a consistent beeping sound emanated from the cluster of hospital machinery aside Nick every couple of seconds. It was dreadfully annoying.

All of the detectable senses in the room drove her insane.

The horrible smell of the 'Fur-Breeze' canisters, the fitful beeping sound that refused to go away, the rancid taste of sweat in the air which clung stubbornly to her tongue...

And worst of all, the sight of Nick, who even in peaceful and painless sleep across the room, made Judy seethe with regret.

She didn't take another glance of the blood-stained clothes in the plastic box, nor did she pay any attention to all the intimidating medical equipment that clung to Nick like leeches.

The only thing she focused on was his face, which still rested in deep sleep. Soon enough, Judy found herself asleep as well: Curled up in the cushion of her chair. She dozed off to the sound of the machines beeping, which for once, didn't sound so annoying. But accompanying that noise, was the steady sound of Nick as he breathed in and out.

Alive.

Judy wouldn't have had it any other way.


	11. Emendation

"I don't regret things, because I learn from my mistakes. If need be, I always make amends." - Marc Warren

* * *

Everyone makes mistakes.

But without regret, there would be no mercy, no forgiveness, and no amends.

There is a reason why we often remember the bad memories more so than the good ones: Because without a sense of regret, there would be no amends.

* * *

Judy wished she could say that she slept peacefully, and without any disturbance whatsoever.

Sadly, that was not the case.

Not only was she subject to fitful and restless sleep, but when it finally did manage to find her, she was plagued with night terrors that made her sweat in her sleep.

When her eyes first peeled back their lids as the morning light shown through the window, the only thought on Judy's mind was sleep, and how much she wanted it.

After unsuccessfully trying to find rest for another ten minutes, Judy simply gave up and chose to check the time. She rolled her head to the clock which hung above the exit.

10:58 A.M

 _Woah... Did I really sleep for that long?_

Despite being victimized to harrowing nightmares stacked atop an uncomfortable sleeping environment, she more or less slept like a rock when the weakness finally settled in.

Judy always woke up at 5:30 sharp on weekdays (with a few exceptions here and there, of course), and the titular bunny followed the likes of her strict sleeping plan without hesitation. She was a morning-mammal, after all. So the bunny couldn't help but feel surprised at the sloth-worthy achievement of sleeping for nearly twelve hours straight.

It was quite unlike her.

 _Huh. I must have needed it..._ She thought to herself as she stole another glance at the clock.

11:00

She soon decided to get up and move around, as she hated sitting in one place for too long. As she dropped to the floor from the height of the chair, her footfall brought a soft patter to the silence of the room. She bent forward and stretched her taut muscles, enjoying the pleasurable feeling of her ligaments unwinding and popping themselves into place.

Just when she was moving on to her lower back, a flicker of movement caught itself in the corner of her vision.

Judy swiveled her head in the direction of the bed that occupied the other side of the room.

Its occupant had stirred.

 _Nick..._

The bunny slowly approached the foot of the bed before stopping and placing her paw on the end of the bed-frame.

She trained her eyes upon the still sleeping form of her mate, Nick, who was passed out cold on the bed: A mound of pillows buried beneath the majority of his upper body.

She began walking towards the crown of the bed, sliding her paw along its rim as she did so. When her paw reached Nick's, she momentarily clutched and caressed it before letting go and continuing towards the direction of the nightstand.

For a second there, she could have sworn the paw had squeezed back.

When the bunny stood before the tiny table, she reached up to its surface and groped around for the medical-records that the antelope doctor had left the previous day. Her fingers eventually found their target, and she gripped the smooth paper tight, crinkling it around her hold as she brought it down towards her face.

Ever since she had first laid eyes on the broken form of her mate in the street; arm jutting out an an unnatural angle and blood spewing from his shoulder, Judy had wondered what exactly his injuries were.

Now, gazing upon the unfiltered ailments that nearly took her mate's life; She wished that she no longer knew.

 _Dislocated Shoulder_

 _Three Broken Ribs (2 True, 1 False)_

 _Internal/External Bleeding - Loss of 1/5th blood capacity_

 _Severed Auxiliary Artery - Critical Condition_

 _Minor Concussion_

Judy grit her teeth as she crumpled up the medical-record paper and threw it to the other side of the room. It weakly ricocheted off the back of her chair and fell to the floor with a soft crinking sound. Judy knew that she probably shouldn't have done that, but she didn't care. The only thing she trulycared about was laying half-dead just to her left.

 _Because of you..._

That malicious voice penetrated her thoughts once more. She probably would have gone for a round-two against the crumpled paper ball, before a weak voice broke the air;

"Carrots..." The voice coughed lightly. "Is that you?"

Judy slowly turned tail and stared down the meaning of her existence.

" _Nick!_ "

Her body, shaking in trepidation and excitement, threw itself upon the Fox that meant the world to her.

She grasped him in a tight hug before a nagging voice in the back of her head reminded the anxious bunny of Nick's injuries, and she quickly retracted, pulling away from his wheezing form. When her eyes met his, a tidal wave of relief flooded over Judy's mind, completely wiping away and submerging any of her previous and remaining grievances.

With tears of joy streaming down her face, and her breaths becoming splintered, she struggled to find the following words.

Besides, after everything they had been through in the past few hours alone, she literally didn't even know where to start.

"Nick... I-" She sniffed softly. "I'm so glad that you're okay!" She finished, her feet anxiously tapping against the tile floor, a soft pattering noise accompanying the action.

The fox chuckled. "I dunno 'bout okay... But hey, as you probably noticed: It takes a lot to kill me." He said.

Judy stifled a light grin at his words, and she promptly brought her right paw up to her face in an effort to wipe away her continuous tears.

A moment of silence settled before the two of them.

At first, it was nothing more then hushed tranquility.

But soon after, it became dreary and stiff.

Both animals awkwardly avoided each-others gaze. Nick's smile had melted, replaced by a look of bitter contempt.

For a few short minutes, no eye-contact was administered.

No words were spoken.

The only sound was their steady and heaving breaths, accompanied by the whir of the medical machinery throughout the room.

Silence became the dominant force in that period of time.

Judy shifted her weight from foot-to-foot; rubbing her arm in apprehension and stealing glances at Nick every few seconds only to be met with muted emotions from the fox. Nick stared down a corner in the room, blinking slowly, refusing to break eye-contact with the nook. He wore a faceted poker face - Judy had no idea what his thoughts were.

The bunny's conscious took the convenient moment to express its own thoughts;

 _Dumb Bunny... Look what you did! You broke him!_

Judy sighed. She was fed up with _all_ this.

Tired of Nick being so distant, tired of that insidious voice in her head, and most of all, she was tired of letting _this_ be broken any longer.

She shattered the silence without hesitation;

"Nick..." She stopped, taking a brief moment to breath in deep. "I... I know what you're thinking... And... a-and I'm _so_ sor-"

The fox shushed her mid-sentence.

"Whiskers..." He swallowed once. " _Judy."_

 _Uh-oh..._ The bunny thought.

When Nick called her by her _real_ name, instead of some made-up nickname, then it was clear that he was trying to be serious. Judy didn't know what to expect of his coming words: She braced herself for what was to come. What he did next was so unexpected that even Flash himself couldn't have registered it with his lethargic perception of things.

Reaching over with his good hand, he undid the straps that secured his cast arm in place.

After that, without saying a single word, he dropped the bandages, and with eyes full of sorrow, he spread his now unrestricted arms in an unmistakable gesture.

Judy's pent-up tears burst forth as fitful sobs shook her entire body in exasperated shudders.

She leaned in towards Nick and embraced him in hug.

"Oh, you bunnies..." The fox mused. "Always so emotional."

Despite having been no more than a full day's length apart from one another, with the way they embraced each-other in that moment, it may as well have been a lifetime.

As Judy buried her face into Nick's good shoulder, she felt an inviting warmth heat up her entire body. Alongside this, she felt a shiver of something slither its way down the length of her spine. she deduced it to be unbridled relief. All the while, she ran her paws through any available (and non-damaged) tufts of fur on his back, neck, and head.

For a short time, no words were spoken between the two mammals as they simply entwined in one another's enticing warmth.

But eventually, Nick concluded his previously commenced words. The finalized statement was simple, but it was _more_ then enough to melt the bunny's heart...

"Judy... I love you, and I'm so sorry for snapping at you. This is all my fault." He wheezed.

Judy, without severing the hug, leaned back to stare him in the eyes. Her amethyst orbs shined warm and bright into his own emerald ones.

"Oh Nick," She stifled. And to believe that she had nearly lost him just a few hours ago.

"I'm _so_ sorry." Both mammals then said in unison.

After the laughs had died down, the two of them conversed in idle talk, explaining their different experiences with the car incident. Judy started to get a little teary-eyed when she described the scene of the accident from her point of view, but Nick's reassuring words and bad jokes soothed her agitation like a cool wind blowing through Sahara-Square.

Bonds may have been broken and damaged, but in the end, amends were made that strengthened their union greater than anything they had yet to experience.

The entire time, both animals replayed the memories, both good _and_ bad, from the previous day. And with that, there was no regret to be found.

They had made sweet, sweet amends, and they were all the stronger because of it.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **If you liked what you read, feel free to drop a favorite or a review, or perhaps even follow the story! All are severely appreciated and looked upon by myself with great revelry! All of them tremendously help me, too! So if you're so inclined, I'd love to hear your thoughts on my work, or finding out about more followers and favorites of course!**

 **So I hope you enjoyed, and as always, stay tuned for what's to come. I have a good feeling that you'll enjoy it. :)**

 **Peace!**


	12. Alongside

"The ornament of a home is the friends who frequent it." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

* * *

It is those who walk by our side that define our way of companionship.

A true friend is not one who strides ahead, nor strays behind...

But one who stands recumbent, side by side.

For it is _they_ who will pull you forward when you fall,

And walk with you to the end of it all.

* * *

As the bunny pulled into the hospital parking lot, she couldn't refrain from staring up at the looming building which stood in front of her.

The Zootopia General Hospital wasn't exactly the most colorful or dynamic building in the Zootopian skyline, but it had a paw-print of influence that arguably exceeded that of the ZPD itself.

During the dark hours of the now officially dubbed 'Night Howler Crisis', the hospital played an important part in not only restoring the savage-turned mammals to their passive states, but it also delved into medical studies on the effects and distribution of the peculiar flower (and drug). So without their help, the ZPD could have never pinpointed the precise details involving the drug which surrounded the whole fiasco.

The building itself was a multitude of various grey and white hues, but the most noticeable detail of the building were the massive glass panels and windows that adorned the walls, allowing anyone to easily see inside. Though, Judy couldn't manage to spot Nick's room, as his happened to be on the first floor, tucked away somewhere deep inside the building.

The bunny unhatched the car's door and slammed it shut with an audible _thunk_. She had just clocked-out from work for the day, and like every other day for the past week and a half, Judy has spent her free-time visiting Nick in the hospital. He'd told her multiple times that he was alright being alone, and insisted on Judy living her life instead of dwelling on his, but being the stubborn bunny she is, refused to accept that fact. Every evening she'd come in and visit Nick in the hospital for at least an hour; chatting with him, sometimes even spending the remaining night-time in that very room, only to wake up the next morning, plant a light kiss on Nick's forehead, and head out to work...

Alone.

Judy missed having her partner by her side. The Chief had temporarily assigned her a new partner though: a newly inaugurated rookie named Anhur Varike. He was a jackal from Sahara-Square that reminded her so much of Nick that it made her heartsick. Anhur had that same sly grin and sarcasm, but he wasn't a shifty looking creature. He was practically Nick with all the sarcasm and none of the cynicism. Judy admired that about him, and found the jackal to be an enjoyable partner, but she still missed her sly fox.

Anhur may have reminded her a little _too_ much of her old partner, but nothing and no-one could truly replace her Nick.

Judy turned around and thanked the driver for the ride: Anhur himself. Judy and Nick didn't own their own car, and since taking the police cruiser just for a quick trip to the hospital might ruffle some feathers, Anhur offered to drive her himself, since he did happen to own his own vehicle. In fact, He'd been dropping her off here every evening... ever since Nick was hospitalized.

"Thanks Anhur, it's really appreciated!" She told the Jackal while watching him struggle to back out of the parking lot.

He rolled down the window in its entirety before saying, "No problem, Hopps. Hey, I'll see ya tomorrow at work then, 'aight?"

Judy nodded hastily. "Of course! Bye now!" She shouted out to him as he rolled his car out of the lot and drove off.

Taking in a deep breath, she began walking towards the hospital.

* * *

When she arrived at the front office, she immediately walked up to the receptions desk and placed her paws on its pink granite surface. She drummed her fingers expectantly as the receptionist, whom happened to be a pig, swiveled her chair in the bunny's direction and raised her hoof in a 'Just-one-moment' kind of gesture. Judy simply sighed and took the time to analyze the waiting room while she awaited her own conversion.

A long row of cushioned chairs set back-to-back were the only things that occupied the center of the room, spare a few tables topped with magazines. The walls of the waiting room had mirrors here and there, and more chairs aligned the perimeter of the walls themselves, which were a multitude of colors ranging from white to green. There weren't many visitors in the room today though: The only others in the room aside from herself and the receptionist were a couple of goats (they always traveled in packs of four or more for some odd reason, Judy noticed), and an elderly looking lioness whom lounged snoring loudly in her seat.

A voice caught her attention.

"Mrs. Hopps, correct?" The voice asked Judy, whom turned around and faced the source.

"That's right. I'm here to see my husband, Nick Wilde." The bunny explained to the pig.

The receptionist nodded and handed her a plastic card attached to a thin cord. "Alright dear, here's your pass: You'll be able to go straight to your husband with it."

Judy pursed her lips. She'd heard those words before, and knew what to do, but nodded politely and thanked the receptionist nevertheless.

Then she began walking towards Nick's room.

* * *

Yep. She _still_ hated hospitals.

The lights, the sounds, the smells.

All of it...

 _Hate._

Judy distracted her coursing conscious by focusing on the sounds of her own footsteps and breathing. After a blurry, bright, and boring amount of time, she finally found Nick's room: 115.

Inside, she heard laughter.

Judy noticed that one of the reverberating chortles indeed belonged to that of her mate. But the other one, sounded unfamiliar at first. It was a deep, hearty laugh choked with so much bass that it seemed to make the bunny's eye-balls shake in their sockets. She felt her bones vibrate within her, but it was accompanied by a pang of anger.

She had a feeling that she knew _exactly_ who stood behind this door. She'd heard that laugh only once before: when she blackmailed Nick into helping her solve her first case. The mammal behind the laughter had certainly found it amusing that she had managed to 'hustle' the hustler. She may have only heard it once, but it was enough for her to remember...

Now, hearing that laugh again made her cringe in distaste. She didn't have a feeling anymore: She knew _exactly_ who this visitor was.

Without wasting another second, she opened the door and walked straight in, not even bothering to take a glance through the peep-hole.

* * *

When she entered the room, she was more then pleased to see that the lights had been turned down, restricting the painfully bright haze that she had grown used to over the weeks of visiting Nick. Several slivers of evening light seeped through the glass in the windows, creating splashes of natural light here and there.

She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Nick; still adorned in a cast for his broken arm, standing by the window, watching the activity outside. Most of his other injuries had been healed up surprisingly well. The severed artery had been a really frightening condition, but Judy was more then glad that even it too managed to recover. Thankfully for the both of them, Nick was pretty hard to kill.

Then her gaze rested on his visitor.

There, with a red-stained pawpsickle stick sprouting from between his muzzle, standing atop the bed like he owned the place, was Judy's least-favorite fennec fox: Finnick.

He was dressed in his usual attire consisting of a black polo shirt; completely devoid of any color aside from a thin red streak down the left side of his chest. Tan colored cargo shorts wrapped themselves around his small frame, and a pair of shades rested on his forehead between his massive ears. Alongside this, a plastic card identical to the one Judy clutched in her paw hung around the fox's neck.

When Judy had first walked into the room, she noticed an almost pleasant look molded into the fennec's muzzle, like he had just told a bad joke but had gotten a good reaction from it.

But when he locked eyes with her, his smile evaporated instantly. His malicious brown eyes flitted around the room, briefly settling on various objects before finally resting on her. Judy read his facial expressions, and as his eyes moved around, he seemed to be thinking:

 _I hate that, I hate that, I hate that too..._

But when his eyes bore down on Judy:

 _I_ really _hate that!_

Judy was scowling at him, doing her best to look intimidating, though it didn't seem to be working: Finnick still stared at her with a look akin to disappointment. Neither mammal had ever gotten along very well in recent years, the only real exception was just a few weeks back at the Spring vegetable-contest that he'd crashed, with the two of them setting aside their disapproval of the other for the day, if only to enjoy the blueberry pie while it had lasted. Judy suspected that Finnick was in such a good mood at the time only because he and Nick had just finished up fighting those thugs; Something that Finnick himself had probably enjoyed a little _too_ much.

Unfortunately, Nick didn't seem to notice the frown-fight going on between his mate and the fennec, and he clasped his hands together, smiling like everything was going just as planned. He decided to break the slightly awkward silence by following it with a statement of his own.

"Heya Whiskers; Great to see ya!"

Judy spared a glance at her husband, and his infectious smile caused her irritation to slightly dissipate, at least to a more manageable degree.

She walked up to Nick and squeezed tight him in an affectionate hug. "It's great to see you too, Slick." She managed.

After she had pulled away, Nick looked expectantly between his two guests before saying;

"Well I'm glad that you both managed to show up." He looked to his wife. "Uh... sorry that I didn't tell you Finnick would be here."

"Ya didn't tell me _she_ would be here either, stupid." Finnick grumbled.

Judy resisted the urge to call out the irritable sand-fox, but instead chose to let go of her annoyance and focus on the now. Another knock pierced the empty air, and Judy took no hesitation as she approached the nearby door before stealing a glance through the tiny peephole. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of the mammal standing outside.

With the exact same visitor's badge that Judy and Finnick had hanging around his meaty neck, it was clear that Chief Bogo himself had come to see them personally.

The bunny wasn't sure weather to be gratefully relieved or horridly terrified.

She unlocked the door and backed away, locking eyes with their new guest. He asked politely, "May I come in?"

Judy gulped before nodding, and then proceeded to back away even farther to let Bogo in. He squeezed through the comically small door-frame, and then took his place among the crowd of four mammals.

Nick wheezed a soft laugh. "Well I'll be darned! Haven't had _this_ many mammals in the same room as me since they sliced me open! Haha!" His inappropriate input earned a snicker from the fennec, an approving grin from the buffalo, and a scowl from the bunny.

Bogo cleared his throat loudly. "Well, I'm pleased that you didn't break your sense of humor in the incident, Wilde."

The russet fox shrugged as best as he could with one arm mended in a cast. "Well what can I say? Broke pretty much everything _else._ " He muttered bitterly, but with an undertone of whimsical levity.

At this, even Judy couldn't help but crack the slightest of smiles.

Bogo's booming voice broke the ensuing silence;

"I apologize that I couldn't manage to see you sooner, Wilde." He glanced out the nearest window. "I had plenty of paperwork, and a few personalevents that got in the way."

"And by _personal events_ ," Nick gestured with air quotes. "You mean Gazelle's latest concert, eh?" He asked, causing Finnick to bark a laugh.

Bogo's face twisted in anger and embarrassment. "The _point,_ Wilde, is that I'm here now! I wanted to make sure you were alright!"

"Of course! I get that." He winked at the water buffalo. "But hey, if I wasn't flattened by that car and hospitalized, I would have gone right with ya, Chief!"

Judy bit hard on her cheeks to keep from giggling as she watched Bogo scowl, but noticed that he _did_ seem somewhat flattered.

Finnick coughed loudly, no doubt trying to draw everyone's attention. "Speakin' of which, you coppers ever manage to catch the ass-hat that almost turned stupid here-" He said pointing to Nick. "-Into roadkill?"

Bogo smirked and crossed his arms before answering.

"That _is_ actually one of the reasons why I'm here. Aside from checking in on stupid, I came to fill him in on our case involving the hit-and-run."

Nick smiled, excited about the appraising news, but soon frowned. "Wait, who you callin' stupid, _buffalo-butt_?" He retaliated.

Chief Bogo raised his hand and opened his mouth as if preparing to tell him off, but Judy interrupted.

"Ladies! Can we _please_ conduct business _without_ calling each-other nicknames?" She asked the crowd impatiently, her hands on her hips and her right foot thumping rapidly against the tile floor.

Bogo's face was frozen mid-tirade, and he looked like he _really_ wanted to go off on Nick, but he eventually cleared his throat and straightened himself out.

"Very well. You're most correct Officer Hopps, this _is_ a matter of importance, after all." He breathed in before exhaling audibly. "Alright. We caught the bloke who fled from the scene; the same one who put you in here, Wilde." Bogo said as he pointed to the hospital bed.

He let that sink in for a few short seconds before continuing.

"This hippo was found picking a fight with another citizen late last night... we apprehended both of them, but let out the other one soon after. We got the Hippo right where we want him, though."

Judy was _very_ satisfied with that news. After Nick got hit, Judy spent a great deal of both her off time and her work time tying to crack said case. She also spent much time thinking about what happened during that tragic moment... if perhaps she should have stopped the offender from fleeing...

But it was too late anyways: Better to not linger on the past.

For the following hour, the mammal quintet discussed various topics ranging in complexity from the latest news to the most severe law enforcement cases.

Eventually, Chief Bogo exclaimed that he had to leave. Apparently he had some 'important documents' to manage...

"I best be on my way by now," the buffalo claimed. "Better for me not to Gazel- _I mean dwell!_ Dwell! Better for me not to _dwell_ on old news... Uh... Goodbye now."

And with that, the water buffalo began walking towards the door, but barely managed to open it before Nick decided to comment.

"Well," He began. "Isn't that swell?"

Judy watched as Bogo clenched his jaw hard, the veins in his temples pushing through the skin on his head. He then grumbled beneath his breath and walked out of the room closing the door with a loud, finalizing slam.

Judy heard Finnick snort behind her. She turned around and looked at him.

"Huh. There goes one big bag of bull." He huffed indigently before flicking the top of his shades, causing them to pop into place atop his muzzle.

Nick chuckled softly. "And by bag of bull, do you mean him or his personality?" He asked innocently.

"Nick!" Judy chided. "One of the few times Chief _isn't_ heckling you, and you go and talk behind his back?"

The orange fox raised his hands in an ' _I'm innocent_ ' sort of gesture before equipping his near-trademark smirk.

"Hey now fluff, no need to point out the obvious! I'm just giving credit where credit's due. Two-for-two!" He said ecstatically.

Meanwhile, Finnick plucked the pawpsickle stick from between his teeth and swatted Nick over the back of his head with it, effectively snapping the wood slice in two; one piece deflected off the back of Nick's skull and pattered to the floor while the other was still held firm in the fennec's grip, splinters shooting out from the spot where the stick was divided.

"If any one of ya'll numb-skulls rhymes again I'm gonna throw up!" He froze, then tapped the tip of the broken pawpsickle stick against his chin, mimicking deep thought.

"Then I'll bite your face off!" He concluded.

Nick laughed, and although Judy was a little taken-back by the fennec's threats, she couldn't afford not to smile.

Finnick mumbled something even Judy couldn't quite make out before leaping from the bed and landing on the white-tile floor. He swiped the non-existent dust from his sleeves before starting towards the door.

Nick called out, "Now wait a second, Fin! Where ya goin' buddy?"

The tan fox halted in his tracks just a few feet from the door. He turned around, and using the shattered pawpsickle stick, pressed his shades down so that his eyes were looking straight at Nick.

"Chief Bozo's got a point... It _is_ gettin' sorta late." He then jabbed his thumb upward, pointing at the clock directly above him. "8:22." He continued. "I got places to be."

He began to turn around, but Nick questioned him once more.

"Where to?" The larger fox asked his smaller (and considerably grumpier) counterpart.

Judy saw Finnick roll his eyes behind the sun-glasses.

"You two softies ain't the _only_ one's who need to eat ya know. I got some, eh... _business_ to take care of." He answered.

Judy raised an eyebrow in apprehension. Being the considerate cop that she was, she had a feeling that when Finnick said 'business', he really meant 'Con-Job.'

Finnick noticed the expression of distrust that donned the bunny's face. He crossed his arms before furrowing his brow and defending himself.

"Now hold up fluff-butt, I know what you's thinkin'!" He replied hastily. "But don't worry - I ain't doin' con jobs no-more..." He coughed once. " _That_ much."

Nick's face morphed into that of approval. "So you got yourself a job?" He inquired. "Thatta boy, Fin!" The fox nearly shouted as he gave Finnick the double thumbs-up.

The bunny noticed that for the first time since meeting him, Finnick actually looked _flattered_. He kicked at the ground, lightly skimming it with the bottom of his right foot.

"Yeah, pretty much. Sort of. Uh..." He glanced at Judy briefly. "The con-jobs are at a minimum though, honest! I'm just doing them occasionally to get a little extra bank on the side."

"What's your occupation?" Judy asked: She had to know.

The fennec chortled quietly before answering. "Oh, just little things... loans, protection, betting-"

"Betting?" Judy interrupted.

"Betting is huge! Equal chances for every foo' dumb enough to choose the wrong contender. Unless of course, things get... _shifted,_ so to speak. Plenty of corporate mover-and-shakers that're willing to cash out top dolla' for something as simple as a beauty contest, or foot-race. Life is good!"

"You scheming little-" Judy started.

"Genius!" Nick finished appraisingly.

The bunny shot her mate a glare powerful enough to disintegrate stone.

"Uh, I mean..." He began correcting himself. "You _scoundrel_!"

Nick leaned forward a little bit and whispered loudly, " _I'm so proud of you_!"

Judy elbowed him with a little more force then necessary.

"Alright, alright!" He complained, rubbing his side tenderly. "Spare me, Carrots!"

Judy simply rolled her eyes and eyed the fennec fox again. He had his paw on the door handle and was half-way out the door before he turned around and did something Judy did _not_ expect.

On his muzzle was a smile. Nothing fake, forced, or malicious: Just a plain, simple smile.

He pointed a finger gun at Judy and mimed shooting at her. "Take care you two. It was nice talkin' with ya." And at that, Judy actually smiled back.

"See ya, Smalls." Nick stated with a smirk

"Ciao."

With that, the tan fox closed the door shut for the last time that night.

Judy breathed in deep and exhaled slowly while running her paws down her head, flattening her long ears against the back of her neck. A voice behind her broke her trance-like state of mind.

"Hey Whiskers?" She heard Nick ask easily.

She hummed in question at his comment, turning around and eyeing him as he leaned against the glass-panel window.

"Thanks for showing up again tonight." He continued. "I know that you and Fin don't always get along very well, but he had the right to show up as much as you did."

Judy nodded in response, but soon furrowed her brow as she pondered back to all the events that had taken place in this hospital room within the last hour or two.

"Nick... I dunno about Finnick. He seems pretty..." She began, but soon lost her words.

"Shifty? Conniving? Devious? Shady?" The fox suggested.

"No. Well, yes, he does appear like that sometimes, but that's not what I meant." Judy stated.

"Go on, fluff."

Judy exhaled through her nose. " _Fluctuating_. That's the word I'm looking for." She hesitated momentarily. "I don't know whether to trust him or to hate him."

Nick huffed a single chuckle. "Well that's Fin for ya. Always so evasive..." He said while gazing out the window, almost longingly, as if thinking back about past memories with the titular sand fox.

The fox swiveled his head and looked Judy in the yes. "But in all seriousness, you can trust him, Carrots. He may sometimes seem... well... like everything you said, but he's got a good heart." Nick paused and grinned widely before finishing. "Even if said heart is made of ice."

Judy leaned forward a tad and closed her eyes shut while giggling into her paws. When she gathered her bearings, she commented back to her mate.

"Trust him? Come on, Nick! That lil' guy runs a _Sweep-Stakes Parlor_ for crying out loud!" She claimed jokingly.

Nick just shrugged, the top of his cast scraping against the base of his neck. "Aw, don't be like that fluff-butt! Finnick really helped me out!"

Judy lowered her head and raised her eyebrow while eyeing Nick. "You're not talking about that fight are you?" She questioned.

"Perhaps." The fox admitted.

Judy crossed her arms. She then decided that it was high-time her and Nick discussed over said topic.

"Speaking of which, Nick, we gotta figure out what we're gonna do about those Bunny's that kicked the smug out of you." She reminded him.

Nick placed his hand over his heart, mocking offense. "You wound me, whiskers! Mind you, I still have roughly seventy-five percent of my smugness intact!"

Judy smirked easily, then paced over until she was near toe-to-toe with her mate.

"But seriously, the Orin brothers need to pay for their crimes. You and Finnick _did_ act in self-defense for the most part, I suppose..." She waved her hands irritably in the space in front of her. "But that still doesn't excuse you from fleeing the crime-scene, slick." She finished, hands placed on her hips.

Nick pursed his lips. "Well, whaddya suppose we do, huh? If we tell the ZPD, it might have some pretty disastrous after-effects against me." He guessed.

Judy thought for a moment. The two of them didn't exactly _have_ to report the incident in full detail to the ZPD... they _could_ simply just arrest the bunnies for battery charges.

The bunny informed the fox of her plan, which involved the two of them tracking down the thugs and detaining them for their crimes... without the ZPD's consent.

"So... sound good?" Judy asked the fox, who was diligently stroking the hairs beneath his chin as he pondered over Judy's idea.

"Sounds good to me." He eventually decided.

Soon after, a tranquil silence followed as the two animals prepared themselves for a good nights rest. Nick was busying himself by brushing his teeth in the minuscule bathroom tucked away in the entrance hall of their room. Meanwhile, Judy stared out the large window at the darkening skyline, silently thinking to herself...

 _Ugh... I can't believe this is our plan! It goes against the rules of the ZPD... but I suppose a little vigilante justice would suffice. They won't care in the end whether or not we tell them before busting down the Orin's door and hand-cuffing those bastards to a moving police cruiser!_

That thought put a smile on Judy's face.

She glanced back at the bathroom door - still closed shut as Nick dealt with his personal hygiene. She sighed longingly...

 _That Slick-Nick... there's no way on Earth that I can let him get out of this the easy way... He has to learn his lesson... Somehow..._

Out of the blue, a thought rooted itself in her mind: An idea worthy of any seasoned hustler.

 _Yes... I'll teach him his lesson... Perhaps I'll take a page out of his book and... Oh yes..._

The bunny smiled devilishly.

It was then that she heard the bathroom door creak open, her ears shooting up in detection as the squeaking noise emanating from the hinges reached her sensitive ears.

Nick strode out of the washroom, his fur was smoothly combed and his cast had been replaced for a more comfortable one, smaller in size and softer in texture.

Even with the ugly cast, Judy still believed Nick to be handsome.

He settled himself atop the bed, but not before swiping away at the mess of cords and other medical equipment that had been placed upon it. He reclined back, stretching his limbs outward as he flexed his tendons.

"Ahem." Was Judy's only response.

The fox froze and opened one eye curiously. He then smiled and shifted his weight in the bed, scooting over to the far side so that Judy could squeeze in next to him.

She did just that.

After clambering beneath the covers for a few short, but sweet minutes of silent nuzzling, Judy decided to enact her plan. It was time to teach Nick his lesson.

"Nick, you do realize that arresting those bunnies for a past crime _without_ telling the ZPD beforehand is against the regulation codes?" She asked him, to which he nodded.

"Yeah, I get that. Kinda silly rule if you ask me, but I ain't the chap who wright's 'em." He replied nonchalantly, green eyes still closed shut.

The bunny smiled as she continued her explanation. "And you do realize that I could easily spill the beans on you for your misdeeds... right?"

When he heard that statement, his eyes instantly shot open. He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What're you gettin' at, Fluff?" He questioned her.

Judy kept smiling innocently.

"Oh, I was just wondering... I mean, when you first joined the force, you _did_ swear an oath not break those regulation codes, after all. I'm just saying that since you not _only_ beat-up 3 defenseless civilians with your pal Finnick, but you _also_ fled the scene _and_ lied to _me_ about it... I _don't_ like being lied to Nick: And I think you need to learn your lesson."

The orange fox gulped, and prepared to open his mouth and speak out in his defense, but was shushed by Judy when she used her paws to clamp his mouth shut.

"I _could_ easily report you for lawful-misdemeanor while off-duty... but I personally believe that you need to learn your lesson in a different, more personalized way!"

"Uhrmph!" The fox muffled through Judy's paws, but she was on a roll, and refused to slow down until she reached her destination.

The bunny smirked victoriously. She had him right where she wanted him.

"So... I'll turn you in to Chief, and then _he_ can decide what to do with you... _Unless_..."

It was at this point that she chose to release her hold on Nick's muzzle, allowing him the opportunity to speak.

"Whiskers, don't you even thin-" His opportunity was a short lived one, for he was halted when Judy meshed her face into his, their lips connecting in an inviting kiss.

After a few brief seconds of pleasure for Judy, and utter confusion for Nick, the bunny broke the kiss as she pulled away, licking her lips in satisfaction.

"Unless..." She continued. "You give yourself to me for an _entire_ night. I get to do _whatever_ I want with you, and you need to obey me like the good fox that you are."

Nick blinked a single time. "You're joking." Was all he said.

Judy smiled a seductive smile as she gazed into his eyes. "Us bunnies _never_ joke when it comes to multiplying." She replied with a wink.

Nick cleared his throat in discomfort.

"So lemme get this straight: You're threatening to turn me into Chief... unless I become your blasted _sex-slave_ for an entire night?"

"Yeah, pretty much." She confirmed.

"That's blackmail, you know?" He told her.

"I don't like to think of it as blackmail-" She grinned from ear to ear. "-It's called a _hustle_ sweetheart!"

Nick stared dumbfounded at his mate. He was (for once) at a complete loss for words. Soon enough, a smile tugged at the corners of his snout.

"You sly bunny, you!" He said with an undertone of admiration. "Though... I must say: It doesn't sound like that much of a punishment to me, honestly." He said jokingly.

Judy smiled deviously.

"Don't get too comfy, Slick... I'll prove you wrong on that one." She boasted as she cuddled up closer against him.

The fox felt the temperature in his face rise up a few million degrees.

"Uh... Carrots, I'm _injured_. I can't... I-I don't know if I can-" He stammered, but was interrupted by Judy's snickering.

"No, you dumb fox! Not _now_ of course! I wouldn't want to break anything when I grind you into next week." She muttered.

"Oh ha-ha, Hopps: I'm laughing so hard." He sighed. "Officer, does this not count as cruel and unusual punishment?" He asked flatly.

"I don't think so. This is between you and me after all... You can always back out if you want, but then of course, I'd have to spill the beans to Bogo. Your choice."

The fox frowned and sighed once more. "I'll stick with your idea, thank you very much..." A smile materialized on his muzzle. "Sly, sly bunny..." He said as he ruffled Judy's head with his good arm. "The hustler has become the hustled!" He continued.

" _Again_ " Judy reminded him, smiling all the while. "I'm glad that you want to go through with this... it'd be a shame if I had to turn you in. And as for _when_ , well... when the time is right. Certainly not while you're still injured though. Gonna have to wait until you heal up, of course. _Then_ we'll get to work on your... _compensation_."

Judy closed her eyes one last time. "Until then, sleep well, Nick." Within a few minutes of silence, the bunny was already asleep.

But the fox however, was still wide awake. He couldn't stop thinking about what he'd just gotten himself in to. In the end, he couldn't even decide whether this was going to be amazing or excruciating.

He looked down at the dozing bunny curled up tight against him, and smiled.

"You're gonna be the death of me, aren't you Carrots?" He softly asked her.

Yet in truth, he wouldn't have had it any other way.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I hope you enjoyed this nice, long, and detailed chapter! This is probably the most fun I've had writing for this story as of today! I enjoyed this chapter _way_ too much! I certainly hope that you do too! :D**

 **More is on its way soon, so stay vigilant my friends!**

 **And as always, feel free to drop a favorite, review, or even follow this story of mine! All of them help me _tremendously_ , and all are _greatly_ appreciated! I love every single one of you guys that's stuck with my craziness the whole way through!**

 **Thank you for your time, and stay in-tune for chapter 15, coming your way soon! :)**

 **As always,**

 **Peace!**


	13. Compensation

"We will often find compensation if we think more about what life has given us and less about what life has taken away." - William Barclay

* * *

The consistent whir of the car's engine had been the loudest sound for the past hour; Its droning buzz is something that every driver must become accustomed to eventually, and Police Officers are no single exceptions.

And despite having been on the force and subject to the art of driving for the past 3 and a half years, Nick Wilde still found the pestilent noise to be as aggravating as it ever has before.

The fact that the drive to Bunny-Burrow took nearly two hours didn't help either.

 _And to think that after we bag these bastards, we still gotta drive back..._ Nick thought to himself.

It had been a full 6 weeks since the accident, and although the fox had been completely cleared from the hospital as 'healthy', he couldn't help but feel a bit sluggish: He was still getting back into the groove of being a Police Officer, and it showed.

In fact, on the first few days of being released from the hospital, the fox experimentally went to the ZPD's shooting range to get his accuracy back up to-par, but with disastrous results. He only fired one bullet before he doubled over in pain, clutching his paws against his head. Unbeknownst to the fox at the time, he was still plagued by the leftover remnants of his concussion, and firing a gun in such close proximity to his still-recovering brain did _not_ help his condition.

And now, he was cooped up in his assigned Police Cruiser with his mate, Judy, driving all the way to Bunny-Burrow to nab the thugs that as Judy called it, 'Kicked the smug out of him.' Many weeks earlier, during the Spring festival, Nick had been assaulted by a trio of bunnies. The two lovers had spent spent the past few days of Nick's hospital leave discussing their plan to put the offenders behind bars.

Now, after nearly 2 hours of driving (and listening to that pestilent humming noise), the Officers had finally reached Bunny-Burrow.

It was time to finish what they started.

* * *

Nick stared down the farmhouse in the distance as it grew in size with each passing second.

"So is that it? That the Orin's place?" He asked the bunny beside him.

She briefly glanced at him before training her eyes back on the road in front of her. "Yep. That's their farm... see all the carrots?"

The fox turned his head to look out the passenger window. Sure enough, hundreds of carrots packed in rows grew in every direction surrounding the farmhouse in the distance.

Nick remembered what Judy had said before about the Orin's... how their family was her own's biggest competitor in the carrot market. Seeing the fields laid with countless carrots truly expressed that idea. But alongside that thought, Nick wondered about the Orin's themselves. Were the parents of the family so careless about their own children that they let them run around beating up innocent cops? That thought made Nick snort out of his nose.

"So whiskers," He while asked turning to his mate. "What's the deal with you and the Orin's, huh?"

Judy's ears twitched at the sound of his voice. "Now there's a question I don't get asked very often... the whole of Bunny-Burrow knows about the feud between my family and the Orin's: It's been going on for as long as carrots have been grown here."

Nick looked out the window again, at the hundreds upon hundreds of orange vegetables growing in every direction. "So a long time, I'm guessing?"

"Oh yeah." She replied back. "A _long_ time..."

"Any idea why?"

Judy took a moment to think about that question. "No clue, really. I guess it's been so long that we all just forgot... I've heard it had something to do with carrots before, though."

"Ya don't say?" The fox said as he watched row after row of carrot lines vanish behind the car as they drove by, only to reappear in the rear-view mirror.

Judy's voice acquired his attention once more.

"The bad-blood has just been around for as long as anyone can remember. The Orin's have sabotaged us before... even going as far as to burn our crops. We've tried to get the local Sheriff's involved, but there's never enough evidence. The saboteurs always get away... but we just _know_ that it's those bastards..."

A vision of a family of bunnies so hell-bent on profit that they risked killing their competitors in massive carrot fires passed through Nick's head.

He shuddered.

"Sounds like these guys _really_ got what's comin' to them, eh?" He said whilst twirling a pair of handcuffs around his index finger.

Nick saw a smile tug at Judy's lips. "You got that right, slick." She shifted her weight in the driver's seat. "We're here."

The fox craned his head in the direction that Judy was looking. The farmhouse from earlier was now directly in front of them, looming in the way of the sun so as to cast a shadow over the hood of their car.

The house was small compared to Judy's old place, but it was still large. Massive oak trees dotted themselves around the perimeter of the homestead, applying even more shade to the already shadowed area. The house itself wasn't much... it looked a lot like the Hopp's family's house except that it happened to be a tad bit smaller.

Nick opened the door and stepped outside. Despite the casting folds of shadow that encased their car, Nick's eyes were immediately ravaged by a beam of light. Squinting, he reached for his shades and with a single flick of his wrist, opened and placed them atop his muzzle, shielding his eyes from the onslaught of sunlight.

Meanwhile, Judy had already reached the front door, and was knocking against the wooden surface; The sound echoed deep into the house. Nick heard the creaking of wood as someone above them on the second floor ascended to their level. Soon enough, a face peered behind the haze of the clear-stained glass that was embedded in the door-frame.

Nick breathed in sharply through his nostrils: He recognized that face.

It belonged to one of the bunnies that had attacked him... _Ronny_ , was his name.

With a look of terror on his face, Ronny turned-tail and ran back into the depths of the house.

"Heh. Guess nobody's home?" The fox joked.

The bunny rolled her purple-tinted eyes as she raised her fist and rapped another series of knocks against the door. "ZPD! OPEN UP, PLEASE!" She shouted.

"You _would_ say please..." Nick muttered, earning himself a glare from Judy. "Shut up, Wilde." She said.

A few short seconds later, a new face answered the door. It was a young female bunny, probably no more then 11 years old. She had pink ribbons tied along her ears that matched the color of her dress, and multi-colored eyes of brown and blue.

"Can I help you, Officers?" She asked softly.

"Yes, we're from the ZPD. We're here to speak with your 3 older brothers; Ronny, Roy, and Ryan." Judy answered without hesitation. She'd known the identities of the three troublemakers ever since her childhood. Gideon Grey may have been a jerk at the time, but _those_ guys obviously didn't grow out of it like Gideon had.

The little bunny shifted her weight and glanced to her left at nothing in particular. "I don't think they're home right now... They're probably out picking carrots, like usual."

"Well, we saw your brother Ronny just a few seconds ago. _He_ nearly answered the door. Could you please go get him for us?" Nick asked slowly.

The bunny mumbled something Nick couldn't quite make it before agreeing, then slipping away back into the house. It was as dark inside as a Zootopian back-alley at midnight.

Some time after, Ronny shuffled up to the door, looking distraught. Nick couldn't help but notice the bunny stealing glances of him in particular.

"Uh... Yes?" Ronny inquired in a flat tone. He obviously wasn't very comfortable, and Nick took the opportunity to hone in on his anxiety.

"Heya buddy," He started. "I believe we've met before, haven't we?" The fox asked while pulling down his shades, so that his emerald eyes locked on to Ronny's brown ones.

Ronny made a choking sound in the back of his throat. "I-I don't recall... Have we?" He stammered.

"Yup. Just a few weeks back. Spring Fair. Ring a bell?" Nick said while leaning forward in a bit of intimidation. Judy placed a paw on his shoulder.

"Nick..." She warned, before turning her attention towards Ronny. "Could you please get your two brothers, Roy and Ryan? We need to talk to them along with you."

Without replying, Ronny cracked a nervous smile before once again running off into the house.

"I don't like this." Nick muttered. "Something's not right here."

Deep in the house, Judy heard another door open, and someone yelling. With her enhanced hearing, she had trouble making out exactly what the voices said, but she managed to get a few choice words out of them. _Cops, Hide, Shit._

"Nick, I'm going around to the back of the house," She said softly. "Don't follow me _unless_ you hear me call for it, alright?"

"Fine. Make it quick though."

And with that, Judy made her way to the back of the house, leaving Nick alone at the front door.

Staring into the dark recesses of the homestead, standing alone and without his partner, Nick felt a since of discomfort. He placed his hand upon his tranquilizer, which was still clipped firmly into his utility-belt.

He suddenly found himself keenly aware to every little detail around him. The creaking of footsteps in the house and the smell of something burning found their way to his ears and nose.

 _Wait..._

Nick took in several light sniffs of the air around him. Something was _definitely_ burning... but it smelt less like a campfire and more like a gasoline fire.

Something was wrong.

Nick pulled his tranquilizer out from its holster and knocked once again on the door. The footsteps he heard from somewhere in the house abruptly halted.

Then, from somewhere in the distance, he heard Judy call out "STOP! HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!", which was followed by a loud crashing sound.

Tired of standing around, Nick bolted off in the direction Judy had gone, steeling himself to face whatever lay ahead.

* * *

The first thing that Judy noticed about the place was the smell. It had a distinct undertone to it... like burning gasoline, almost.

The bunny traced the perimeter of the house, tranquilizer in hand. She didn't know what to expect, but she certainly didn't like the elusiveness of the whole ordeal. Farms were never quiet: There was _always_ some sort of noise; whether it's work being done, tools grinding, or the grunts of laboring farmers.

Here, the only sound was that of her own heartbeat in her ears.

She was nearing the corner of the house, and would be entering the backyard area of their property once she went around it.

Placing her back against the wall, she spared a leaning glance around the corner, so as to see her destination before jumping right into it.

She saw boxes upon boxes piled up in one big heap, at least 10 large crate-fulls of blue-berries stacked haphazardly atop one another, forming a small, messy pyramid. A crowd of bunnies was gathered around the pile, the Orin's no doubt.

Labeled on each of the Box's in red-print words, _Hopp's Family Farm._

Judy suppressed a growl: They were burning her family's blueberry harvest.

Suddenly, another bunny cloaked in too-big overalls ran up to the flaming pile of crates, a fire-extinguisher clutched in their right paw. They quickly doused the flames, causing the fire to sputter into nothingness.

No wonder Ronny and that girl-bunny had been so jittery at the front door: They were in the middle of another one of their subversions, sabotaging her own family's hard work.

That thought made her mad.

Without wasting any more time, she turned around the vertex of the corner, and with her tranquilizer pointed at the closest bunny, shouted out;

"STOP! HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!"

Immediately, the crowd of bunnies all turned around in the direction of her voice. The bunny holding the fire-extinguisher instantly let it go, dropping the red cylinder with an audible thud against the hard dirt ground.

Suddenly, there was an awful cracking sound. Judy turned to its source: The pile of blueberry boxes. The lowest part of the pile had shattered, the wood weakened from the fire, and it caused the entire left side of the pyramid to collapse on top of itself, sending hundred of tiny blue orbs spilling out across the ground.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" Judy found herself shouting.

A sound behind her caused the bunny to turn around, and she was greeted with a wooden board to the face.

* * *

Nick turned around the corner of the house, and saw Judy standing with her tranquilizer raised on the other side of the property. The fox had no idea what she was seeing, but it obviously didn't make her very happy.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" Nick heard her shout, her voice strained with anger.

Nick was sprinting towards Judy, but nearly stopped altogether when he saw a large bunny clutching a wooden board in his paws appear on her left, just out of Nick's line of sight. Nick watched in horror as the board thwacked Judy right across her face, the force of which sent her careening several feet backwards, dropping her tranquilizer.

He then got a clear sight of Judy's attacker as the board-wielder stepped into Nick's field of view, closing the distance between himself and Judy's crumpled form. It (surprise) was another bunny. He raised his board above his head and was just about to bring it down on Judy once more when a loud **pop** sound echoed throughout the area. Sprouting from the attacker's neck was one of Nick's tranquilizer darts. The bunny's arms fell to his side, and with a stumbling step backward, dropped the board and fell over; passed out cold.

Then Nick burst around the corner and saw the source of all the commotion. He registered the entire scene in a single second: It was all he needed.

A smoking pile of boxes was stacked some 30 feet away from Nick, a crowd of about 7 bunnies gathered around it. Some of the boxes had apparently fallen over, spilling their contents out across the ground. Blueberries, much to Nick's surprise. Hundreds of them had been crushed beneath the weight of the collapsing crates, and a large puddle of juice was pooling out from the shattered boxes.

Nick saw Judy stir out of the corner of his eye, but out of fear of taking a wooden board to the face, he kept his eyes trained on the group of bunnies in front of him.

"ALRIGHT, EVERYONE ON THE GROUND, _NOW_!" He yelled loudly, effectively causing every last bunny to drop to the dirt.

With the offenders taken care of, Nick spared a glance at Judy, who had gotten to her feet and was now leaning against Nick. She was bleeding slightly from her mouth and nostrils, crimson liquid streaming down her face and wetting the top of her collar.

"You alright?" He asked her. Unable to form a reply, she simple nodded. It was good enough for Nick.

He turned his attention back to the Orin's. Only now did he realize that all the blueberry boxes were labeled with the print of Judy's family farm. It suddenly became clear to the fox what exactly was happening here.

The two of them had came here to set things right with the Orin brothers, but had instead found themselves in the midst of a crime scene: This was arson.

Nick cleared his throat loudly and shouted out to the bunny's once again, "EVERYONE STAY PUT!" He then turned toward Judy.

"Whiskers, head back to the car and call for back-up... we're gonna need more cruisers if we're planning on taking all these fluff-butts to prison."

* * *

7:34

It had been about 4 hours since the whole fiasco with the Orin's had been wrapped up.

Soon after Judy had placed the call to the nearest station, two more cruisers had come on scene. Both of them belonged to the local Sheriff's Department, but were no less welcomed by the fox and bunny.

It took a while rounding up all the offenders, but in time, the officers managed to wheel them all back to the nearest Police Station for questioning.

Despite getting smacked with a board, Judy was more then pleased about the outcome of the situation. The local Sheriff's Department _finally_ had enough evidence to put the Orin's in their rightful place... Apparently, 12 half-torched crates of blueberries were enough to prove that the Orin's had been sabotaging the Hopp's harvest: Justice had caught up to them at last.

Compensation had been achieved.

But... Judy was not yet satisfied.

Despite the demanding work-day, Judy still had very certain plans that she wished to enact.

But she bid her time... She'd already been waiting for Nick to recover from his injuries for nearly 3 months, and although the fox had long since forgotten his promise, Judy had not.

She intended on making him fulfill his side of the agreement... Even if it took all night long...

She was more then ready for her own compensation.

* * *

8:02

The taxi glided down the street with ease, its passengers all silent and unmoving.

The night was tranquil.

After dropping their cruiser and gear off at the Police station, Nick and Judy had decided to pay a visit to Bogo so as to explain their recent activities.

They described having been simply driving down through Bunny-Burrow, when they saw a plume of smoke emanating from the Orin's farm. They left out the part that they were _actually_ just hunting down the Orin brothers.

But in the end, they achieved their goal of putting them behind bars. And to both the tiny officers, that was all that mattered.

Once their conversion with the Chief had ended, and they were excused from their duties for the night, they hailed a taxi to take them back to their apartment. The ride back was a silent one, as the driver asked no questions, and the two passengers were 'talked-out' from their report with Bogo. When they had finally reached their apartment, they thanked and paid the driver before stepping out into the night.

It wasn't particularly cold, but it was enough to make the bunny's fur stand on end. Gentle breezes swirled past the two of them as they retreated back to their home for the night.

When the door was closed shut for the night, Nick stifled a full-body shiver. He sighed and promptly trudged over to the foot of their bed before collapsing onto it.

He's been waiting all day long for this moment, and was eager to relish in his sleep... In his mind, he'd earned it.

Judy meanwhile had slipped away into the washroom to prepare herself for what was to come. She had changed out of her uniform back at the Police Station, and was currently wearing her favorite pink-flannel shirt and low-cut jeans.

She walked up to the sink and took a moment to wet her paws and wash her face. She locked eyes with her reflection, which mirrored back her own facial expression.

After drying off her paws and face down, she exited the tiny washroom and paced over to where Nick was lying, half-asleep, on their bed. She tapped on his shoulder in an effort to get his attention, but heralded no response from the fox, who was still effectively face planted into the mattress.

Taking the situation as a challenge, _and_ refusing to take no for an answer, Judy rolled herself onto the bed and then snuggled up close against him and purred softly as she nuzzled her cheeks against the fox's neck. Her large ears twitched when she heard Nick muffle a groan into the pillows.

He shifted his weight and turned his head so that he was facing Judy. "Well looks like someone's feeling a bit cuddly, huh?" He asked with a smirk.

The bunny at his side curled up even closer. "That's right," She cooed quietly. "I'm feeling a little... _affectionate_ right now."

Nick grunted. "Well _I'm_ not. As if today wasn't eventful enough as it was, I'd rather spend tonight sleeping, mind you."

 _He isn't giving up very willingly... Time to get him up to speed..._ Judy thought to herself.

" _Ah-ah-ah_ , Nick!" She giggled as she lifted one of her legs and draped it over the fox's lower body. "You owe me compensation, _remember_?"

Nick narrowed his eyes at Judy. "What are you ta-" He trailed off, suddenly remembering the meaning behind his mate's words. "Oh, come _on_!"

"So _now_ you remember, hmm?" The bunny asked innocently while she rubbed her breast against him.

"I... Yes... I remember" He stammered. "So, you _really_ want to do this, huh?" He asked while he sat up, not taking his eyes off of Judy.

"You got that right, slick..." Judy leaned over and grabbed Nick by his tie, pulling his face down to hers until their noses almost touched. "Now take your clothes off..."


	14. Old Habits

"Old friends die on you, and they're irreplaceable. You become dependent." - Lionel Blue

* * *

6:37

The morning after was one of sensual tranquility.

The fox was the first to wake upon dawn's early rise, merciful beams of sunlight which streamed through the blinds bore down upon his eyes, his natural instincts causing him to awaken from his peaceful slumber.

Like every morning, the first thing he did was turn in the direction of the thing that meant the most to him.

Back when he was living on the streets, it happened to be his favorite pair of shades, which always rested on the ground adjacent to his head as he slept.

But now...

His eyes met with the still dozing form of his mate, who lay beside him, her arms wrapped around his chest, face buried into his shoulder.

The sun may have already risen on the horizon; but to Nick, the main-event was the moment her eyelids opened and revealed her pristine purple orbs to the world.

He feared the day when they would close for the last time, but to prevent himself from going insane, pushed that thought away for later concern: He was in the now.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

Nick breathed in deeply before exhaling slowly, the air-flow directed at the tip of Judy's long ears, where the longest hairs danced in the temporary breeze.

 _Life is good!_ The fox smugly thought to himself.

He then spared a glance at the nearest clock, which was placed on the nightstand to his right.

6:39

 _Phew... Still got time to sleep in! Bogo doesn't want us to clock in until 8:30... Time to enjoy the moment!_

And with that, he closed his eyes once more, and soon drifted off into dreamless sleep.

* * *

Another day, another chance.

Two animals in particular were living up to this philosophy. The fox and bunny strode across the apartment room, preparing themselves for their meeting with Bogo. Though they did briefly explain their situation involving the Orin brothers with the Chief last night, Bogo had insisted that they come in once again the following morning to file-in with more details. But now the two of them gathered their things and marched out to the parked Police cruiser, which Judy's jackal friend, Anhur, had dropped off for the two of them to make a quick return to the ZPD head-quarters. Despite the fact that the previous night had been a wonder of intimate passion, and that they had gotten the privilege of sleeping in and enjoying each-other's warmth for a many extra hours, the two of them still had a job to do. The law never takes a break. There was work to be done.

They piled themselves and their gear back into the Police cruiser, and began their journey to the ZPD Head-Quarters. As Nick manned the wheel, Judy glanced over to him momentarily, staring at him as he impatiently tapped his fingers on the wheel while they waited at a traffic light. Nick looked towards her, and the two's eyes met for a few seconds.

Judy smiled. Nick wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh, you're such a flirt, fox!" Judy said, her face blushing as she tried to hide her scarlet-tinged fur behind her ears. Nick simply smirked before offering his reply.

"Hey now Carrots... I can't help it!"

The light turned had turned green. Nick lightly pressed down on the gas pedal before turning left at the intersection. As the car aligned itself with the lane, Nick saw a large gleaming building not too far off down length of the road ahead: The Zootopia Police Department head-quarters. In no time at all, they reached their intended destination.

Both animals lept from the cruiser and advanced towards the building. It was an almost intimidating one at that: Large in size, with structured points jabbing out almost like horns. But it was their place of work, and was like a second home in their eyes. Many memories had been made beneath the crown of the city's primary police department.

They reached the door within seconds, and Nick ran ahead a bit to open the door for Judy.

"Why thank you!" Judy stated.

"Any time, whiskers." The fox replied.

As she walked in, the bunny ogled at the magnificent interior: No matter how many times she came here, it never failed to take her breath away. Not even once.

The building's large and spacious commons area was always brimming with activity: Cops dragging hand-cuffed animals back and forth, Citizens filing in reports and visiting friends, And of course, everyone's favorite cheetah manning the main receptions desk. He was a joyous and jolly ol' fellow; constantly radiating positive attitude and rambunctious Joy. He was dismissing a group of goats who had wandered in when he spotted Judy and Nick.

His eyes lit up with cheer. "Hey Judy! Heya Nick! Glad to see you two cuties here!"

Judy internally face-palmed when the cheetah slipped the 'C-Word'. She loathed being called cute. Well, by anyone except Nick of course. It seemed that no matter how many times she told him, Benjamin Clawhauser just didn't remember not to refer to her as such. She coughed into her fist and stared at Clawhauser with a disapproving look.

When he noticed, his face scrunched up apologetically.

"Oh, right... Sorry Judy!" He smiled with a satisfied and jovial look on his face, as if that cleared everything up.

He then took a deep breath before continuing:

"Lemme guess... you two here for Bogo, right?" Nick nodded and clicked his tongue while giving him an 'OK' gesture with his left hand.

"Perfect! He's available for briefing as we speak. Go on now!" The fat cheetah responded.

Clawhauser then shooed them away so he could deal with the line that had built up behind them during their encounter. They obliged to his shooing, eager to wrap up with Chief so as to start the days work. They walked towards his office and knocked twice before a large shadow passed behind the hazed window in the door. It opened and revealed Chief, standing tall and contempt as always. He waved his hand in an unmistakable gesture: Come in.

Nick shut the door as he stepped inside the office. The light smell of sweat filled the air, mixing with the scent of Bogo's silly lemon-scented candle that he stashed away in the corner. It was _not_ a good mixture at that, But if Bogo knew, he didn't seem to let on. The Chief fell back in his chair with a sigh of relief before planting his elbows on the table and giving the two tiny officers his classic 'Bogo-Stare' as the other workers had come to name it. Nick bit his cheeks to keep from snickering at the ridiculous nickname. Meanwhile, Judy sat next to the fox with her arms across her lap and her ears held high.

The next few minutes were a rather dreary blur, as they explained to Bogo in further detail about their experience with the Orin brothers the previous day, and the evidence of arson. After some more time spent describing their involvement, Bogo considered the situation concluded: The Orin family was no-doubts guilty of arson, destruction of property, assault (Judy's face still ached from getting smacked with that board), and theft.

With the evidence stacked against them, Judy had a good feeling that her family's rivals were finally going to get what they deserved.

"You two did well with that mess," The Chief began. "I'm proud of you both, but I'm afraid there _is_ still more to do."

Nick's smirk melted. "I thought you said the case was closed? We did our part, didn't we?" He inquired.

Bogo's brow furrowed at the fox's comment.

"I know what I said, Wilde. _That_ case is over and done." The cape-buffalo leaned back in his seat. "When I say there's more to do, I mean that I'm putting you on _another_ task."

Nick nodded while biting his lower lip. "Oh... Well then, whatcha got in mind for us?" The fox asked curiously.

At his new question, Bogo steadily rose from his chair and lumbered over to his filing-cabinet.

"I'm sure you two have heard about the Sleet-Street homicide, no?" He said as he pulled out a case-file from the cabinet and shut the lid with a reverberating thud.

The bunny shuddered. She knew all too well about _that_ mess: Back when Nick was in the hospital, she and a number of other officers had arrived on-scene to a grisly murder sight. The victim was an adult male antelope, and happened to be a forensic photographer for the ZPD sub-section in Tundra-Town; Precinct Two. The antelope was covered in a mess of slash marks and cuts, and his mangled corpse had been dumped in a back-alley trash container on Sleet-Street, almost entirely drained of its blood. Judy herself remembered telling the story to Nick when she had arrived for her daily visitation at the hospital. The story seemed to shake him up a lot more than most of the other horrific crime-cases they've seen over the years, which didn't surprise her. She knew that Nick was a pretty sturdy guy, but even she couldn't blame him for being disturbed by it.

"We sure have, Chief." The fox's voice shattered Judy's thought process.

The rabbit diverted her attention back to Nick, and then to Bogo, who nodded grimly before placing the case-file on the table-top and sliding it towards them.

"As you know, the murder rate in Zootopia is very low. That's something that the ZPD takes pride in. It means we do our jobs well. However, the few times that something like this pops up, it's always a grisly sight. We have a number of other officers working on it thoroughly, but I need the two of you for a more _personalized_ assignment."

He tapped the folder for emphasis before proceeding to slide it across his desk, positioning it directly in front of the fox and bunny, who began flipping through the folder. Nick spotted some of the forensic photographs that the crime-scene investigators must have taken: there were at least a half-dozen pictures of the victim's corpse from varying degrees and angles. There were also a few pictures of the antelope's shattered camera; which was found on the scene, broken, and put inside a nearby garbage can.

"The camera was found on the scene in pieces." Bogo elaborated. "But not _completely_ ruined. I take it you two have seen the photograph before, yes?"

There was no need to finish his sentence. Almost every animal in the ZPD had seen the single photograph that had somehow survived the camera's destruction: One blurry image of the assumed attacker, who appeared to be a large, heavy-set badger. What little of the badger's body had been captured on the photograph appeared to be coated in a black suit with a dark red vest on the inside, like a waiter at a fancy restaurant. The picture was tucked away in the case-file sitting still before them, along with all of the other recorded evidence surrounding the crime-scene. Judy pulled it out from the folder and took a close look before handing it to Nick himself, who had never seen it before.

As the fox peered down at the picture, he couldn't help but think that the badger's face almost looked... Familiar _._ He shook the thought from his head.

The water-buffalo's gruff voice then demanded their attention once again.

"Only problem is," Bogo continued. "The photo's background doesn't match the site where we found the victim's corpse. Not only that, but the claw marks don't match, either."

Judy and Nick knew what the Chief meant: Badgers had large, rough claws. Great for digging (and the occasional mauling), but not quite good enough for slicing flesh. The cuts in the antelope's body were all very fine and thin, as if administered by a scalpel. The rigidness and depth of the slashes were enough to rule out that scenario though, as it was clear enough that the marks were indeed created with claws: Very long, thin, and effective claws.

"Just two days ago, we received a call from a residence on, uh..."

The Chief trailed off and then looked over at a piece of note-pad stuck onto his office phone. He resumed;

"Boulder-Boulevard, that the same badger in the picture was spotted lurking around near the caller's home."

Judy cleared her throat shortly before asking, "How did the caller know that it was the same mammal as the one in the photo?"

"In case you haven't noticed," Bogo said impatiently. "The media is slobbering all over this case! I can't tell you _how_ many phone calls-" He trailed off, shaking his head and placing his hoofs against his sinuses. He breathed in slowly a single time before proceeding.

"The newspaper asked for permission to put the photo in one of their articles: We let them. All the better for helping track down this murderer... _and,_ "

He then pulled out his mobile-device and began scrolling through it. After a brief few seconds of searching, he found what he was looking for and faced the screen towards the fox and bunny.

"The caller managed to snap another picture. Take a close look at the clothes in both photographs..." He finished.

The two tiny officers stared at the picture on Bogo's phone, which seemed to be taken from a window. The lighting was rather dark, as if it was taken during the night, but the focal point of the whole picture was clear enough for all to see. A large badger, his back to the camera angle, wearing clothes identical to the one in the photograph: A simple tuxedo. But it shimmered with a strange color. It may have been dark in the photo, but upon closer inspection, Judy could tell that the badger's suit was a deep, wine-red pallet, like blood. Judy thought it to be a strange choice of color. She glanced back at the original photograph, and took note of mammal's seemingly identical wardrobe.

"It's our guy. It's gotta be." Nick commented. "But Chief, what exactly _is_ our part in this case?" He asked.

Bogo donned a small grin before turning off his phone and slipping it away back into his left pocket. He then crossed his arms and spoke.

"You two are gonna go on a stake-out in the vicinity of the new photograph's location. We have a feeling that this badger is making roundabout trips, for some reason."

Judy reminisced on his wording. She thought back to the back-drop of the picture. It wasn't anywhere she immediately recognized, which was frustrating, since she'd been pretty much _everywhere_ in the Zootopian mainland and its primary-districts, from Tundra-Town to Sahara-Square. Sightseeing in the city was a common activity to partake.

The rabbit officer thought she knew the city like the back of her paw, by now. She liked to think that there was no where else that she could go.

Except _one_ place... A place that no bunny would ever think of going. A place that was the complete opposite of bright, shiny Bunny-Burrow. She remembered being told stories of the nick-named 'dark-district' back during her childhood. Even now, many bunnies back home thought of the place as a simple myth: That it wasn't even real.

Meanwhile, Nick swallowed and grinned excitedly. He adored stake-outs, as it allowed him and Judy to really get some quality chit-chat time in, _and_ they get paid for it!

"Where precisely is the stake-out location, Chief?" The fox questioned easily.

Bogo placed his elbows on the table and clamped his hoofs together as he stared down the two officers. He wondered if he'd ever see them again...

"One of the most crime-riddled regions in all of Zootopia..." He paused momentarily. "You best bring your flashlights officers: You're going to the Nocturnal-District."

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I certainly hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of When Instinct Falls! I had good fun writing this chapter, even though it's kinda short and took ages to actually publish (sorry 'bout that).**

 **But in the end, I am highly pleased with the end-product. After _much_ thinking and planning, I think it's safe to say that I have the remainder of the story laid out perfectly! I have _big_ plans in store for you guys, and can't wait to show you all what I've been working on all this time: I think it's brilliant! :D**

 **That being said, I must address something real quick: Although the majority of the current story revolves around the casual-side of Nick/Judy's relationship and life, the following chapters will delve into more mystery/angst themed ideals. Don't get me wrong, the romance ain't going no where. In fact, alongside Nick and Judy's relationship, there will be some separate, brand new themes involved in the coming chapters. New and interesting characters will be introduced, alongside some major character development on the part of our two favorite mammals... especially dealing with Nick himself! You'll see.**

 **Somewhere though, there is a case to solve. And within it, there will be a villain.**

 **As always, If you liked what you saw, feel free to drop a review and favorite, or perhaps even to follow my story! Every single one is highly appreciated, as there is nothing I find more lovely then the likes of your thoughts and appreciation!**

 **Lastly, if you have any questions/comments/concerns, feel free to describe them to me via review or PM. I answer all presented questions!**

 **So long everyone (at least for now), and do stay tuned for the next chapter, comin' your way soon!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	15. Where the Sun Don't Shine

"There were things I wanted to tell her. But I knew they would hurt her. So I buried them, and let them hurt me."

* * *

Buried beneath a billion tons of rock and metal and time, there lies a place spoken of in hushed whispers of trepidation and wonder, a place few surface-dwellers have ever ventured to. The city of Zootopia and all it's territory may have 'out-of-the-way' places such as Bunny-Burrow, or even the rarely mentioned Outback-Island. But none top the elusiveness and mystery surrounding the likes of the Nocturnal-District. For all her bravery and courage, it was the very last place Judy Hopps would ever visit purposefully...

And for all his wit and cunning, it was the last place that Nick Wilde would ever return to.

* * *

8:00 P.M

The police cruiser glided its way down the slick road, the merciful precipitation raining down from the sky pattering upon the vehicle's windows.

Approximately half an hour ago, the two tiny officers had disembarked from the ZPD head-quarters and began their journey to their next place of business, the Nocturnal- district. They covered a lot of ground as the distance to their destination shrunk, but the endeavor so far had led Judy out farther from the city than she'd ever been before.

While the bunny manned the wheel, she encouraged the fox to look up information regarding the Nocturnal-District. She insisted that knowing more about the region might assist with their exploration _and_ work. The fox pulled out their police commissioned laptop and began Zoogling facts about the aforementioned place of interest.

"Hmm... says here that the Nocturnal-District is Zootopia's largest mining location, and that most of the city's bugs are harvested in special farms there... Tasty."

Judy nodded approvingly.

"Interesting. So we can expect lots of rocks, and massive swarms of insects. Sound about right?" She inquired jokingly.

The russet fox smirked in response to her comment before closing his laptop and hiding it beneath his seat.

"You got that right, carrots. Dirt, bugs, and crime. My three favorite things." He grumbled while rolling his eyes.

"So aside from badgers like _this_ bully that we're scouting out for -" She said pointing to the case-file on the dashboard. "- Any idea what kind of mammals we'll see down there?"

Nick slowly inhaled through his nostrils before replying.

"Uh, I'd say badgers, raccoon, moles, _n_ _aked_ moles, groundhogs..." He listed each type of mammal knowingly, counting them off on his fingers as he listed them.

But after he tallied off the idea of groundhogs, he hesitated and cleared his throat almost anxiously before finishing;

"And bats."

Judy momentarily glanced at him before training her eyes back on the road. She noticed that he didn't have his laptop out anymore.

"You seem to know a lot the Nocturnal-District... You been there before?" The rabbit questioned curiously.

Nick shifted his weight in the seat uncomfortably.

"Once."

For the next few minutes, no communication issued between the two lovers, as Judy saw that Nick clearly didn't want to talk about his last visitation to the Nocturnal-District.

In the ensuing silence, the bunny wondered what could possibly make her stead-fast mate so... out of character... it usually wasn't like him to refrain from making small-talk, or starting some kind of conversation. She pondered about his aforementioned words, eventually delving back into Nick's list of mammals that they might encounter.

One species in particular caught her attention... she'd never heard of _them_ before...

"Hey Nick," She asked attentively. "What _are_ bats?"

The fox stared at his mate with raised eyebrows, rather taken back by her unexpected question.

"You really don't know what bats are?" He asked flatly.

"No, not really. I'm guessing they aren't the kind you use to hit base-balls with?" She joked.

The fox wheezed a slight laugh, putting his hands on his knees as he leaned over and lightly punched Judy on her shoulder.

" _You_ don't know what bats are?" He asked again, chuckling all the while.

"Just answer the question, dummy."

"Alright, alright!" He breathed in deep, his eyes glazing over at nothing in particular. "Well... It's kinda hard to explain. Let's just say that you'll know one when you see one."

Not very satisfied with his answer, but deciding not to push the topic any further, she concluded their conversation with one final question...

"Wait... Did you say _naked_ moles?" The bunny asked with a look of terror on her face.

"What?" The fox questioned briefly before a grin emerged on his muzzle. " _Oh_... Don't worry carrots, they're not _really_ naked. They're just _really_ ugly."

"Good... 'Cause I do _not_ want another naturalist club experience!" She sighed.

The fox snickered to himself while he watched Judy blush; her long ears drooping down to the sides of her face to hide her scarlet-tinged fur.

"Hey carrots?" The fox asked after gathering his bearings. The bunny made a humming noise and looked over curiously.

"Remember that time for my birthday last year, when I made you go to the naturalist club with me?"

" _Nick!_ "

* * *

8:20 P.M

Soon after, the pair finally reached the outskirts of their destination, a road-way sign confirming the location of the Nocturnal-District's entrance as less than a quarter of a mile away. Within a few seconds, they reached a fork in the road, where they promptly turned to and continued down the path of the left direction. They then encountered a well-constructed cement-lain tunnel that descended deep into the core of the mountain. Atop the entrance of the tunnel, a large metal sign stood out with a pair of words;

 _Nocturnal-District._

Upon entering the tunnel, the slope of the road gradually steepened until they were at a near ten-degree angle. The weight of the car being pulled by the force of gravity accelerated their automobile to dangerous speeds, but the considerate and quick-thinking bunny ensured that the brakes held fast, slowing their descent into the unknown.

Soon enough, they reached the base of the tunnel. So what was it like down there?

Dark.

It took some time for their eyes to adjust to the blackness, especially Judy, whom didn't have the 'night-vision gene' that Nick so often bragged about.

But when her eyes finally did attune themselves to the new environment, she found herself staring at the likes of a completely alien world.

The Nocturnal district was one, _massive_ cavern, with colossal stalagmites erupting from the dirt and rock ground, and stalactites clinging to the roof of the cavern, which itself was a good three hundred feet above their heads. One stalagmite larger than the rest even had a road swirling around its diameter that led to the very point at the top of the spike, where what looked like a light beacon had been planted. At first glance, the narrow and winding streets throughout the Nocturnal-District appeared to be decorated with large boulders on the perimeter, but after further inspection, the bunny realized that those boulders were, in fact, houses. Hundreds of houses ranging in size and shape dotted themselves around the cavern's wide open space, each home intricately cut from the same rock that embedded the ground beneath their feet, and high above their heads. There were also houses built into the stalagmites and cave walls. In the distance, Judy spotted several large factories, which were joined with what appeared to be some smaller warehouses. The thick smokestacks rising from the dull-grey buildings rose all the way to the top of the cavern roof, where they disappeared within the rock.

 _Smart... Releasing their smoke away from the inside of the cavern..._ The bunny thought to herself.

At that consideration, she remembered what Nick had said about the Nocturnal-District's mining facilities, and she soon found herself staring down at quarry-like compounds marked around the outskirts of the cavern, conveyor belts and other mining equipment strewn across the properties. Must've been a good way to harvest the gems up above.

Meanwhile, Nick was gazing greedily at one of the district's light sources: Glow-worms. Thousands, if not millions of the glowy-grubs were rooted to the cavern's roof, emitting a large amount of soothing blue light. Even though the ceiling was hundred of feet above them, the fox was able to make out the slimy strands of glowing goo that the worms pooped out: some of the strands were so long and thick that you could swing through them as easily as with the vines in the Rainforest-District.

Alongside the brilliant-blue luster that painted the cavern roof, clusters of humongous gems varying in size, shape, and color were sprouting from the ceiling: the light emitted from the glow-worms reflecting off the crystal shards and speckling the top of the cave with a miasma of kaleidoscope-esque colors.

In short, it was the most beautiful thing Judy had ever seen.

It was so stunning that it nearly brought tears to her eyes.

This whole time, she had imagined the Nocturnal-District as some filthy, crime-stricken ghetto. But apparently, there was much more to it beneath the surface. Quite literally.

During her youth back home in Bunny-Burrow, Judy would enjoy spending her evenings watching the sun-set and the stars that followed. She'd gaze at those countless bright dots in the sky, and spend hours trying to count them all, but never could. Staring up at the Nocturnal-District's cavern ceiling high above, she was overcome with that same sense of wonder and awe. That same appreciation for nature. This place was like an inverted sky: A place of wonder that you could not only see from afar, but touch, as well.

 _No wonder these cave-dwellers don't like the surface. It's so much cooler down here..._ She thought to herself.

She had so many thoughts swirling through her mind, but the only thing she could put to words was a single statement;

"Wow."

* * *

As they drove down through the narrow and winding streets of the Nocturnal-District, Judy took every second as an opportunity to sight-see. Nick had volunteered to drive, as Judy was so star-stricken with awe that she couldn't keep her hands on the steering wheel without shaking... fine by him.

It was nothing he hadn't seen before...

Being the optimistic, naive, and dough-brained little dumb bunny that she was, Nick could clearly tell that Judy was so enraptured in the sights and unexpected natural beauty of the Nocturnal-District that she didn't bother considering the reason why they were here in the first place: The Nocturnal-District has some notorious criminal-activity statistics. Hidden behind all the glamour and the glow-worm goo was a crime-infested melting pot of all things malicious.

He would know, after all.

As he drove them toward their stake-out coordinates, the fox kept sparing nervous glances behind the police cruiser that they rode within, and even above them: Looking up and into the light mist that clung to the cavern ceiling high above their heads, hoping that nothing, that no _one_ was following them.

Nick wondered if _he_ was still down here... Wondered if that terrible beast of a mammal was still hungering for his spilt blood.

Anxiously, he spared one final glance to the rocky dome above him before focusing his attention to the likes of his mate, who was bouncing in her seat and staring in awe at all the pretty colors. He realized that Judy had that same naive mindset on her first visit to the city of Zootopia: Completely oblivious and denying of anything ill or altogether unpleasant behind the pretty sights around her. He remembered blue-screening Judy by telling her off for being stupid, even referring to her as a 'naive little hick.' _That_ , of course was back when he had no thoughts or feelings for the titular bunny whatsoever. Now, he couldn't exactly see himself going off on her as harsh as that. But still...

 _This fluff-butt needs another wake-up-call..._ He thought to himself rather bitterly. _At least she's enjoying herself, I suppose._

And enjoying herself she most certainlywas. With her face pressed up against the passenger window, Judy was trying to take in all that she could see. Though it was very dark, especially compared to the likes of the Zootopian mainland and its other districts, the luminescent worms and shiny crystals provided an ample amount of visage for even her to see quite well. She also noticed even stranger sources of light: Weird looking plants bloomed in the inky blackness, blossoming buds that glowed with soft light.

 _ **Thunk**_

The car lurched downwards and back up momentarily. Another pot-hole, by the looks of it. The scenery may have been easy on the eyes, but the road was hard on the back!

The path that their police cruiser drove on was paved with cobble-stone, and rather old, apparently. Damp, moss-like fuzz grew out from the cracks in the road.

And of course, no ancient, terribly-preserved road was complete without its own potholes!

As the car tottered along the road, Nick occasionally glanced out one of the windows to catch sights at the residents of the Nocturnal-District. Sure enough, badgers, moles, gophers, and raccoon folk milled about their day (or was it night? Thinking about it gave Nick a headache). It looked like pretty normal urban life for the most part, but some of the Nocturnal-District's unique cultural aspects were noticeable: Like the withered old star-nosed mole that was churning a tub of glow-worm glop into a thick sludge, or the raccoon street-vendor on the corner of the sidewalk selling hand-cut gem shards shaped like random objects, like butterflies or fish. It seemed a thriving, neat old place.

Eventually, they reached the coordinates for their stake-out; It was right next to the house that had placed the prowler-call about that mysterious badger.

They strategically positioned their car in a secluded area, yet in such a manner that they would get full-range view of anyone that walked past them.

Once they got settled in, Nick put their predicament to words: "And now, we wait."

And wait they did. For roughly an hour and a half, there was nothing.

The two tiny officers passed the time with idle talk and conversation, ranging from all topics small and large, but all the while keeping their eyes peeled for suspicious activity.

Nick may have enjoyed stake-outs for the most part, but even he had to admit that they got boring at times.

After some more time had passed, a flicker of movement caught his eye. The fox leaned against the dashboard and squinted his eyes while looking out the window.

"Hey, officer toot-toot," He said while nudging Judy's shoulder. "Shady badger at two-O'-clock."

The bunny's long ears shot up in anticipation as she quickly looked outside at the source of Nick's comment. Sure enough, a large portly badger, attired in an identical velvet suit and tie to the one in the photo was lumbering past some 20 yards away: completely oblivious to the fact that he was being watched. The bunny grasped the radio and thumbed down the receiver button.

"Dispatch, this is officer Hopps and Wile, the assigned suspect is in our sights. Permission to apprehend?" She finished before releasing the button.

Meanwhile, Nick quickly checked the time before slipping his mobile-device into one of the compartments on his utility belt, instead of his pocket like he usually did.

After a few short seconds of static, the device hummed with life as a response was transmitted to the waiting officers.

"Permission granted, officers." Clawhauser's voice responded excitedly. "Dispatch recommends proceeding with apprehension on foot. Go get 'em, cuties!"

Judy frowned disapprovingly and sighed as she promptly hung up the radio and glanced at Nick.

Thankfully, he wasn't wearing his shades, as that would've made him look like a _complete_ jerk in a place like this.

"Alright slick, let's do this."

He sighed before (much to Judy's dismay) whipping out his favorite pair of shades and placing them atop his muzzle.

"Fine by me. Guess you could say I'm... _Diggin_ ' for a little justice, eh?"

And with that, the two officers dispatched themselves from their police cruiser and began following their suspect.

They followed the badger from the point where they lost spotted him, and quickly managed to catch up to him. They were slowly but steadily (and silently) pacing behind him from a short distance away. If the badger knew, he didn't show it. He then turned around a street corner, and that's when both officers nodded to each-other: they would jump him as soon as they rounded that corner.

They pressed their backs against the wall. Nick gave Judy a three second countdown with his fingers.

 _3... 2... 1..._

With their paws gripped to their tasers, they reared the corner and just about shouted, 'Freeze!'

But they were met with the likes of an empty sidewalk.

Nothing.

"W-where'd he go? Where'd the badger go? He was _right here_ just a few _seconds_ ago!" Judy hissed through grit teeth.

"Ah... Whiskers?" Nick asked, snapping his fingers for her attention.

"What is it _?_ "

"Look what you're standing on, dumb bunny."

The bunny slowly lowered her line of sight to her toes, which rested atop the lid of a sewer-grate.

"Oh... guess we know where our shady badger went." She refastened her taser against her utility-belt and bent down to pick up the man-hole. A heartbeat after the tips of her fingers made contact with the thick-iron cylinder, she saw Nick's eyes glance up and his face scrunch up in shock as his paws flew to the taser on the left side of his belt.

"Carrots, look out!"

She only had enough time to turn her head upwards and spot the source of Nick's cries before it literally came crashing down on her. A large raccoon; cloaked in a billowing scarlet trench-coat, grinning maniacally with crooked teeth and beady eyes, crashed into her, effectively slamming her head into the sewer-grate and knocking her out cold.

After watching the raccoon jump from the roof and slam his mate's head into the solid metal sewer-grate, Nick was just about ready to pull out his paw-cuffs and strangle the creep with them for hurting Judy, when a large body grabbed him from behind and clamped his muzzle shut tight, causing the sun-glasses on his head to slip off and patter to the ground. Judging from the massive size and strength of the thing, Nick assumed it must've been a badger. The large claws and almost scaly wrists were a rather blatant giveaway, though. Aside from the claws that gripped his face painfully, the only part of the badger he could see were the cuffs of his suit: A deep red color, like spilt blood.

Nick diverted his attention back to the raccoon, who had turned around and was now facing Nick.

The raccoon was dressed in a similar pallet; with wine-like shades of red and a trim of clean black on his long over-coat, which draped low, scraping at the base of his ankles. Beneath his trench-coat he wore an identically colored button-up vest of admittedly considerate formality. The raccoon was smaller than average for his species, but definitely no bigger than Nick. That didn't stop the mammal from grinning like he owned the place though: His maniacal smile was adorned with rows of rigid, crooked teeth. A few all were black, and some spots were empty gum, clearly having lost the teeth that once held root there. The fur on the very top of his head stuck up in spikes at various angles and lengths, shining with what looked like some sort of grease. Nick just hoped that it wasn't glow-worm residue, though, because that would've been too far, even for him.

The coon cleared his throat and swallowed, then reached into one of the pockets in his trench-coat and pulled out a silver hip-flask. He took a quick swig before splashing the remainder of the liquid onto Judy's face. She twitched momentarily, but otherwise held no reaction.

"Yup." The coon spoke with a satisfied undertone. His voice was surprisingly deep; like Finnick's, but gravelly, and even _more_ unfriendly. "She's out cold. Did a good job, eh?"

He snickered before proceeding to mess with Judy's unconscious form, this time nudging her head with his clawed foot. Nick's muffled growls over the coon's actions caught his attention.

"Now-now, don' be like that, fox!" He pursed his lips. "Yer lucky that I'm more forgiving than most o' my other associates."

The raccoon gave Nick another one of his dirt-eating grins. He continued;

"Just consida' yerself lucky that the boss himself didn't flap down here and let things unfold _his_ way. Eh heh heh... Now _that_ would have been messy!"

He then slipped his flask back into one of the deep pockets of his trench-coat and shuffled around the other pockets for another item, this time pulling out a thick roll of duct-tape. He taped Judy's mouth shut, and after a brief struggle, managed to wrap Nick's muzzle tight as well. The fox tried to call out for help, but he was quickly overpowered.

"There! Much better, doncha' think, Nicky boy?" The coon inquired smugly, his smile only growing larger and more crooked as the fox's eyes widened in shock.

"Yeah, thas' right. We know who you are, boy. We know what you _like_ ," He said with an undertone of flamboyancy while gesturing at the unconscious form of Judy.

"And we also know someone who wants you _dead._ " He barked a laugh. "Not including us, of course."

The raccoon then reached down to the cement sidewalk and plucked Nick's pair of shades off the ground. He wiped away the dust before placing them on his own muzzle.

"Hmm... I _like_ these!" He stated. "Mind if I keep 'em? Heh. Of course you do."

He then frowned before looking over and behind Nick, directing his next words at whoever had the fox locked in a near death-grip.

"C'mon Russ! Ol' Fang-face still wants his money-shots. He said to bring 'em back to the manor by nine. We best get movin' along."

The coon shuffled backwards and picked up Judy, heaving her over his shoulders and carrying her off.

Nick felt bass-like vibrations against his back as the (what he assumed to be a-) badger hummed something to himself.

" _C'MON RUSS_!" The coon's voice shouted once more.

Nick felt the badger's hum transform into a slight growl, but the creature obeyed the coon's demand, lumbering forward with Nick still cradled (crushed) in his arms.

 _Well... Guess I know who wears the pants in the family..._ The fox thought to himself.

"Oh, we better make sure that they don't ah... See or hear things, huh Sprock?" The badger asked his raccoon accomplice.

Nick wasn't too sure what he meant, but the raccoon stopped in his tracks and suddenly dropped Judy like a sack of potatoes onto the cold hard ground. The sight of Judy's head hitting the concrete again made Nick's heart burn with pain and his eyes tinge red with anger. He knew that someone wanted him, but hurting Judy like this was wrong.

"Good thinkin' Russ." The raccoon, who apparently went by Sprock, agreed.

He then pulled out what looked like a lighter at first glance, but with a flick of his wrist, a four centimeter blade unsheathed itself from the hilt of a pocket knife.

Nick's eyes widened. He thought that Sprock was going to slit Judy's throat. Instead, he sliced the cord on her uniform that connected to her personal radio. He then strutted up to Nick and did the same thing: They were completely cut off from outside contact. Save for the single well-hidden mobile device, of course. But Nick didn't think about that right now: He was too scared. Scared of what was to come for both Judy and himself. The raccoon's deep, gravelly voice eventually severed his train of thought again.

"Hear things... _Check._ " He glanced at Judy, and then back to Nick. "Time to make sure they don't _see_ things. Do yer thing, Russy-boy!"

As soon as Sprock's words reached the badger's ears, Nick felt a tightening pressure around his neck. Startled at first, it took him but a moment to realize that Russ was choking him: Trying to make him go unconscious like Judy by cutting off the oxygen to his brain. His vision started to blur, and he heard the coon chuckle smugly to himself.

"Thas' right. Sleep well, sweet fox."

And that was the last thing he heard before slipping unconscious.

But the last thing he _saw_...

The shadow of an object passed over the grinning face of Sprock: The large and terrifying silhouette of something flying overhead.

The world faded into blackness, and he could only hope that death was not to follow.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter of When Instinct Falls! I'm not gonna bother saying that I enjoyed writing it, because let's be honest here: I enjoy writing every chapter! And reading you guys' reviews and comments on it just as much, if not even more! :D**

 **That being said, do feel free to drop a review, favorite or to even follow my work here... all of it is much appreciated!**

 **I _can't wait_ to show you guys the next chapter: I've been anticipating this particular chapters release more then any other yet! Its got big things coming, including the introduction of the teased 'boss' creature. This walking nightmare of a mammal will soon be revealed! Stay tuned for what's coming! :D**

 **One last thing before I bid you adieu, I must ask: How do you guys think I did on capturing the personalities of Russ and Sprock? I tried to cast them in the light of 'intimidating yet slightly bumbling henchmen who banter with each other'... If that makes any sense. You won't be seeing them for long, though. Whaddya think of them so far?**

 **That's all for now, folks!**

 **As always,**

 **Peace!**


	16. The House of Fangs

"Fear cuts deeper then swords." - George R.R Martin

* * *

Within the inkiest recesses, and deepest, darkest parts of our mind... There is a great vacancy that only fear can fill.

Death... _T_ _hat_ is this chaotic and mysterious realm that every being must venture to one day. It is inevitable. It is unstoppable. It is fate itself.

But the mind and body are stubborn: If the mind is clever, and the body is strong, then one can seek to delay this coming transcendence.

After all, is that not the goal of every creature that wishes to live? Is their goal not the prospect of outlasting time immemorial? Of delaying their preordained death?

To you, I ask: If it isn't, then why does the canary fear the claws of the cat? Why does the cat fear the dog? Why does the bunny, fear the _fox?_

The answer is simple. It is hardwired into their brains at birth, of course! For the likes of prey and predator respectively, there are only two options...

Fear or _be_ feared. Eat or _be_ eaten. Run or die. Those are your options. Your only options.

* * *

The fox slipped in and out of consciousness multiple times throughout the journey.

Having his pharynx crushed didn't exactly sit well with him, but the badger that did this to him in the first place thankfully didn't kill him. Nick wondered if Judy had gotten it good: Being instantly and near-painlessly knocked out cold. Now, granted, the headache she'd likely get when she finally woke up would _not_ be a very pleasant one at that; but at least she was knocked out, for the moment. Nick, at the very least, wouldn't have wanted her to say or do anything rash that might've gotten her hurt... Or far worse.

But in the end though, he figured that he was probably going to die here, anyways. The fox just hoped that these mobsters would be merciful to Judy, at least.

However, what worried the fox the most about this whole endeavor wasn't the monsters themselves, but rather, their boss.

Nick had seen what that creature was capable of before. He knew that it was _him_ who had sliced clean through that poor antelope investigator.

But Nick had seen even _worse_ atrocities committed by this mammal, if he could even be called such. Monster seemed more fitting in Nick's book.

He'd seen the photos, in the past: Seen the abominable horrors that this beast had wrought. And yet... The ZPD didn't even know he existed.

They had documents and other information on most everyone in Zootopia, but the only thing they had on the name of one Vladzotz Fangpyre _,_ was the fact that he had apparently died in a nasty house fire many years ago. Nick didn't believe that fact one bit, and after seeing the picture of the dead antelope, knew with certainty that this creature was still alive and scheming. That was what the fox pondered at throughout the journey, before his very own mind finally slipped into blissful unconsciousness.

Every time he awoke, the first thing that he would do was squirm around a bit and try to spot Judy, to see if she was alright. His attempts were in vain though, as he would always either slip back into unconsciousness unintentionally, or his carrier, the badger named Russ, would give him another choke-squeeze, and he would have to look ahead.

It was a tiring and painful endeavor, and he wasn't even walking on his own two legs.

Nick had no idea where they all currently were, but he could easily guess where they were headed: Their bosses' lair.

Eventually, the mobbies that captured them reached their destination: A large, dark-wooded and black-bricked fortress of a mansion in the farthest corner of the Nocturnal-District's caverns. Nick recognized the exterior of the place, with it's looming black walls and towering peaks, for it was quite difficult to forget: Especially with the many multi-colored glass-stained windows; the largest source of color, each one adorned with the pure-black shape of a bat. A splotch of darkness in a sea of prismatic colors.

Nick feared this manor, and everything it stood for: This was the House of Fangs, also known as Castle Fangpyre, and the home of Nick's personal boogeyman. The fox had never been inside, but he'd always remember this hellish house. He had visited here once before, many years ago, before he had met Judy. It hadn't changed all that much.

As the badger that carried him trailed closer to the entrance, Nick spotted even more minute details: Scorch marks that branded themselves onto the wood. Despite the manor's seemingly ancient age, it was in incredible condition, with the exception of the burns and the occasional cobweb. The raccoon himself, who had stayed in the behind of the group for most of the walk, suddenly rushed forward and placed Judy at the foot of the porch, which was shaped almost like the gaping maw of some ferocious beast.

The coon lept up the first few steps and scampered to the top before turning around and addressing Nick.

"Aight' Nicky boy. We're here." He grinned maniacally. "I'm sure you recognize the place though, doncha' boy?"

He then turned toward the manor and opened the door, which slid forward with a slight creaking sound.

"Russ, you bring both the bunny and fox up the stairs. You can put _him_ on his feet, and I'll handle it from there. Just carry the bunny." Sprock said.

The badger grunted approvingly and scooped up the dozing form of Judy. Her forehead was bleeding, but aside from that she _appeared_ to be fine. Nick reached out and grasped her limp paw, which he gripped tenderly: He had no intentions of letting it go anytime soon.

Sadly, it didn't last long at all.

Once Russ had carried them up the staircase, he placed Nick on his feet and shoved him forward towards Sprock, who grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pressed his switchblade into his back, effectively causing him to walk forward and into the dark interior of the mansion. He momentarily glanced behind him so as to catch a glimpse of his beloved, but Sprock dug his knife in a little deeper into his shoulder, forcing him to keep his vision ahead of him. The raccoon chuckled softly and then spoke out to Nick;

"Keep yer eyes in front of you. You're gonna need 'em if you wanna _see_ in this dugout... Ol' Fang-face likes to keep it nice and inky in here, case you didn't notice already!"

Even with his enhanced night-vision, Nick admittedly had trouble seeing anything at first. Soon enough, his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he began to make out the area of a long hallway, with an equally long purple rug lain out in the center of the room. There were other hallways and doors that branched off, no doubt going deeper into the manor, but Sprock led them down the long hallway: completely to the very end, where a set of double staircases flanked the walls.

Nick was about to start climbing the staircase, but a noise from behind captured his attention, along with Sprock, who turned around in curiosity. Judy had groaned.

"N-Nick... Where are... You? I-I can't see! Don't leave..." She made a whimpering sound that pierced Nick's heart. "Help me, please." She cried softly.

Seeing and hearing his beloved mate so helplessmade Nick's heart ache. Because of her prey-based vision, as opposed to everyone else in the room, she likely couldn't see a thing. Nick himself was a nanosecond away from calling out to her when Sprock dug his knife deeper into Nick's upper back, and then whispered incredibly softly into his ear;

"If you answer her, I swear I'll slash the both of you's throats!" He hissed.

Nick personally thought that it was an empty threat, as it was pretty clear that the raccoon's boss wanted Nick alive, but the fox figured that he cared little for Judy: Nick just didn't want to risk it. He didn't want Judy getting hurt because of his mistakes. And so, he decided to take heed on the raccoon's advice, and refuse to call out to her just yet.

He grit his teeth and clenched his paws, but nodded to Sprock, who grinned in satisfaction before proceeding to direct Nick up the staircase to their left... and all Nick could do was obey while he listened to the terrified cries of his mate behind him, who was in pain, couldn't see, had no idea where she was, and couldn't move either.

 _I'm so sorry whiskers..._ The fox thought to himself.

Soon they reached the top of the stairs, which only led to another hallway. It was a short one though, with a large oaken door rooted some twenty feet down. The biggest difference about this hallway was the rows of mammals who flanked the length of the hall all the way until about five feet from the door, which they seemed to lean away from, almost out of fear. Most of the watch-mammals were badgers, like Russ, but some were raccoon and Nick even spotted a few moles ranging in size and species. They were all dressed similarly; With blood-red vests, or suits and ties. The only ones who dressed more uniquely were Russ himself, and Sprock especially, which told Nick that they must've had some shred of authority and power in this mob's chain of command. But down here, only one mammal truly mattered: And he was right behind that door.

Judy's prey-based eyes may not have been as good as Nick's, and definitely not as good as these Nocturnal mammal's: But it appeared that she was starting to adjust to some degree, as she made another whimpering noise and mumbled something about mobsters in red.

Sprock led them to the end of the hallway, where he mumbled towards one of the guards, something Nick couldn't quite make out, even with the mind-numbing silence. The guard then made a motioning gesture with his hand and all the other crimson-clad mobsters, including himself, dismissed themselves down the hallway and out of sight. Russ then placed Judy on her feet and shoved her toward the massive doors, while Sprock put away his switchblade and pushed Nick against the door as well.

"All yours, Nicky boy. It was nice knowing ya. Thanks for the shades, by the way! Not like they'd help someone like _you_ down here."

With that, he chuckled softly to himself and released his hold on the fox before vanishing into the inky blackness of the hallway. Nick tried to focus, but he couldn't see any of the other mammal guards. It seemed that they all had left alongside Russ and Sprock, leaving just himself and Judy alone and silent in the middle of that dark, old hallway.

 _Could escape be so easy?_ He asked himself, but soon scratched the idea, as the guards were no doubt still out there, waiting for him to do something as reckless as that.

He then turned his attention towards his mate, who completely blind, was huddled in the corner of the hallway where the door met the wall. Nick dropped to his knees and shuffled over to her, grappling her in a tight hug. She momentarily made a tiny _eek_ noise before realizing that she was in the presence of her beloved husband.

" _Nick_! I knew y-you wouldn't leave me!" She cried out quite audibly.

The fox gathered his bearings and spoke impossibly quiet, "Judy. Look at me. Look at my voice. I'm here, and I would _never_ leave you... But you _need_ to be quiet."

"Huh? Why? What's going on?" She asked timidly.

"Just don't make a _single_ sound. Don't ask any questions, and whatever you do, _don't_ talk to him unless he speaks to you first."

The bunny wasn't too sure of what he meant. "He? Who's he? And where are we, Nick?" She asked, this time in a much softer volume.

The fox cringed. He knew that Judy was scared. He didn't need his night-vision to tell: The way her voice quavered and the feeling of her body shaking and shuddering was enough for Nick to tell. But that still didn't stop him from staring deep into her eyes, where tears had begun to well up and leak down her face, wetting the fur on her cheeks.

"We're still in the Nocturnal-District. We just... Took a detour. And as for, who, well..." The fox swallowed. "Let's just say that he's a friend of Mr. Big's. Take my paw."

Nick felt Judy's fingers wrap themselves around his own and squeeze tightly, the warmth the followed a stark contrast to the enveloping cold of the manor. The fox helped the bunny to her feet, and carefully led her to the towering black doors, which were engraved with strange carvings and markings, but the centerpiece was the bat shape, the same one adorning the stained-glass windows from outside the house. Without further hesitation, Nick then pushed, opening the door and leading his beloved bunny inside.

* * *

The doors shut themselves behind the two officers with a loud and reverberating thud: One that shook the floor beneath their feet and echoed throughout the house.

The room they were in was a large one, and appeared to be some sort of office, almost. It was rectangular, with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lining the left and right walls of this new room, and a sea of books and scrolls accompanied the many rows of shelves. The ceiling itself wasn't _that_ high up, but it _was_ a few feet taller than the hallway they just entered from. In the middle of the farthest wall was a fireplace. In it, a few small embers smoldered, creating pitiful lighting, but it was plenty to illuminate the outline of what occupied the center of the room. Judy had the most trouble with seeing what was around her, but even she saw the strange shape that hung from the ceiling, a few feet from scraping the ground: It looked like a deformed punching-bag, almost, and was weirdly shaped, like a sack of deflated rubber stretched over a bag of old, sharp bones.

Forgetting her oath of silence, she spoke out, "Are we supposed to punch it?" To which Nick nearly fainted, his blood turning to ice as he saw the 'punching-bag' twitch.

Then... Laughter. A deep, rasping, wheeze of a laugh emanated from the center of the room, the bass in it's chords making Nick's spine shake even more.

From the darkness, a pair of soft red lights suddenly appeared. They glowed softly at the bottom of the object that hung from the ceiling.

"Well..." The voice spoke out again. "What a pleasant surprise."

Judy wasn't amused. Her stubborn nature caused her to call out to the voice.

"Hey! Show yourself, you creep!" She nearly shouted, at which Nick face-palmed.

There was no answer, and Nick tensed up, preparing for anything.

Then, the voice, which by now the officers had deduced to be male, answered simply;

"Very well."

Judy watched in awe and horror as the glowing punching-bag began writhing around, and then grew in shape, massive arms - no, _wings -_ unwrapping themselves from the form of something large, hanging from the roof. It was then that Judy realized that those glowing orbs were in fact the thing's eyes, which reflected a red luster, like blood.

Whatever this thing was, it was living, and hanging upside down from the ceiling.

The creature then lowered one of his wings to the floor-level, and released it's hold on the ceiling, detaching from the roof and while using the balance from the wing that touched the ground, dropped his entire body until his feet hit the floor, and he was standing almost upright. The creature's back was hunched over, and it's legs were folded strangely, with backwards knees and harshly angled ankles, but judging from the shape in the darkness, Judy reasoned that this mammal was at least as big as Nick was.

"Where are my manners?" The voice spoke smoothly and very calmly.

His words flowed over Judy like sweet molasses; His tone was spoken as if he were saying; _It's alright... We're all friends here._

But Judy knew better. Whoever this creep was, it was clear that he was the one who had ordered her and Nick kidnapped.

The creature paced over to the fireplace, walking on all fours, feet _and_ wings, until he halted directly in front of the mantle, where he grabbed a sack of powder and a block of wood. He placed the wood in the hearth, dusted it with the powder substance, and soon enough, a full-blown flame was blazing to life, illuminating the darkness of the room.

He had his back to them, staring deep into the fire. With the new light source proving ample visage, Judy took the opportunity to analyze her captor form the behind.

He was dressed in pure black slacks, with a double-breasted vest of the same color encompassing his torso. The vest was trimmed with a deep blood-red color, the same as the guards that had escorted Nick and Judy here in the first place. The inverse coloring was an interesting detail, but Judy didn't spend too much time thinking about it, as she continued to scan over this mysterious creature. His vest had no sleeves, and instead, protruding from the arm-holes where his sleeves should have been placed, a set of large wings emerged, with membrane-thin flesh stretched tight over long rows of bones. This mammal's wings _were_ his arms. Judy had never seen a winged mammal before.

The creature's thin fur was as black as his vest, and his deep voice spoke out once more, effectively earning her attention.

"Now that you can see," The animal began rotating around to face his guests. "Allow me to introduce myself."

He fully turned around, and Judy got her first good look at his face. For as long as she has lived, she had never seen a more nightmarish-looking mammal.

The monster's head was large and angled, his long muzzle lined with crinkles and blemishes. His skin, which could clearly be seen through the thin fur on his wrinkly face, was purple-tinged and slightly speckled, and was nearly as black as his fur. He had ears even bigger than Finnick's: Large and fuzzy flaps of skin shooting upwards from the top of his head. His muzzle parted in a terrifying smile: Slimy black lips pulling back like curtains to reveal a large set of gleaming white fangs, pristine and perfectly clean.

Judy always thought that Nick had large fangs, but gazing in fear and awe at this animal's teeth seemed to make her finally understand the true meaning of the word itself. This creature's teeth were not only huge, but incredibly sharp-looking; With razor-tipped points that looked potent enough to pierce through flesh. Thinking back on it, Nick's fangs looked tiny and weak in comparison. Staring down at this peculiar beast, Judy thought back to a particular quote from Mr. Big himself that she had heard so long ago...

 _We may be evolved, but deep down... We are still animals._

This mammal seemed to embody that quote to a horrific degree: He looked more predatory and dangerous than any other mammal she'd ever come across, in the past.

Judy tried searching for something, _anything_ notable of trust or sympathy in this creature, but she found none. His beady red eyes danced with a strange flicker of madness, and his claws were huge: the tiny fingers about mid-way up the length of his wings sprouted long polished-black talons. Judy knew the instant that she saw them that this must have been the mammal who had killed that poor, innocent antelope investigator. The rabbit watched as her captor spread his wings and bowed, all the while rumbling;

"I am Vladzotz Canomir Fangpyre, the third of that name." His disturbing smile grew even wider, showing off his massive fangs. "And I humbly welcome you to my home."

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I'll keep this quick, as most of you know the drill by now: I hope you all enjoyed it, and be sure to favorite, follow, and review if you haven't already!**

 **I'd like that very much. :)**

 **As for my reviewers out there, what I really want to know this time is your opinion on this latest chapter, especially with the likes of how I introduced and personified Vladzotz himself, who will be serving as a minor antagonistic character! The next chapter will shed some more light on him. Stay tuned for it!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: In case you are wondering why I decided to scale him up to roughly Nick's size, well, it's for convenience's sake, to be honest. In a world of talking animals with opposable thumbs, I figured a tiny bit of leeway could be given to make Vlad (and in turn, his entire species) more of an intimidating force, and a match for our favorite fox and bunny officers. It isn't that big of a deal, but otherwise is the only difference I've ever made in regards to something like designing a mammal's body structure. Gotta stay as true to the source material as we can, after all. Still, some liberties can be taken: This is FanFiction, after all. Nonetheless, I do assure you that what's to come will be one heck of a ride, near and far. Stay tuned, and also feel free to leave some nice reviews along the way, too! I'd like that. Nonetheless, I still thank you all for your generous time and consideration thus far. It means a lot to me.**


	17. Deception

"The art of pleasing is the art of deception." - Luc de Clapiers

* * *

"Wait... You're a-a _bat?_ " The bunny asked fervidly, the question slipping out straight from between her lips.

She had recalled back to Nick's advice on the drive to the Nocturnal-District: About how she'd instantly recognize a bat over any other mammal. Since Nick hadn't gone with any physical descriptions of the aforementioned creatures, the rabbit had taken it upon herself to search out for anything that looked extra out of the ordinary for a mammal.

With his massive leathery wings, wicked gleaming fangs, huge fuzzy ears and generally unique appearance overall, she had no reason to believe that Vladzotz _wasn't_ a bat.

The question seemed to take him by surprise as much as it did the fox standing next to her, who's ears drooped _really_ low in fear and his pupils shrank to pinpoints.

Soon enough, that disturbing smile resurfaced upon the bat's muzzle.

"Yes, my dear." He dipped low in a bow, spreading his wings wide behind his back as his upper body lowered. It was a polite gesture, but failed to impress Judy herself.

Instead, she simply chose to continue listening in on her captor as he continued his explanation;

"I am among the last few remaining _Desmondontinae_ , or vampire bats. We live almost exclusively down here in the depths of the Nocturnal-District, where we most prefer to congregate. The vast majority of my kind was obliterated many centuries ago during a particularly nasty scuffle with the surface-dwellers that first colonized these caverns."

Judy's eyebrows raised themselves questionably.

"One of the last remaining bats? But wouldn't the government allow you special protection services: The Endangerment Personal Program, right?"

"Perhaps..." Vlad mused. "If they knew I existed."

"Huh?" Judy muttered curiously.

"I believe I am listed as _deceased_ in the public records, you see. Apparently, they believe I perished in the same fire that claimed the lives of my family, several years ago."

The bat glanced at Nick when he said that last sentence, who took a few steps backward and pressed his shoulders against the nearest wall.

Vladzotz seemed to take amusement in his fear, and Judy _had_ noticed her mate's seemingly distraught behavior around this creature. She figured they must have known eachother at some point, or have gotten involved with one another somehow in the past... But she held her questions, for now. There would be time for answers later on.

"I _like_ you, rabbit! So eager and exploitative!" The bat claimed, clasping his long hands together approvingly. "When all this is over, perhaps you will walk out of here alive!"

Judy herself didn't exactly like the sound of that.

"But there is much to discuss." Vladzotz continued. "After all, I would not have, ah... _invited_ the two of you over for nothing, no? Dinner is waiting! Come."

He then began pacing off towards the door, walking on his feet and the folded tips of his wings until he stood right beside Nick, who whimpered and scurried away as the bat slammed his wings against the door, flinging them open and presenting his two guests with the dark hallway's entrance. He turned around slowly and looked straight at Nick.

"Come along now. My chef, Charles, makes tantalizing escargot. It's quite literally to die for." He said, leaning forwards a bit more in Nick's direction.

The bat then began walking off and into the darkness beyond the room's exit, down the long recesses of the hallway until he could be seen no more.

Judy didn't want to eat, especially not with some crazy bat. She didn't even know what escargot _was_.

What she _did_ know, however, was that there was far more to this whole situation than what meet the eye: Something that had to do with Nick.

At the thought of her russet mate, she looked over at where she had last saw him. There, he was still huddled in the corner, clutching the base of the bookshelves in clear agitation. Granted, Judy didn't like this bat mammal very much either, and she would have gladly called the ZPD in and walked out of here tasers-blazing, if she could, were it for her utility belt. The personal radio on her shoulder had also been cut, making communication back with the ZPD's reception team impossible. She weighed her options.

"Nick, we have no choice but to follow him. He's got us complete at his mercy, and while we're here, we might as well try to pry some information out of him."

She trailed off as she stared down the darkness of the hallway before her. She finalized;

"We need to know more about this guy before we escape!"

Nick got himself to his feet and dusted off his trousers. He donned a grim look on his face, and spoke his next words softly;

"Don't you get it? There _is_ no escape. This mansion is our grave." He muttered as he walked up to Judy and passed into the darkness in the same direction as Vladzotz.

"But wait, who _is_ he?" She shouted out into the blackness.

Judy found her mate's previous words quite downing, but knowing not what else to do, she followed him into the inky blackness of the hallway.

* * *

Judy found Vladzotz and Nick waiting at the end of the hallway, the former was leaning menacingly in the direction of the latter, who had once again backed himself into a corner, this time being near a potted plant. When the bunny came on the scene, the bat's sadistic-looking smile grew impossibly wide. Judy didn't like the look of those fangs.

"Do please keep in mind the fact that my manor has few lights and many things to trip over, so don't break anything."

The bat's words flowed over the rabbit's ears like underground water: smooth, cold, and clean. He then continued his explanation;

"The dining room is back down the way you came, and should be your first room to the right. Let us go."

And with that, he lept off the edge of the balcony, twisting several times in midair while plummeting with his wings folded against his sides until just a few feet from impact, where his wings shot out harshly, extended to their full length and carrying him afloat, encompassing the entire space of the hall with his wingspan as he glided right down it.

The bunny blinked in apprehension, and set down the staircase, bound for the aforementioned dining room. Nick groaned and followed suite. As they walked in silence, the fox wondered if escape was a possibility, as he had not seen any of the bat's goons for quite some time, but soon pushed the idea from his conscious: Aside from all his other heightened senses, the exception being his muddy vision of course, Nick knew that Vladzotz had incredible hearing capabilities. Both Judy and Nick's good friend, Finnick, had long ears and an excellent sense of sound, but Nick doubted that the two of them _combined_ even had _half_ as good as hearing as any old vampire bat did. Not a good sign.

In short, there was nothing the fox could do in this house that the bat couldn't hear.

If he lock-picked the front entrance, he would hear it.

If he broke a window, he would hear it.

If he somehow found a route to the roof and tried climbing down, he would hear it.

Nick and Judy were completely trapped and helpless.

 _W_ _ait..._ The phone!

Nick reached into his hidden undershirt pocket, groping around for his mobile device. He sighed of relief when he felt it beneath his fingers, but quickly reorganized himself as he caught up with Judy. Thankfully, it seemed that the bat's minions had forgotten to take his phone away from him. Talk about incompetent; Not that he was complaining.

 _Perfect..._ The fox thought... _Now all I have to do is get away from Vlad and call the ZPD! We'll be saved!_

They walked down the hallway for some time until reaching the first room on their right, which opened up into a large-spaced room adorned with stained-glass windows: a dining room occupying the center of the space. Vladzotz was hanging upside-down from a silver and golden chandelier which clung to the ceiling, high above. His wings were wrapped around his body, covering his vest and entire torso, in the same way that he had been when they first encountered him.

Judy saw one of his huge ears quiver upon their entrance, and watched as he unfolded his wings and glided down directly in front of them.

"Welcome. I had my chef prepare your dishes while we chatted upstairs, but there is much more to discuss now that were are here, and formerly introduced, of course."

He then walked over to the head of the table and sat down in a large wooden purple chair. Both Nick and Judy seated themselves as far away from the bat as they could, but unfortunately had to claim their dishes first, which were placed right next to Vladzotz, who simply smiled wide and stared up at them, unblinking, as they retrieved their food.

When they sat down, the both of them took a closer examination of their food. Judy happened to have been given a salad, cut with shreds of carrots and green beans, while Nick had been given a slab of salmon: A rare delicacy among predators, and very expensive, too. The last time that he had eaten salmon was at that restaurant with Judy.

Neither animal touched their food, no matter how good it looked. The bunny saw her mate gazing greedily at the salmon laid out before him, and could tell that he was trying very hard not to cave in and consume the dish. Judy, however hungry she was, which happened to be _starving_ , simply didn't trust the bat or his gifts. She refused to eat it.

Meanwhile, Vlad just sat there, smiling, his fangs gleaming in the dim light of the chandelier that hung above them. Judy cringed when she caught sight of his red eyes.

The bat then spoke out in tandem;

"I apologize if you find my appearance, ah... _Unsettling_ , to say the least. Most mammals, especially surface-dwelling ones, don't seem to see my species as very palpable to be around. Thus, when the Nocturnal-District first opened it's borders, us vampire bats retreated beneath the soil and embraced the darkness. It's been our greatest home since."

He narrowed his eyes at the fox and shook his head, hanging it low and broodingly.

"But since then, our species has had troubled times. There was little to eat, at first: Our primary food source - Blood - Was declared as off-limits by the city government!"

He licked his slimy black lips, almost in seeming anticipation, as he stole a brief glance at the bunny sitting before him.

"It was we mammals of the Nocturnal-District that first discovered a _secondary_ food source for predators: The insects that make home within the walls of these caves have long since provided predators with ample diets to suite their bloodthirsty needs, rather than consuming the flesh of lesser species. We farm them en masse, as we do fish."

He said as he looked over at the waiter who had just entered, the only thing on his pallet being a single tall glass of red liquid, which he placed directly in front of Vladzotz.

The bat nodded his head to the waiter, who returned the same gesture before hurriedly walking away and exiting the dining hall.

"But of course," The bat continued. "Some of us _do_ find loop-holes." Then he took a sip from the liquid. Judy wasn't sure whether it was wine or... Something else.

Sucking up the fact that she had to actually look him in the eye and speak with him to get any answers out of the bat, she asked her first question;

"You said that the ZPD thinks you're deceased... Why? And why haven't you corrected them?"

Judy knew that this bat was some sort of criminal; that much was obvious. Unfortunately, she also knew that she'd have to play dumb to get any info out of her captor.

The bat took another short sip from his glass before replying;

"Well, someone of my particular caliber needs to learn how to stay hidden, yes? I've long since been working alongside all of the _other_ crime-lords in the city of Zootopia, and although my status has been firmly set in stone, the fact that the Nocturnal-District is so far-out of the way of the ZPD has rendered my own operations to be quite e _lusive_."

"Crime-lords... You mean like Mr. Big?" Judy asked the bat, who smiled wide, his fangs stained with scarlet.

"Ah, yes... That little shrew does have quite the name for himself doesn't he? But you see my dear, there are _more_ than just him! There always have been! I have ties to _all_ of the largest and most prominent criminal minds in the city of Zootopia, such as Shahaz the Stinger in Sahara-Square, and the jaguar, Al Catpone, over in the Rainforest-District."

He took another sip from his glass before continuing;

"And of course, who could forget about the very best of them all? The most powerful crime-lord in the Nocturnal-District; Yours truly!"

The bat said it all so confidently, and had such an infectious smile, that the bunny almost found herself smiling back. Almost. She remembered her own lessons on the most prominent criminal figureheads in the city of Zootopia, whom the ZPD dubbed as crime-lords, back during her days at the police academy: Five criminal figureheads, Mr. Big (and Vladzotz, apparently) included, with each one controlling large and powerful criminal organizations in their respective districts of operation. What Vlad said fit in with it all.

Yet she still didn't believe him.

"But the ZPD has files on _all_ of those other mobs and criminals: Mr. Big, Shahaz, and Al. I've seen them before. But I've never seen _yours_ referenced before. Why?"

Vlad grinned, almost proudly, before replying;

"My dear, as you've so ignorantly claimed on television in the past, anyone can be anything, yes? _I_ am what everyone _thinks_ I should be: A criminal. Or as _I_ like to call it, a business-bat! That's what most surface-dwellers seem to think of my species to be, at least. Same idea goes with your partner in arms, Mr. Wilde over here. We all know of _his_ misdeeds... They _do_ appear quite petty at first, with minor con-jobs and whatnot, but there have been _other_ things he's done, you know... Things that he's not very proud of."

Judy stared at Nick, who was hanging his head low as he slumped in his seat, his meal completely untouched.

The bunny wasn't sure what Vladzotz was talking about: About Nick having done things that he's not proud of. She decided not to question it, at the current time.

"You changed the subject." Judy noted. "What you said still doesn't explain how I've never even _heard_ of you." She mumbled to the bat, who smiled wide with pride.

"Oh, it _is_ possible, my dear, I assure you! You just simply haven't heard of me, have you? I cannot administer blame, for few have ever discovered that most of Zootopia's criminal-activity is related, one way or another. As you said, a criminal lord that powerful would be quite difficult to keep off the radar, no? Well, it just so happens that my associates and I are _very_ good at laying low. The other crime-lords have _their_ work restricted to the surface-world. Being underground makes it all the easier to stay hidden."

Judy's mind began putting the pieces together: Formulating a terrifying puzzle of a monstrous bat, a kingpin among crime akin to Mr. Big, with strings attached to the talons upon his massive wings, which lay draped over the whole of Zootopia, each string connecting to a different district. His wings encircled the city, casting a deep shadow of crime and terror. Just like Mr. Big himself, Vladzotz was a crime-lord: A black-hearted criminal figurehead with a penchant for organized crime. Suddenly, a new thought came to her.

" _You_ were the one who killed that antelope investigator, weren't you?" Judy nearly shouted out loud, jabbing a finger of accusation at the bat sitting before her.

"I thought that was quite obvious, but yes; I killed him. He was close to figuring out the connection between Al Catpone's jungle smuggling division and Shahaz the Stinger's black-market resource division, which if exposed, could have completely severed the path of illegal trading between the Rainforest-District and Sahara-Square! He had to die."

The bat took a deep drink from his glass, completely draining the cup of it's liquid. Vlad eyed the empty container with amusement, if not a slight tinge of pity, as well.

"In fact, I think this is his blood." He said nonchalantly before dropping the glass to the floor, shattering the material across the carpet.

The bunny's eyes widened in horror. "Y-you're a _monster_..." She near-whispered, but it was loud enough for the bat to hear.

"Me? A monste _r_? I'm simply following my instincts! Blood is a staple necessity to a _true_ bat's diet! _You_ are an example of when instinct falls!" He said loudly, sniffing the air.

" _Mated_ with this deceitful and conniving fox: An atrocity against nature itself! You aren't one to talk, rabbit!" The bat hissed angrily.

His words were filled with so much hate, it seemed to make the air around the bunny burn. He then continued to rant;

"I've spent _six years_ plotting every intricate detail of my glorious plan, but then _you_ show up and marry Nicholas Wilde. It was unexpected, completely altering the layout of what I've spent _so much_ time working on! You would have been dead long before now, Wilde, if this _rabbit_ hadn't shown up! Not only that, but because of your recent little run-in with Mr. Big, he has since attempted to drop all activities in connection with my mob! You gifted him with a grandchild by saving his daughter's worthless life, then become its godmother, and now, Big has gone soft! With him backing out of our work thanks to the attention of his new brat, the link between the Nocturnal-Mob and the Tundra-Town mafia will be severed, dividing my mob's income into a fifth of its potential! This is _your_ fault! I didn't plan on drinking _rabbit_ blood tonight, but I will make exceptions if I must."

Upon the mention of both his name and the threat to harm Judy, Nick shot up from his seat, which fell over from the sudden action.

" _No_! Vlad, it's _me_ you want, we both know that! Leave her out of this, _please_!" He stammered.

The bat stared menacingly at the fox. "Yes, I know that. But does _she_? Go on, Nicholas... Tell her. Once a criminal, _always_ a criminal!"

Nick's eyes glazed over, and his arms hang limp at his sides. He shook his head before countering;

"That isn't important, just take me and let Judy go!"

Upon hearing the fox's words, Vladzotz shrieked horridly and in anger, taking to the air, his wings flapping hard, the tendons and ligaments visibly stretching beneath the skin on his wings. He glided over to where Nick was standing, and tackled him to the ground, caging his head in the grip of his massive claws, and pushed him against the wall

" _NOT IMPORTANT?!_ You dare claim the death of my family as _unimportant_? Their blood is on _your_ hands, fox! Never forget that!"

Judy's ears dropped to her back. She found herself backing away from the two of them, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. What did Vladzotz mean about his family's death?

"Nick, what does he mean? Don't tell me what I think it is!"

Nick's eyes glanced over at the sight of his mate backing away in fear, but soon clenched his eyes shut hard as Vladzotz squeezed his head beneath his talons.

"It isn't, I promise... But..."

The fox trailed off as the bat leaned down and hissed quietly into his ear.

"Go on. Tell her the truth. _.._ Or I will do it myself. If _you_ do however, I will spare your precious rabbit. If you refuse, I will kill her slowly, and make you _watch_."

The fox tried swallowing, but one of Vladzotz's talons was clamped over his throat, crushing his windpipe against his esophagus and causing great pain when he tried to breath. There was no way out of this one. No help would come, at least not until the ZPD noticed he and Judy to be missing, and in the meantime, Vlad would show no mercy. Nick doubted the bat's words of sparing Judy, but he had to cling to _something_ that would give him hope. He nodded his head in agreement to the bat's terms.

Vladzotz smiled wickedly.

"Excellent. I will honor my word and she will walk free without a scratch. Now spill. Tell her everything." He finished, leaning away from the fox's ear and glancing at Judy.

The bat then released his hold on Nick and actually helped him to his feet, pacing a few feet back to let the fox have the center of the stage.

"Judy," Nick began. "There's a lot more to my past than you know. There are things I haven't told you... Things that I'm not very proud of. And to keep you safe..."

He swallowed hard before concluding;

"I-I have to tell them to you."

Judy was shuddering. She didn't know what to expect. She'd known Nick for nearly four years at this point, and had been married to him for half that. Even still, she knew that Nick had had a troubled past working for Mr. Big before he started his hustling career. She knew that she may have jumped in rather quickly into the likes of marriage, but she had good intentions: The two of them had been in love. Now, she didn't know what to think. If Nick had such a disastrous secret, she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear it or not. Judy did not want to know anything that might jeopardize her relationship with Nick, but at the same time, the prospect of her own curiosity got in the way.

She simply had to know. The bunny could only hope that her and Nick would make it out of this situation alive, in the end.

Nick steeled himself as he prepared to tell his story, the feeling of Vladzotz watching him from behind sending cold chills down his spine all the while.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Sorry for another unexpected ending and whatnot: I promise the next chapter will be out very soon, and will also answer many different burning questions that you might have! Buckle-up for the ride, because the intensity is intensifying! The next chapter's gonna be a bit tragic, so prepare yourselves!**

 **I hope you enjoyed the latest update, and as always, feel free to leave a review, follow, or favorite on my work! They're all appreciated greatly! :D**

 **That being said, I have a question of my own: What do you all think of Vladzotz, specifically? What are your thoughts on him and his work, and his overall character? Throughout the coming chapters and the remainder of the story, we'll be learning more about him and the other crime-lords, too, I might add.**

 **For now though, feel free to drop a review detailing your thoughts! I'd love to know, so feel free to post such comments in any reviews you guys leave!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	18. Underworld Escape

"Flee an enemy who knows your weakness." - Pierre Corneille

* * *

Nick wasn't gonna let it end like this. Now was not the time for revelations. Now, was time for an escape.

"Yes... Go on, Nicholas." The fox heard the bat hiss from behind him. "Shine light on your sins."

The fox simply chuckled.

"I think I've got a more preferable alternative..." He said with a smirk.

Vladzotz's smile vanished.

"Wilde, if you think you're going to-"

"Shine light on _this_ , ugly!" He shouted

As he yelled, he turned around, now facing Vlad, and slipped his paw into the hidden pocket in his button-up, pulling out his phone. He quickly powered it up and turned on the flashlight as bright as it could go before shoving the phone in the bat's face, right in front of his sensitive eyes. Now, Nick knew that Vladzotz had extraordinary hearing, but that the bat's vision was lackluster. The bat's sense of sight was murky and blurred, as he relied on his other senses to get around effectively. Yet Nick also knew that his eyes were sensitive to ample amounts of light, especially at close range. Nick's flashlight wasn't very disorienting to someone from the surface like himself, he reckoned, but for a slimy mammal that had spent the majority of its life underground and surrounded by a consistent blanket of darkness; It worked true wonders.

Vladzotz reeled back, hissing at the sudden flash of light. He instinctively raised his wings to his face, covering his sensitive eyes as he twitched in pain and annoyance.

The fox knew that he'd only bought them a few seconds at best, so just for good measure, he reached over to the nearest (and heaviest) thing he could lift - a large potted plant - and slammed it into the bat's face, shattering the pot and sending ceramic shards and dirt spilling out everywhere.

"That's how we do it on the surface, Vlad!" He spat at the bat as he writhed on the ground, blind and disoriented.

Nick then ran over to Judy and scooped her up; classic bridal-style. There wasn't enough time for him to shake her out of her confusion and run away with her.

Nope. There was only enough time to sweep her off her feet and bolt towards the exit.

The fox didn't remember much from his previous exploration of the manor, but he remembered enough to find the exit, which was rather close to the dining hall as it was. Not sparing any time to waste, Nick slammed his shoulder into the door as he ran, flinging it open, and sprinted outside. Compared to the inky blackness of the bat's mansion, the underground light of the Nocturnal-District was blinding.

But that didn't slow him down.

He had no idea where he was running, exactly, as he had been unconscious the majority of the journey to the mansion in the first place. But he figured that anywhere was better than that hell-hole. By the time he'd added another 20 yards between him and the mansion, the fox heard a horrible screech from behind, followed by Vladzotz's voice:

"GET HIM!"

As if running away from his problems wasn't enough of a motivator; the fact that he now had an entire mob, and one, angry, incredibly disheveled bat chasing after him...

He ran like hell.

 _Looks like ugly woke up from his power-nap... Better pick up the pace a little, then_... The fox thought to himself.

But as he ran down the narrow and winding streets of the Nocturnal-District, he soon found himself tiring; his adrenaline burst leaving him as quickly as it came. It would only bet a matter of time before the bat and his goons caught up with him at this rate. Not only that, but he had no idea where he was going. When they had been ambushed earlier hunting down that raccoon and his badger friend, the fox has unfortunately been too busy struggling to really notice where he was being taken.

In hopes of solving both problems, he briefly slowed down and placed Judy on her feet before grabbing her paw and continuing to run.

"Carrots!" He shouted as they ran side by side. "Where's the cruiser?!"

Judy, being the responsible police officer that she was, had actually taken the time to plot out the whereabouts of their vehicle. As they reared a corner, the bunny recognized it as the very same one where they had first been jumped by Sprock and Russ. Grinning in relief, Judy pointed towards the direction in front of her as she sprinted onward.

"Here! This way!" She heaved, accelerating and practically dragging the fox by his arm.

They continued their escape on foot, running for another 50 yards or so before encountering the house where they had parked their vehicle. Thankfully, it was still there, parked and ready as it always was.

"Get in, get in, get in, _get in_!" Nick huffed as he pried open the driver's door, the bunny planting herself in the passenger seat adjacent to him.

He fumbled with the keys before remembering that police cars had a special emergency start-up. He reached around for the hidden lever, groping behind the wheel before his fingers came in contact with something small and sharp.

With a click and a reverberating hum, the car started loudly. Nick wasn't too sure where they should have gone, but the fact that pretty much anywhere in the Nocturnal-District was unsafe led him to choose their destination as the ZPD Head-Quarters. They may have been fleeing in terror, but their original mission was accomplished: Find out who killed that poor journalist, and report back to Bogo. Simple as that. With their job done here, they had no reason to stay, as if being chased wasn't enough an incentive.

As the fox pulled out of their stake-out location, he heard Judy's voice speak aloud;

"Uh, Nick? I think they found us!"

Sparing a short glance at the rear-view mirror, Nick took in the sight of at least a half-dozen crimson-clad criminals running straight for them from the direction that they had ran from. Nick didn't see Vladzotz, which both relieved and worried him, but he didn't allow that thought to linger for more than half-a-second: They had to get out of there.

Flooring the gas, their cruiser accelerated to uncomfortable speeds as they flew down the neighborhood road, completely leaving the mobsters in the dust.

Ten seconds of top-speed driving led the fox to let out a near-crazed laugh: They'd done it. Not only did they manage to escape from Vladzotz, but they were the first mammals to ever do so. Alongside that, they'd gotten heaps of valuable information out of him, and once they got back to the ZPD, they could organize a strike-force and finally give that bastard what he deserves! Nick could hardly believe that the bat had so carelessly handed out such important Intel. He flung his head back and let out another laugh before sparing a stare at Judy, who was also smiling from ear-to-ear. Deep down, Nick knew that this wasn't the end of their problems, but he kept calm, then.

As they laughed and smiled at each other, a sudden and loud _**thud**_ reached their ears, a sound that had emanated from the roof of their car.

With both of their smiles extinguished, they slowly looked up at the car's ceiling.

Two more thuds, each sounding suspiciously like footsteps... the footsteps of something large, walking on the roof.

The sounds stopped directly above them.

Judy looked Nick in the eye. She swallowed before speaking.

"You don't think...?"

Nick's eyes widened.

"Oh, no-"

The fox was interrupted mid-sentence when another sound pierced his ear-drums: This one sounding more cringe-worthy, almost like bone grinding on metal.

A few short seconds later, Judy's sensitive ears detected Vlad's voice roaring from somewhere above them;

"You don't get off _that_ easy, _Wilde_!"

One of the windows on the side of their cruiser exploded, with Vlad's fist having sailed through, sending tiny shards of glass flying within the cabin. As the arm retracted, Judy rolled down her window and leaned outside, hoping to use her tranquilizer gun to dispatch the irate vampire bat from the roof of their cruiser.

There, with claws extended to their full length, was Vladzotz, slicing away at the roof of the cruiser. His black talons hacked away at the top of their car, not doing much damage, but still sending out a small stream of sparks with each swipe. He hadn't noticed Judy staring him down from the window, but that didn't stop her from pulling the trigger on her tranquilizer gun, sending a small dart sailing right into Vladzotz's neck: An expert shot. The bunny watched as the effects of the dart worked their magic.

And with that, the bat leaned backward woozily, eyes rolled up into the back of his head, and fell from the roof of the car: his limp and electrified body hitting the ground and rolling for a good thirty feet before stopping. As the car continued down the road, and eventually reached the entrance to the tunnel that had led them underground in the first place, the bunny watched the bat's body with hushed trepidation. His body remained still until Judy could see him no more.

With a sigh, she hauled herself back into the cabin and closed the window. For the next few minutes, the only sound was the heaving breaths of both animals as they recovered from the terrifying experience. Eventually, they reached the entrance to the tunnel, promptly exiting the Nocturnal-District and re-entering the surface world.

It was nighttime outside, and a light rain was speckling the windshield of their car with drops of precipitation. The patters of the raindrops against their vehicle soothed both animals as their car glided down the road, the speedometer not dipping below 60 miles per hour the entire way back. The Nocturnal-District was just on the outskirts of the city, yet the drive felt as though it took an eternity.

As they made their way back to the ZPD, Judy took the time to tend to Nick's single injury; A small cut that he had received when the cruiser window was punched in, likely from a shard of glass, or perhaps a rogue talon. Though he insisted he was fine, the bunny continued to stitch up his wound as he drove, her minor-amounts of training in first-aid finally coming to use. The cut wasn't very deep, but Judy shuddered thinking about what it could have done.

There was little conversation throughout the journey back, but what little they did speak of was in regards to the repercussions of their situation: How the ZPD would deal with and take the information that they'd recovered from the Nocturnal-District. It was clear that there was some major work to be done.

When they finally reached the ZPD, Nick took to parking in one of the far corners of the lot, away from most of the other pedestrian and officer traffic. The two of them were now in a pretty well-hidden parking lot behind the ZPD, where officers had the special privilege of parking in a more convenient location. This made Judy momentarily question his actions, but soon realized that he'd done it with purpose: He had something to say. Something important.

"Whiskers... I'm so sorry for putting you through all of that. If I had known that we would be dealing with a mob boss on the same level as Mr. Big... Ah gees..."

The bunny herself wasn't so sure what to say, at this point.

She didn't want his apology: there was nothing to apologize for, in her eyes. She simply wanted answers. Answers to the questions and mysteries behind this entire mess. How did Nick and Vladzotz know each other? What did their relationship have to do with their past? And how could an animal have so much hate towards another? Vladzotz talked as though he had lost something, and that it was Nick's fault. Judy had seen a crazy sort of light flickering in the bat's eyes... A madness born of grief... Born of loss.

Judy recalled back to the bat's previous words, about how he'd lost his family in a fire. Nick also stated that Vladzotz had supposedly died in the very same fire.

Well, judging by the torn-up roof, at least one of those statements wasn't true.

The bunny reminisced about Vlad's choice of words... specifically calling Nick a murderer.

 _Their blood is on your hands, fox!_ He had said.

She couldn't help but wonder if all these things were connected: The fire, the fox, the bat, and his old family.

There was something that Nick wasn't telling her.

She found her resolve soon enough.

"Tell me."

The fox blinked in apprehension.

"What... what are you talking about?" He inquired.

Judy placed her paws on his shoulders and forced him to face her.

"Tell me." She repeated. "Tell me about you and Vladzotz. What did you do to him? What did you do to his family?"

Nick swallowed hard and blinked once more. He wasn't ready, but he wouldn't deny Judy of the right to know: He figured that she deserved that, at the very least.

He sighed deeply.

"Alright fluff." He near-whispered. "Might wanna get comfy though, cause it's a long story."

At the notion of such a lengthy tale, Judy decided that she certainly would make herself comfortable.

Unbuckling her seat-belt, she crawled over the space between the two of them and positioned herself closer to Nick

Meanwhile, the fox had donned himself a look of confusion and embarrassment. He was about to speak out, but the bunny hushed him down, and expressed her thoughts;

"Nick, don't worry about anyone else. This is between you-" She said pointing at him. "-And me." She finished, pointing at herself.

"Now tell me. _Everything_."

The fox simply sighed.

"Carrots, what did I ever do to deserve someone like you?"

She elbowed him in the sternum.

"Let's skip the formalities, slick. The sooner you finishing this bed-time-story of yours, the sooner we get to tell Bogo and go home."

Her expression then grew into a jovial smirk, and was soon replaced by a warm and reassuring smile.

"Besides... I'm pretty sure you already know the answer to that question."

Won over by his mate's rich words and soothing actions, the fox steeled himself to relive this tale of the past.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I know that this whole arc is pretty far fetched, and that it takes some dark turns every once and a while, but I assure you, what's to come is nothing short of enthralling. More exploration, adventure, romance, and plenty of comedy, this story only gets better from here on out. So stick with it, keep your hopes high, and enjoy yourselves.**

 **Lastly, a quick disclaimer: Some of you have asked why Vladzotz is so big. I have an answer. For convenience's sake, I have decided to headcanon the concept that vampire bats in the world of Zootopia are a bit bigger than their real life counterparts. Vlad is roughly the same size as Nick, though his wingspan makes him look much larger than he really is, understandably so. I reckon that since all these other mammals can walk, talk, and make use of opposable thumbs, then bats can be a bit bigger for convenience. Besides, it's just FanFiction, after all: What else does one do here?**


	19. Flames of the Past

"All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a provenance in pain." - Cormac McCarthy

* * *

It has been said that sharing tales of those we've lost is how we _really_ keep from losing them.

Nick may not have been telling the tale of those he'd ever truly cared for...

But the fact that he was responsible for their death's made his words all the more meaningful.

* * *

"Well, I suppose I'll start from the beginning." The fox said.

 _Six years earlier..._

The crackling hearth was luminous as it was ominous.

The smooth orange flames blazed high, licking the bottom of the mantle with tendrils of burning flame. The mantle was adorned with sweet pine-cones and a single-framed portrait: A portly female arctic-shrew, her stern yet fair features mirrored the likes of her descendant, who paced expectantly back-and-forth atop the surface of his desk.

Cristoforo Biggit, better known by his criminal alias, Mr. Big, was no patient soul: He liked his problems and plans dealt with swiftly and with unparalleled haste. So when the fox that he had employed still stood as forty-five minutes late, he began to feel a throbbing anger pulling at his sinuses. At first it was nothing more than a mere bubbling annoyance, but after thirty minutes of silence, all brought upon by the fault of that careless fox, he began to heat up with a growing sense of rage and building frustration.

The shrew unbuttoned his tiny suit-jacket and in a fit of frustration, threw it several centimeters in front of him, sending it spiraling off the edge of the desk and fluttering to the floor several feet below. He flopped down in his office chair, the momentum sliding it back a few millimeters before coming to a halt on the surface of the wooden desk.

He cupped his tiny paws to his equally tiny muzzle and let out a disgruntled groan.

This particular mission was of great importance to him: It could be considered a sort of high-risk high-reward sort of scenario, though the plan was simple enough. The only problem being, that the fox, Nicholas Wilde; had promised his assistance in the mission, yet was _still_ nowhere to be seen nearly forty-five minutes past the meeting deadline.

If he screwed this up, there would be no other opportunities as perfect as the one that they were about to blow.

Their target rarely left his home, and when he did, his family always remained. The plan didn't intend for the target's family to get hurt: only for the house to be destroyed, and for everything in it to be destroyed along with it. For a single rare night, the likes of the owner _and_ his family were absent from the home: It was a golden opportunity. Though their house _was_ tended by dutiful watch-men a near twenty-four hours a day, Mr. Big cared not for their lives: They were expendable, and could afford to be lost.

The main target was one of great criminal upheaval, and although he had worked with the arctic shrew in the past; tensions had begun to rise. Mr. Big didn't want him dead, as the main objective wasn't the target's death, but his humiliation and desecration: with _him_ out of the playing field, Mr. Big would be the largest crime-lord in the whole of Zootopia, and he had no intentions of losing that title to the laziness of one irresponsible fox.

After another few short minutes of painful solitude, a knock aroused the arctic shrew from his mental scheming.

"Come in, dear visitor." He muttered.

The door opened slightly, and a russet flash of color caught the shrew's line of sight: A face, curiously peering from the other side of the door.

The shrew heaved a sigh of relief _and_ disappointment.

"Nicholas... You're late. _Again_." He paused and rubbed his forehead tenderly. " _How_ many times do I have to tell you that this mission is of _grave importance_?"

The fox let out a nervous laugh as he tugged at his collar. He stepped in and carefully closed the door behind him, the soft sound of wood on carpet coming to a stop when the door clicked shut.

He then turned around to face his boss.

"Eh... sorry there, Big B. I got, uh, _occupied_."

"Occupied." The shrew repeated flatly.

"Yeah, occupied." He coughed into his fist. "Just dealing with the shipment of that _really_ expensive fur-rug that you wanted me to take care of... sir..."

The shred nodded approvingly.

"Ah yes, that. I understand, but I'm still cross with you, Wilde. That rug was costly, and although I'm paying you a handsome fee to transport it to me, I'm afraid to say that this is _much_ more important. An opportunity like this hasn't appeared in years! If this organization of ours is to thrive, we need to deal blows to the competition."

The fox drummed his fingers against his thigh. "Yeah, I know. Sorry about that, sir."

Mr. Big waved his hands through the air as if trying to waft away a bad smell.

"It matters not! What _does_ matter, is that we _don't_ miss our window of opportunity!" He shrieked.

"Yes sir! That's why I'm here for you, and am ready to do your bidding." The fox replied quickly, but easily.

The shrew skulked over and sank back into his chair. "Alright... _G_ _ood_." He breathed in deeply and exhaled before continuing.

"You know the gist, fox. You're gonna cart yourself to the Nocturnal-District, and you're gonna burn that house to the ground. Got it?"

Nick nodded once. "Yeah... And uh, just to be clear, I'm only burning it down, right? No one's gonna get hurt?" He questioned.

The shrew nodded impatiently in agreement, lackluster as it may have been, and then waved at the fox expectantly.

"Yes, yes, we've been over this, Nicholas! You're just burning down the empty mansion. It will drive my competitors to ruin! No one will get hurt. Go on now, there is no time to waste! You're already an hour late, and the bat doesn't get back for another one: It'll take _at least_ that long to drive to the Nocturnal-District and find his manor! Now _go_!"

Nick then filed himself out the door, along with his duffel-bag of supplies, which consisted of a pack of matches, a single lighter, a wrench, a shovel, and several gallons of gasoline. A simple supply-depot, but effective when put to the proper usage. The fox had been instructed under the teachings of one of Mr. Big's henchmen, a fat polar-bear named Ivan, about how to properly commit arson; including lighting a fire, directing the flames towards flammable objects, and creating a combustible zone for the most effective scorching. He even taught Nick about gas pipe-lines, and how he could use them to his advantage. That being said, Nick couldn't admit that he wasn't a bit scared.

He told himself again and again... _No one would be home_. _The only thing that's burning down is the house. It's old anyways._

But no matter what he told himself, he couldn't shake the sinking feeling that something would go wrong...

That something would go terribly wrong.

Regardless, he did what he had to do: There was good money to be made off of this mission, and if executed correctly, he could walk away with a fat bank-account. Mr. Big would pay handsomely for something as crucial as this, for as long as that flappy-bat was in power over the Nocturnal-District, the titular arctic shrew would _always_ have competition...

The two crime-lords may have worked together in the distant past; but business was business, and it was either eat or be eaten. That much Nick could understand Mr. Big had been planning this out ever since the bat had placed arms-deal sanctions on the weapons flow between the Nocturnal-District and Tundra-Town, effectively halving Mr. Big's financial intake over the illegal-weapons trade business. Seizing the chance to regain more power, the arctic shrew began plotting out his own scheme to eliminate his largest competition at the time, which happened to be the vampire bat... what was his name... _Vladzotz_ , the shrew had called him.

Though, Mr. Big had given specific instructions for the fox _not_ to kill his business-rival: They _were_ once good friends, and Nick could tell that despite all the costly cuts the bat had advanced on the shrew, that Mr. Big still had a shred of respect towards Vladzotz. Nick was thankful that he wouldn't have to be taking any lives, as that was where he drew the line. Though this whole operation was nothing more than a money-making opportunity and hazing ritual for the fox, Mr. Big considered it of the utmost importance.

Nick had been working with the infamous Tundra-Town mafia for a few months now, ever since they had picked him up off of the street and given him a greater purpose. The fox hadn't done anything truly illegal, as of yet, instead choosing to stick to the sidelines and help plan things, but this new mission of his would be the perfect way to get in good with the mobsters, and potentially set himself up for a life full of money and relaxation. That one prospect made this whole mission and potential aftereffects worth it.

Though Nick had heard things about the bat in question, he'd never really learned very much about him. Mr. Big must not have considered the fox's knowledge of the target very important, because Nick only knew a few choice things about the bat: Such as how Vladzotz was one of the five different crime-lords that controlled the vast majority of the organized crime in Zootopia, and that he himself practically ruled over the Nocturnal-District's criminal underworld, relatively unchallenged. That was virtually all he knew.

Still, powerful or not, that fact didn't keep the bat's fellow crime-lords from plotting against him, as evident by the fact that Mr. Big was trying to burn his house down.

Though this seemed to be a near-personal affair to the likes of the shrew, Nick was only doing this for the money. He planned to bail out of Mr. Big's organization as soon as he completed this arson mission, and as soon as that "luxury fur-rug" found its way to Mr. Big's too-small paws. Nick was placed in charge of the collection, shipment, and delivery of said rug, and was promised that he would be paid handsomely for it's safe arrival. Thing is, Nick figured that since he was quitting the mafia soon after, that he might as well go off with a bang: The chances of him getting caught and sent to jail after he left the mob were fairly high, and if the fox was gonna go to prison for the rest of his life, he'd most prefer going to prison as 'the guy who swindled Mr. Big.' Besides, the fact that the rug was actually made from the fur of a skunk's-butt made shipping and preparation costs near invisible, ensuring that more money ended up landing in Nick's pocket... If he pulled it off, that is. But now, there were bigger things to worry about.

Focusing on the now, the fox redirected his attention towards the end of the tunnel he was driving down, which was now in sight. The whole road was dark, and it seemed that there were more cars leaving the district than going in to it. Eventually, the fox reached the bottom of the tunnel, and promptly dropped off into an amazing world of massive stone spikes, gross glowing worms, and huge shiny gems. As he gazed in awe at the large crystal shards that clung to the ceiling, he wondered if it was at all possible for him to somehow climb up there and chip some crystal off: That stuff could make him a fortune! Gliding down the narrow and winding roads of the Nocturnal-District's rocky old neighborhoods, the fox eventually found his way to a public park. It was the place where he was supposed to set up, and continue his journey on foot.

He parked the car in an appropriate location, and set out in the direction of the bat's manor. As he walked, he stared at the sky, gazing at the prismatic colors that painted the cavern ceiling. But at the same time... the fox happened to be on the lookout for anything with wings.

After some time walking, he reached his final destination: an ancient looking mansion, with cracked glass-windows and creaking wooden planks. The tower rose tall and ominously, as if it had an aura of oppression surrounding it, quenching out the light of all the surrounding urban-sprawl. That being said, the mansion was quite well tucked away, ensuring both privacy for the owners, and an easy arson job for the fox.

He stared around at the house, searching for what looked like some sort of garage: Nothing. No cars were parked anywhere near the manor, either.

He checked out the windows, staringing inside for any signs of activity: Nothing. His eyes were met with only the inky black recesses of one poorly-lit house.

He gave himself a mental pat on the back: No one was home.

And with that, he got to work.

At first it was easy; just pouring puddles of gasoline across the porch, splashing it on the walls and windows and trying to make sure that the house got soaked. Once he'd emptied his first of three Jerry-cans, he set to work on the gas pipe-lines, remembering what Ivan had showed him about finding and sabotaging them. Using the shovel, he dug up the location of one, which was right next to the southernmost stained-glass window. He unscrewed the nozzle slightly, and then doused the pipe in gasoline, the hole that he'd dug nearly filling with the explosive liquid.

Then came the hard part: He searched around the house for any sort of open window, or something he could use to climb through and get into the house. After some time of frantic searching, he eventually came across a single quad-framed window that was opened. It was near the back of the house, and wasn't very difficult to break in to.

 _Come on, flappy-bat... at least make it a challenge_... The fox thought as he went about his work.

He climbed inside, leaving the window open in case a quick escape was mandatory. He crept around the room he had entered, which appeared to be some sort of dining room. Just like the outside, he doused the room in gasoline, slathering it on the walls, pouring it across the furniture, and dumping liter after liter of explosive liquid out across the floor, where it wetted the carpet and sank into the cracks between the wooden-floorboards.

Soon enough, it came time for the main course: _The gasoline was but an appetizer..._ Nick thought as he dug around inside his duffle-bag, eventually pulling out the factory-issued Semtex grenade. He fastened it in the center of the room, finalizing his whole arson act by dripping more pools of gasoline across and around the grenade. As he was taught by Ivan, he began the countdown on the Semtex; starting it at it's default timing of five minutes. This explosive, on top of the gasoline, was no doubt to make short work of the house, or at least a good chunk of it.

As the fox stood up and stretched, gathering his leftover materials and preparing to flee, he noticed something he hadn't seen before.

Sitting atop the corner of one of the tables in the room, a glass of what looked like coffee was accompanied by a small plate of toast. The piece of bread had a tiny chomp mark in the corner, which itself was strangely shaped, as if the thing that had bitten it had two teeth larger than the rest. Nick wouldn't have thought it as a very important detail, but the fact that the coffee mug was still steaming made a cold pair of fingers trace their way down his backbone: Someone else was in the old house along with him.

And judging from the small teeth marks on that piece of toast, it was evident that whoever had bitten it was a child.

The fox began to panic; a dread fear of hysteria settling over him like a blanket, suffocating him and restricting his breathing. Nick looked at the Semtex on the ground, which he had turned over so the dim light from the timer wouldn't be seen. He bent over and hastily turned it around, staring at the countdown.

1:27

"Oh, no... Oh no no _no..._ " The fox quietly whispered to himself.

He stared at the timer, which continually decreased as the seconds passed. He tried thinking of a way that he might be able to defuse it, turn it off, or to delay it. He then reminisced to Ivan's pyrotechnic lessons, trying to recall if there was any way for him to be able to stop the ticking clock. His paws tensed as he spared a look at the timer.

1:02

Nick tried thinking what he did wrong, he was _so_ sure that the house was empty at the time of his arrival!

He thought back to what he had seen earlier: No cars, and no lights.

Then, realization struck him like a lightening bolt from the heaven's themselves. The fox cursed at himself for being so careless. Of course it looked like nobody was home: Being able to fly, the bats wouldn't need cars to park in their garage. And they were freaking _bats_! They _lived_ in the dark, so of course the house would be dark on the inside.

The fox glanced at the clock again.

0:49

He was running out of time.

He began thinking about if there was any way that he could possibly defuse the bomb, but soon pushed that idea from his head. He didn't know anything about explosives, or how to turn them off. Ivan only taught him how to turn them on and handle them carefully. That was all that he needed to know. It was too late to take the bomb elsewhere.

0:37

It was hopeless.

Leaving behind his duffel-bag full of equipment, he fled from the scene: exiting through the very same window that he had come in through. As he ran, he eyed the snaking trail of gasoline that led from the explosive device to the gasoline pipes, and all around the house. There was nothing else that he could do to reverse what he had just done.

When he had put a good fifty yards between him and the house, he looked back at the manor in the distance. A moment of hopefulness brought by anxiety caused the fox to flicker with optimism: Perhaps the bomb was a dud, or maybe the explosion wouldn't be powerful enough to set the house ablaze! Ten seconds later, he was proved wrong.

In the brief moments before the explosion itself, Nick could have sworn that he had seen a shadowy flicker of movement through the dark confines of one of the manor's many windows: Movement within the very same room that held the explosive device. Time seemed to slow down. Milliseconds felt like millennia as he stared down the house.

Nick watched in horror as the explosion ripped through the side of the house, tearing through solid walls of wood and brick. The explosion sent flames spewing out in every direction, igniting anything with the slightest hint of flammability. The gasoline trails that the fox had lain earlier blazed to life, the flames snaking their way across the ground and scorching anything in their way. Seconds later, another explosion erupted from the ground farther behind the house, sending clumps of dirt and other debris soaring through the air: The gas pipe-line had gave way. When the smoke from the explosions parted like a curtain, Nick thought he was looking at the darkest depths of hell itself.

The entire right side of the manor was engulfed in flames, which billowed from the windows, between the cracks in the wood, and burned harshly through the house. He then heard yells of surprise from farther inside the house, no doubt the cries of those watchmen Big had mentioned earlier as they fled the vicinity of the fire. Wooden furniture was reduced to cinders before his very eyes, and entire sections of the house's walls began to crumble and fall apart, disintegrating into dust from the hot ferocity of the fire.

The fire that Nick had started.

Swallowing hard, the fox turned tail and ran even farther - Intent on putting as much distance as he could between himself and what he had done.

* * *

 _In the present..._

The bunny had her paws cupped against her face, the tears falling in rapid amounts and wetting the fur on her cheeks. The tears streamed between her fingers and fell in drops upon her lap... some even landing upon the fox's chest as she buried her face into his form. Nick said nothing else: There was nothing left to be said. Since words were of no use, he tried running his paws down the small of Judy's back, and gliding his fingers up to her shoulders: A soothing and peaceful trick that usually worked like a charm.

But not this time.

To Nick's great worry, Judy actually pulled herself away from him, severing the contact between the two. Now, she didn't weep in his arms, but upon the cold and hard driver's seat. This action broke Nick's heart. He'd never seen Judy this distraught... Not even when they had that fight on the beach, which seemed like so long ago, by now.

He watched in twisted agitation as the bunny, wiping her nose across her sleeve, opened the door and exited the police cruiser hastily. She slammed the door shut loudly, nearly hitting Nick in the face as he tried to follow her out through the way she went. Instead, he turned around and exited the vehicle through his own door, not even bothering to shut it as he ran over to his mate, who with arms hugging tight against her sides, was weeping as she stood beneath a nearby tree.

The fox ran up and embraced her in a hard and meaningful hug, wrapping his arms around her small form and clutching her tightly against his own. However, Nick felt his heart tear in two when the bunny pried herself away from him, backing away in seeming horror and disgust... all directed at the fox, who stood hopeless and saddened just a few feet away.

She made eye-contact, and at last found her words.

"Of _all_ t-the things..."

The fox cleared his throat softly and wiped at his eyes before responding.

"Judy, please... Don't let anger cloud your judgement." He began, earnestly referring to her be her true name in a bit of seriousness and formality.

"Don't tell me what to do!" She shouted, her voice cracking in anger. "You're _no cop_... And you've _NEVER_ been one!"

Getting his heart torn about by Vladzotz's claws would have hurt less than that.

Unlike the last time, no anger preceded Nick's realization. He figured that, perhaps, Judy was the one who was correct.

"You're right." Was all he said before walking away, his destination fruitless and unknown. It mattered not: He only wanted to get out of there and away from his problems.

He spared no backwards glance as he walked off. He didn't care. The only thing on his mind was an utter blank fuzz.

But above all else: Regret. Regret for the flames of his past.

Eventually, he decided there was no place like home; and set out for their apartment, caring not if he would find his mate there when he arrived.

 _That's right... Run away. Run away from your problems..._ A cynical and harsh voice whispered in his head, which he shook from side-to-side in an effort to cleanse.

What scared him most of all was that the voice he heard belonged to Judy.

Half-an-hour's worth of walking in the pitch-black night eventually led him to his apartment. He ascended the creaking stairs towards his room, which he promptly entered.

It was dark and quiet. Nobody seemed home.

He paced to the bedroom, intent on flopping in his bed and sleeping his problems away. When he reached the bedroom door, he found it closed. He didn't remember shutting it. Shrugging it off, he opened up the door and entered the bedroom, the large multi-framed windows filtered rays of soothing moonlight through the blinds, illuminating the room with a soft grey glow.

His vision was blurry with tears and crusted, limiting his vision as it was. He almost collapsed into the mattress, but he stopped and took a closer look at the window.

Completely unnoticed by the fox before, there was something blocking a large majority of the window's frame: Something big clung to the ceiling right in front of the window, blocking a patch of moonlight and casting a deep shadow across the bed. Nick had no idea how he hadn't notice it before. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was.

"You." He hissed at the thing hanging from the ceiling, which slightly quivered at the sound of his voice.

" _Me_." The thing replied back, it's deep and raspy voice causing Nick to shiver with trepidation and distaste.

"How did you get in here?"

The voice spoke once more;

"I have connections. Tracking you down was a simple matter."

Nick watched as the bat unlatched himself from the ceiling and dropped gracefully to the ground, landing on his own two feet before rising to his full height.

"Love can be such a fragile thing, yes? It can be shattered in an instant, and everything you know and love will go up in flames. Reduced to burning cinders. I would know."

"You saw that, huh? Just get it over with. My wife hates me now, and I have no point in living with that... Just make it quick, _please_." The fox's shaky voice responded back.

"No need to rush anything, Nicholas! It's obvious that your lapin friend is nowhere to be found, and I think it's safe to say that you and I have the place _all_ to ourselves."

The fox backed himself against the nearest wall. He flinched as the bat began advancing towards him, stopping no more than three feet away from him.

Vladzotz let out a long and maniacal laugh, classic evil-villain style. Nick swallowed and blinked a single time while watching him, fear causing his body to shake.

"You _honestly_ thought that you could keep something like _this_ going?" The bat asked as he raised one of his leathery wings and pointed to a framed picture of Nick and Judy on their wedding day. Seeing as he had nothing really left to lose, Nick nodded his head in agreement, to which the bat let loose another drawn out and maddened laugh.

"What a joke." He hissed before plucking Nick's wedding portrait off the wall, eyeing it almost sympathetically. "You always were a fox who chased _stupid_ dreams."

The bat then dropped the framed picture to the ground, shattering the glass across the floor.

"Dreams such as thinking that you could ever get away with crossing _me_ , and thinking you could ever get away with something as abominable as _this_." He crooned.

The bat then crushed the portrait frame beneath one of his clawed feet as he finished speaking, the sound of crackling glass filling the gap of the ensuing silence.

Nick winced as he watched the picture of Judy's beautiful face disappear underneath the talons of his nemesis.

Vladzotz noticed his hesitation, and chuckled softly to himself before making a _tsk tsk_ noise from between his fangs. He kicked the portrait over to Nick's feet and then said;

"Now don't worry about _that_ , old chum... It was never going to work out, anyways. The two of you are polar opposites, and quite frankly, I'm amazed that you even made it this far! At least consider _that_ to be a worthy achievement of the pathetic fox who could never accomplish anything greater in life than this disgusting, worthless marriage."

Nick stared down the bat with frustration, yet still, he couldn't keep a single tear from dripping down his cheek. It fell from his chin and onto the broken portrait at his feet.

"You weep, but for what? You have nothing left..." Vladzotz then smiled impossibly wide, showing off his razor sharp fangs. "Nothing left but your death."

The bat then leaned forward and clamped his talons around the fox's neck, caging Nick against the wall. The fox flinched when he heard the harsh sound of Vladzotz's talons puncturing the drywall behind his back, anchoring him in place and rendering him completely immobile. Vlad then tore Nick from his hiding spot, ripping chunks of drywall and insulation out from the wall as he tossed the fox backwards and onto the bed.

The bat lept onto Nick's chest and sank the talons on his feet into the fox's rib-cage, gripping him tight before flapping his massive wings, flinging himself and the fox in tow forward, and crashing through the window, sending shards of glass careening across the balcony. Vladzotz took to the air, carrying Nick in his talons as he flew off into the night sky, the glow of the moon illuminating a few small drops of blood that dripped from the broken window, a testament to the fires of the past and what they meant now.

But above all else, it lit up the shattered wedding-portrait, which lay broken and mangled in a heap of shards, stained with the fox's tears of regret.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Nothing much to say here. Sorry that it got a little dark, up there, but I do hope you enjoyed the story. You'll see how Nick gets out of this soon! Stay tuned!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	20. Admission

"To be angry is to revenge the fault of others on ourselves." - Alexander Pope

* * *

And to think that after everything they had been through together, they would be sundered over the likes of an ugly truth such as this.

These thoughts and more swirled through the head of the bunny, who lay in the grass beneath the tree, whose leaves rippled in the swirling gales of the evening winds.

Perhaps she had been too hard on him...

The bunny whimpered and clutched her paws against her head, rolling onto her side as she tried to block out thoughts that ailed her.

Judy wondered where he was right now. Perhaps walking back to their apartment. She was considering doing the very same thing: She had no intentions of filing in to Bogo that night. She didn't care if he thought that they were dead, because the only thing on her mind right then was the nasty argument she had just had with the love of her life.

 _Nick..._

The rabbit pressed the tips of her fingers even harder against her sinuses, not relenting until an irritating throb accompanied by a droning ring caused her to release them.

She then sat up in the grass, resting her forearms on her kneecaps. She thought back to the past few minutes, and wondered if anything could have been done differently.

But every time, she reached the same conclusion: Her husband had committed a terrible crime, and nothing could change that fact.

Anxiety began flushing its way through the bunny's blood.

As she dropped her arms from her face, a brief and glittering sparkle caught her attention. It had emanated from one of the fingers on her left paw. She raised her hand to her face, and hovered it in place inches away from her eye-level. There, wrapped around the finger that she had sworn to him all those years ago, was a single golden ring.

It was her wedding ring, which glittered with a soft luster as the moonlight filtered through it's diamond-cut centerpiece. It wasn't something she wore very often, as being a police officer, the fact that her ring could get caught on something and tear her finger off was a higher probability than she'd like to acknowledge. There was _also_ the threat of insubordination, as even though Bogo had made an incredibly rare exception for the fox and bunny's relationship, there was still the chance that onlookers could pick up the wrong idea. She felt herself crying again, and almost cupped her paws against her face once again, but a stubborn feeling in the back of her head insisted that she didn't.

Instead, she just sat there; staring at the ring upon her finger.

She lifted her paw again, but didn't place it to her face. Instead, she gazed en closer at the golden band that wrapped itself around her finger.

For the longest time, it seemed to only stand for the fact that her and Nick were married.

But now, it seemed to represent so much more.

This tiny ring was an anchor: It was her anchor against this crazy world, keeping her from floating off into oblivion. With this ring, she gave her heart to that dumb fox, and promised that she would never walk without him. Promised that her heart would be his shelter, and her arms would be his home. They'd been through too much just for this.

Nick may have done a terrible thing, and whether or not it caught up with him one day, and whether or not he'd ever be able to forgive himself, he and Judy were still family.

This ring would remind her of the promise she made to him that fateful day those many years ago. It would remind her that we never make promises to things that are going to be easy, but to the things that we know will require courage. And now, she had found the courage she needed. This was an obstacle that her and Nick would face together.

 _'Till death do us apart._

She pulled herself to her feet, brushing the dirt and grass off of her body-suit, and then set out in the direction of home, where a cataclysmic revelation lay waiting for her.

* * *

How many times had he escaped death?

Countless _,_ it seemed.

In his eyes, he just happened to have that dumb-fox luck. Perhaps it was because he'd hitched a rabbit, and rabbits were lucky...

Right?

Nope.

After being abandoned and objectified by his own father, beat up by racist thug-bunnies, hit with a car, and fixing his crazy relationship countless times...

It seemed that luck, perhaps, never was on his side.

His current situation was the final nail in the coffin. In _his_ coffin, that was.

His fear levels skyrocketed when Vladzotz clamped his freakishly-long talons across his neck, pinning him against the wall behind him. He felt his airway being crushed by the pressure when the bat tore him from the wall, throwing him atop his very own bed. The next thing he knew, the bat was on top of him, the talons upon his feet gripped tight against his flesh, fur, and clothes.

Vladzotz shrieked in maddened delight as he threw himself forward, crashing through the window and taking to the night sky, and dragging the fox along with him.

Nick had always wanted to know what it was like to fly.

But _not_ like this.

Despite the pain of being squeezed by the bat's talons, the fox threw his hands around Vlad's ankles in an effort to refrain from falling to his death.

"Scared of heights now, are we?" The bat laughed insanely at the fox's actions. "This just got _so_ much more fun!"

And with that, he flapped his powerful wings even harder, gaining altitude as he put more distance between the apartment and himself. After reaching a reasonable height, Vladzotz released his hold on the fox and let him plummet toward the ground. The bat quickly tucked in his wings and dived down after the falling fox, recapturing him in his talons moments before he made impact with an oncoming building. Vladzotz laughed darkly at the likes of his own cruel actions, amused by the terror bestowed upon the fox.

Nick was too busy screaming his head off and hanging on for dear life to bother thinking about anything else. Eventually, his voice got hoarse from the consistent yelling, and he was forced to close his eyes shut hard to keep from losing his sanity: If he stared down at the city below him, he would get dizzy and noxious.

After a few short minutes of flying, Nick reopened his eyes and spared a glance down at the world below him. They weren't _that_ high up, but to Nick, it might as well have been a thousand miles high. He gripped harder on the bat's ankles, not trusting Vlad's own hold on his shirt. He tried occupying himself from his terror by listening to random things. The only sounds he heard was the wind rushing around his ears, and the occasional cursing voice of Vlad as he muttered about his aching wings.

" _Wretched vulpine scum_!" The bat growled before panting heavily. "You're heavier than you _look_ , you know?"

Nick didn't bother replying, his attention was fully focused on not dropping to his death. Meanwhile, it was clear that Vlad was starting to tire: For as strong as he may have been, having to carry his own weight plus that of one uncooperative fox took its tole on the aging vampire bat. The fox figured that getting tazed by Judy and dropped from a moving vehicle probably didn't help the bat very much either.

Despite the horrid plight of the whole situation, that thought put a smile on the fox's face.

Old fang-face himself started dipping lower in altitude, bringing the two of them closer to the ground. At first, Nick thought that the sudden drop in height was because of Vlad's weariness, but soon realized that the bat was bringing them lower on purpose. Nick forced himself to open his eyes, scanning the surrounding area: The two of them were descending over an old multi-story parking lot. But the fox couldn't see the bat's angle, as he had no idea what Vlad was intending with this, but he heard him mutter to himself as he flew.

" _Ah_... Look who we have here."

Nick couldn't see who the bat was talking about, and he didn't try to.

Dropping atop the poorly-lit parking lot's top floor, Vladzotz slammed Nick into the concrete ground as they landed. When the aching subsided, Nick noticed that the bat was leaning the fox's head over the edge of the roof, giving Nick full view of everything down below. The fox heard Vladzotz mutter something beneath his breath, and suddenly felt the bat's wing talons clamp themselves around his muzzle, rendering the fox speechless. He tried to roll away, but judging from the sharp prick of pain he felt upon his back when he tried, it was evident that Vlad had Nick pinned beneath his clawed feet. He heard the bat's deep voice speak up once again.

"While I take a breather here, I want you to _watch_ something... and _learn_..."

Vladzotz then twisted Nick's head to the right, angling the fox's line of sight in the direction of a dark alley down below on the ground. Seconds later, Nick saw the form of something... Some _one_ small, walking through the alley-way and across the adjacent street.

Nick's eyed widened.

It was Judy.

He tried making some form of noise, doing _something_ that might have gotten her attention, but all his efforts were in vain: Vladzotz had him speechless and immobile.

"You see Nicholas?" The bat asked above him, whispering lightly into the fox's ear. " _That_ is determination."

Judging by his smooth sounding voice, Nick figured that he must have recovered a decent chunk of his endurance. Nick realized what he was doing now: while he rested from the flight, Vladzotz was forcing him to watch Judy as she made her way back to their apartment... He was taking amusement in knowing that Nick was so close to her, yet powerless to do anything to try to fix what he had done...

It was torture.

"I'm almost tempted to let you go down there and speak with her, if not to watch you _suffer_ as you try to piece back together what cannot be fixed."

Nick muffled in protest to the bat, who just chuckled at his helplessness. Soon enough, Judy vanished behind the corner of the opposing building, gone from sight and mind.

"But as they say, if you love something, _let it go_. Isn't that right, old chum?" The bat inquired, hissing into the fox's ear.

Nick writhed beneath Vladzotz's weight, despite knowing that escape wasn't a probable option at this point. He wanted more than anything to be able to go down there and wrap his arms around Judy, to comfort her and to dry her tears.

But no... Instead, he was subject to psychological torture at the claws of a mentally-unstable rat with wings. Giving up, he sighed and relaxed his body.

"Well, now that our little break-time has expired, I believe it's time for you and I to be on our way, hm? I can't carry you the _whole_ way there, but thankfully, using the land-line at your own apartment no less, I placed a call for assistance. Soon enough, we'll have our own ride back to the Nocturnal-District, where you'll _finally_ be subject to justice."

The bat laughed menacingly and winked a single time.

"Or at least, _my_ version of justice!" Vladzotz took the air, his wings sending gusts of wind swirling around the body of the fox, whom he carried in his claws.

"Off we go now! Our ride is waiting! Don't worry old chum, it's not very far from here, so you won't have to hang on for dear life _that_ much longer!"

And with that, the bat let loose a maniacal laugh and with a flap of his wings, took off in the direction of the midnight horizon.

* * *

Despite the chilling night winds, Judy began to feel uncomfortably torrid and sweltering as she made her way back to her apartment.

The prospect of a reunion with Nick worried her, as she hadn't a clue what to expect... Nick might not forgive her very easily...

And although that thought scared the bunny, it also pushed her forward, motivating her to patch up what was wounded.

Because just several blocks away, huddled in the confines of their apartment, Nick was hurting because of her.

In her eyes, he may have done something terrible: something he'd have to live with for the rest of his life, and beyond. But in the end, they were still friends. Still husband and wife. Still mates. She was mated unto him because of her own choice, and they'd been through hell and back trying to get everyone else to see that. To see that there was nothing wrong with being in a relationship with a mammal of a different species.

If anyone could be anything, then everyone should be able to love anyone.

She wasn't going to let the fact that Nick had done something horrible in his past change that. She still loved him, and always would. She loved him before he told her his story, so she saw no reason why she couldn't love him after.

When she finally reached the door of their apartment, she was surprised to find it as unlocked.

 _Nick must have made it here already..._ Judy thought to herself.

With that thought in mind, she opened the door, expecting to find him, or at least _some_ shred of activity.

Nothing.

Instead, her eyes were only met with the blackness and silence of a seemingly empty apartment.

Flipping on the light in the living room, she advanced towards the bedroom, which itself had the door opened slightly ajar, revealing an ominous and dark interior. Thinking that perhaps Nick had fallen asleep (she wouldn't have been surprised) she lightly pushed open the entrance to their bedroom.

It was dark, but even in the dim light, she could see that their bedroom was a mess.

It wasn't _that_ messy, mind you: but enough to tell that someone had tried to pick a fight with the furniture and walls. There were several framed pictures knocked off the walls that they had been hung upon, the broken glass littering the carpet floor, making walking a dangerous risk. Without shoes, Judy had to tip-toe her way across the room to further inspect the damage that had been done.

She soon reached the light switch, turning it on so as to reveal the full extent of the damage. Unnoticed by the bunny when she had first walked into the room, the large window that they had embedded within the wall opposing their bed was completely shattered. It looked as if something large had flung itself through the window, and judging by the way the base of the window was nearly free of any broken glass, it was evident that whatever had broken the window had done it from _within_ the apartment.

The idea of a home-invasion passed her mind, and she momentarily began to panic: worried that perhaps Nick had gotten hurt in the process, as there were a few drops of blood speckling the frame of the broken window, and a small red puddle staining the bed sheets. She quickly pushed that idea from her head, as _no_ mammal would be crazy enough to not only invade the home of two professional police officers, but to flee by jumping out of the window.

As she picked around the wreckage, she came across a small portrait; it's cracked frame was a golden color, and the glass that had once covered it was shattered across the floor. A few inches away from the broken frame and shattered glass, lay the picture that had once lay within it. She tenderly picked it up.

It was part of the photo from her wedding day, the other half of the picture appeared to have been ripped off. She stared at the face in the torn picture, and her heart sank.

It was Nick, facing the camera and smiling that stupid smirk of his... Arm-in-arm with another mammal... _her_...

The only problem was the fact that the picture had been torn, the jagged line of the tear running straight down the middle, almost halving the picture, and separating the photo of Nick from herself. The bunny gently touched the two halves of the ripped picture together, almost like a puzzle piece. Now, the only thing that separated the picture of the fox and bunny was the haphazard line of destruction that snaked its way between the two of them.

It was no accident: someone had purposefully torn the photo of them apart. Tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes, as she thought that someone was _Nick_.

She then noticed even stranger and more disturbing details: one half of the photograph, the one that displayed Nick, was soiled with a few small drops of liquid. It wasn't that difficult to determine that those spots were the wetted leftover remnants of dried tears.

She also perceived that the fragmented heap of glass nearby was dripping with surprisingly copious amounts of blood. She took note of the razor-like edges of the shattered glass shards... thinking about how easily they could slice through flesh...

She gasped: A sudden and horrible thought crossing her conscious.

" _No_... No Nick. You wouldn't..." She looked at the heap of shattered glass. "Would you?"

She began to breath in heavily. For a moment, she considered the possibility that Nick had tried to commit suicide with the glass shards of his own wedding portrait.

The tears began to fall, her own drops of misery mixing with the dried stains of whoever else had wept upon the photograph.

For a few minutes, she just knelt there on her knees, crying as she pressed the torn photograph against her chest, not caring if it was crumpled in the process. She wanted this reminder: This memory of happiness as close to her heart as possible during that moment of grave despair. After some time had passed, she got to her feet and shuffled over to the nearby bed, where she carefully placed the torn picture of her and Nick, positioning it in such a way so that it looked as if it was never ripped in the first place.

Wiping a tear away from one of her eyes, she smiled at the single sight of hope amidst the sea of chaos.

The meaning behind that photograph was her lighthouse through the stormy sea, and she knew that, she wasn't going to stop until she had reached her final destination.

 _Nick_...

She knew that he didn't, and wouldn't... Kill himself, over this... And that thought gave her hope. She tried to deduce the meaning behind all the carnage, pushing out the gruesome thought of Nick's suicide, alongside with the idea that Nick had done all this in a fit of rage: He just wasn't the kind of mammal prone to destructive tantrums.

So what was it?

The bunny glanced to the broken window...

 _Who_ was it _?_

She then waded through the glass-littered floor to the wall opposing the entrance to their bedroom. She ran her hand down it's length, running her fingers through the indention in the wall.

Claw marks.

Not only that, but on another wall, there were puncture holes from what _looked_ like claws... Judging from the size of the holes, which went deep into the wall, exposing the insulation and framework of the room, she reasoned that whatever had made them had large claws... certainly larger than Nick's, which further proved that the destruction wasn't done by him.

She shuddered.

 _He was attacked_.

The bunny then gazed at the ceiling, and what she saw made her jaw drop slightly, alongside confirming the itching suspicion of their home invader's identity.

There were small marks and puncture holes pierced into the ceiling, right next to the window. A pair of cold hands inched their way down Judy's spine: Something had been hanging from the wall.

Large claw marks, holes in the ceiling, and blood stains...

 _You would think that getting electrocuted and dropped from a moving car at thirty miles per hour would have stopped him by now..._ She thought to herself.

Her ears perked up in sudden and dreadful realization.

 _He has Nick..._

Without hesitation, she ran to the nearest phone, ignoring the pain in the soles of her feet as she ran over a few tiny shards of glass. She pulled the phone from the holster that planted it against the counter-top in their kitchen. She dialed the ZPD's land-line, which instantly brought her to the receptions desk of HQ.

A voice from the other side of the line found it's way to the bunny's sensitive ears: It was Clawhauser.

The cheetah yawned before answering. "Hello?"

" _CLAWHAUSER_!" She shouted into the phone. "I NEED YOU TO DISPATCH SOME CRUISERS _RIGHT NOW_!"

Judging from the clattering sound of plastic against granite, Judy assumed that the cheetah must have dropped his phone in surprise at her sudden voice.

"Cutie - _I mean_ J- _Judy_?! What's going on?" She heard the cheetah ask hastily.

The bunny wasted no time replying.

"We need to go to the Nocturnal-District, _NOW_!"

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter of ours!**

 **I apologize if it seems shorter than usual, but I wanted this chapter to specifically hone in on the emotional and romantic aspects surrounding Nick/Judy's relationship. Thus, you get this heart-wrenching chapter about two lovers trying to repiece what has been broken!**

 **But fear not, for the next chapter is coming soon, and it will finalize many of the burning questions and anticipations that I'm sure many of you have right now!**

 **The coming chapter will have some action in it, and plenty more content with our favorite two officers as they make amends and fight back against Vlad!**

 **So stay tuned, 'cuz it's on its way to a website near you! (this one)**

 **Feel free to leave reviews or PM's discussing your thoughts and ideas surrounding this latest chapter, as I read and appreciate them all! :D**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	21. Darkness

"My mission is to rescue, my dream is that one day I won't have to." - Anonymous

* * *

The wind howled across the night sky, it's destination unclear, but determination steadfast.

That's how Nick Wilde felt right about now.

Dangling roughly two hundred feet in the air above the Zootopian skyline, gripped in the claws of Vladzotz Fangpyre as he carried Nick toward his near certain doom.

Nick knew not where they were headed, but from the lucid motives of the bat he grappled with, reasoned that they were nearing their destination.

From his perspective high above the ground, the fox could clearly see nearly the entirety of the city: Each district displayed prominently and stretched for miles in their respective biomes. The bat flapped past a tall apartment building, gliding past an open window and balcony near the top, where a pair of deer were enjoying their evening with twin glasses of wine. As the bat flew past them, Nick saw the horrified expressions of the deer's faces when they caught sight of him dangling in the creature's claws.

The fox waved at the two of them with a forced smile, and an expression that said something along the lines of; _Yup, we do this every day here in Zootopia!_

As soon as the two airborne mammals reared around the skyscraper and got out of the deer's field of view, Nick's expression sank back into a despairing sulk. He happened to notice that Vladzotz was reducing their altitude and bringing them closer to the ground once again. The fox didn't see anything particularly unique about this new location, but from Vladzotz's maniacally delighted grin, he assumed that they must have finally reached the aforementioned place where their new ride was waiting.

Soon enough, the both of them had touched down and were at ground level once more.

 _Literally_ in Nick's case.

As Vlad landed he slammed Nick's body into the ground, an aching grunt escaping from between the fox's clenched teeth; one which caused the bat to smile smugly.

"Are you gonna do that _every_ time we land, Flappy-Bat?" Nick coughed indigently.

"Don't fret, Nicholas. There will be no more flying from here on out... We'll be _driving_ back to the mansion for the remainder of the journey." The bat responded jovially.

The fox sighed heavily, the exhaling breath escaping his body faster than usual due to Vlad's added weight, given the fact that the bat still had him pinned to the ground. Now that they had landed (not very safely or steadily), Nick took the time to scan his new environment, which appeared to be an old abandoned parking lot. Unlike the last one, which had multiple stories lain with concrete floors and levels, _this_ parking lot was small and flat: A filthy backwater to some unpopular business or restaurant.

Garbage was strewn about everywhere, but thankfully Vlad didn't shove Nick's face into that nearby flattened grasshopper Bugga-Burger: _That_ would have been disgusting.

Nick turned his head and looked about, searching for any sign of the bat's esteemed and aforementioned ride. Nick personally hoped that it was a luxurious limousine, as Vladzotz himself seemed to be on the wealthy side: He figured that Flappy-bat owed him that much at least, considering the fact that he was likely planning on killing him.

After a few tense and silent minutes had past, the only sound being the crinkling of the garbage foils as the wind whirled through the parking lot, Nick saw a light slowly approach and grow in size and intensity as it reared the corner to his left, entering the parking lot and driving up to the two mammals before parking, it's wheels emitting a steaming _Tssscchh_ as it came to a rigid halt.

It was one of those large transit-buses, the kind the city used to cart civilians around the downtown area and beyond as they went about their day. It was a helpful service as it was; allowing mammals without the use of their _own_ vehicles to reach their destinations faster and more efficiently. Although the system itself had good intentions, the chaotic _mess_ that was mid-morning rush-hour rendered the transit system about as fast as walking. Now, the only mammals who really used the transit system were the sloths, whose lethargic demeanor made the system work quite well for them.

The bus itself was sleek and long, outfitted to carry many mammals within it. Nick figured it would have worked well enough, as he'd rather have a seat to himself instead of squeezing arm-to-wing next to Vladzotz in some other car. The fox doubted very many cars would even _fit_ Vladzotz, as his wings were simply too spacious and his claws were too large.

Nick may have been lenient with the choice of transport, but as the bus reeled to a stop, the fox noticed Vladzotz's face don a look of bewilderment, which soon morphed into a frightening facade of frustration.

Vlad did _not_ look pleased.

As the doors smoothly slid open, Nick at last lay eyes on the driver... and nearly threw up.

Sitting in the driver's seat was his old 'friend' Sprock the raccoon. Nick writhed beneath Vladzotz's claws in anger, growling at the sight of his old enemy. When the doors first opened, the coon had had his head facing the window in front of him. But when the doors finally clicked into place, the raccoon slowly turned his head to the bat and fox, laughing as if he just heard some sort of joke. However, when Sprock's line of sight rested on Vlad's horrid look of anger, the coon's own expression melted faster than you could say _oh crap_.

"What... Is _... THIS?!_ Vladzotz roared, causing fox and coon alike to cringe in apprehension at the sudden volume increase.

Sprock jumped in his seat, startled by his boss's words. His lips curled in a frown laced with fear, and his eyes were wide with terror.

"Uh, ah..." Sprock stammered. "I-I got the ride that you wanted, boss... _R_ _ight_?" He asked timidly.

Judging by the bat's bared fangs, and body shaking with anger; Nick reasoned that this was _not_ the ride he had wanted.

" _I,_ " Vladzotz huffed, breathing heavily. " _Specifically_ said," The bat grit his jaw, hissing through clamped teeth. " _For you to bring,_ " He began to raise his voice. " _THE LIMOUSINE_!"

Vladzotz yelled furiously, beads of saliva flinging from his maw as he nearly screamed that last statement. Sprock scrunched up in the driver's seat, wincing at the bat's enraged words. He then unbuckled his seat-belt and and removed himself from the seat, stepping down to the start of the hallway in the depths of the bus.

"I-I'm sorry, sir! All the limos we had were occupied, and on some other missions and whatnot." The coon laughed nervously. "We's had to find us a _new_ ride!"

Vladzotz sighed. "Where did you even _get_ this _pathetic_ automobile?" He inquired, clearly irritated.

Sprock pulled a pistol out from one of the pockets on his blood-red trench-coat. "We's had to stick up the transit station... Got ourselves dis here bus."

He then reached over out of the bat and fox's line of sight, grabbing something from one of the seats. Much to Nick's surprise, he dragged a portly pig to where they could see him.

"We, uh... Also got the bus-driver here. We couldn't just throw him out when we took the bus, cuz he mighta spilled on us, and we'd a' never even made it here."

"Well, what use is he to us now that we've got our ride back to the Nocturnal-District?" Vladzotz inquired hastily, visibly getting antsy.

Sprock coughed loudly and cleared his throat before replying.

"Well, ya see boss-bat, I figured that _dis_ here lil' piggy-" He pressed the tip of his pistol into the pig's neck. "-Could drive us there instead of _me_ cartin' us back."

The pig nodded his head and gulped, raising his head slightly as Sprock's pistol drove itself against his jugular vein.

"Besides," The raccoon continued. " _He_ knows more about the roads here on the surface than _I_ do... He was the one who drove us from the terminal in the first place, but I took over soon as we got closer here, so he wouldn't drive off anywhere else."

Vladzotz glanced momentarily at the pig and back to Sprock, as if trying to decide who he should kill first for being so bothersome and annoying.

Heaving a great sigh, the bat then pulled Nick to his feet and shoved him toward the door, where he tripped on the first step and face-planted into the bus's floor.

" _Fine_. Let's just get out of here before we make a scene." The bat looked behind him suspiciously before turning his attention back to Sprock.

Nick coughed audibly to get the bat's attention.

"You _already_ made a scene, Flappy-Bat." He muttered disapprovingly before earning a kick to the head from Sprock.

"Now don't you be talkin' mess to the boss's face, ya hear, Nicky-boy?!" The coon shouted.

Vladzotz stifled a laugh before picking his way across Nick's writhing body and climbing onto the bus. His deep voice spoke aloud grimly;

"I don't mind a little attitude. Besides, he doesn't have that much time left, anyways. Let him have his fun."

And with that, the bat laughed darkly and hauled the fox to his feet, pushing him into the confines of the bus before the door slid shut for the last time.

* * *

As he tripped over his own feet trudging through the bus's hall, he took the time to look around at what awaited him within.

He recalled Sprock specifically using the word _we_ when he had referred to stealing the bus, so Nick figured that there must have been _at least_ one more mammal on board.

He was right, for when his eyes finished scanning the inside of the bus, he counted at least two more mammals, not counting Sprock, Vladzotz, and the pig bus-driver.

Sitting in the darkest corner in the farthest seat back in the bus, Russ the badger was resting in his chair, smoking a large and smelly cigar.

Since Nick had only seen the back of the badger in pictures, and the claws on his paw when the badger had choked the fox from behind, Nick realized that this was, in fact, the first time he had actually laid eyes on the big guy.

His black fur was smooth and silky, surprisingly well-kept in comparison to the few badgers Nick had met in person before. A thick streak of white fur ran straight down the middle of his face; a stark contrast to the likes of his majority dark-colored fur. His deep and dark colored blood-red suit was trimmed with thin lines of black, and the cigar in his mouth emitted a hazy smog from it's tip, which clouded around the badger as he reclined in his seat, hands folded behind his head.

Sitting about mid-way down the length of the bus, there was a muscular mole, who was busy cleaning an assault-rifle. He was dressed more or less the same way as Russ, with blood-colored clothing and adornments. Nick made himself a mental note to _not_ mess with _that_ guy.

Soon enough, the fox had reached near the back of the bus, finding himself a seat about half-way between the mole and Russ. He didn't want to get on that mole's bad side, and he _also_ didn't want to be inhaling Russ's cigar fumes, so he found himself a middle ground and made himself comfortable.

Unfortunately, Sprock waltzed over and planted himself in the row across from Nick, no doubt to keep an eye on him as the bus made it's way to the Nocturnal-District. Sprock grinned a toothy smile as he flopped down in his seat, soon pulling out a hip flash and taking a deep drink from it before slipping it away back into one of his pockets. He then winked, and reached into another pocket, pulling out Nick's old pair of sun-glasses, which he promptly placed upon his muzzle and donned one hell of a smug look.

"You asked for it." Was all that Nick had bothered to say before he lunged over and socked the coon in the face, both knocking the shades off of his nose and sending his head slamming into the wall of the bus.

Nick figured he'd earned it: He figured that he was going to die soon anyways, so he might as well go out with his favorite pair of shades.

As the coon clutched his paws to his face and cursed, the fox reached down and plucked his shades off of the ground, slipping them into his own pocket before hurriedly walking away and seating himself closer to the front of the bus. Now, he sat about half-way between the grumpy-looking mole, who was still cleaning his gun, and Vladzotz, who stood menacingly at the front, hovering over the driver as he directed the bus. Nick watched as Sprock picked himself up and paced to the front of the bus, mumbling.

The fox assumed that Vladzotz had heard him tussle with the raccoon, as the bat happened to have outstanding hearing capabilities; But surprisingly, Vladzotz kept his focus trained on the large window ahead of him, staring out and into the distance as he spoke quietly with the bus-driver. Nick couldn't make out what they were speaking of, but he could tell that Vlad was clearly anxious. His large wings were spread out across the width of the hallway, the claws on each of his wings clutching the head of a seat, gripping it tightly as the bus made it's way down the sloping and narrow roads of the small mountain they were ascending.

Nick recalled back to his second journey to the Nocturnal-District, where he and Judy had driven all the way to the aforementioned district in search of Russ. The fox turned around and stole a glance at the large badger, who was still sitting quietly in the back of the bus. Nick also caught sight of Sprock, who was leaning over the top of the seat in front of him, glaring daggers at Nick. A flicker of movement caught his eye, and Nick turned his head in time to see the muscular mole make his way down the hallway to the front of the bus. His rifle, which was now shiny and clean, was slung across his shoulder. Guns were rare in Zootopia, but clearly the mob had special privileges to work with.

The mole shuffled over to Vladzotz, and tapped on his shoulder. The bat turned his head around and stared down at the mole with a single eye.

"What is it, Lester?" Vlad asked bitterly.

"Sir, I just wanted to explain something to you real quick." The mole cleared his throat audibly.

He had a scratchy and crackling voice, and had probably been a smoker at one point in his life: Or maybe his voice was just like that naturally. Either way, Nick didn't judge.

Lester's voice recaptured the fox's attention once more.

"My jammer has been picking up some activity from a few miles out south-west: Cops, sir. They might be on our tails."

At the notion of possible rescue, Nick's ears perked up in anticipation. He felt his heart beating faster in his chest. Perhaps Judy was intending on saving him!

Vladzotz's deep and raspy voiced hissed angrily.

" _What_?" He let loose a guttural growl of frustration before gritting his teeth and glaring out the window, staring at nothing in particular. He continued;

"Their helicopters won't be able to follow us underground, and we all know that none of those officers have ever bothered learning the routes of the Nocturnal-District... If we get there before they reach us, we'll be able to slip away! We need to get back to the manor, _now_!"

The mole nodded approvingly.

"You're right sir. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can get down to business, eh?" He said as he turned around and eyed Nick, smiling as he met eyes with the fox.

Vladzotz just hissed deeply and nodded.

"Don't lecture _me_ , Lester! I know what I'm doing!"

"Of course you do sir, and I'm sure you'll get us back unscathed, as always." The mole then turned around and paced back to his seat, winking at Nick as he passed by.

The bat turned toward the bus driver.

" _Faster_!" He growled loudly.

The pig nervously teetered the wheel to the left, driving the bus down the the sloping road. He gulped before replying to the bat.

"I can't! If we go any faster, we could swerve off the edge on a turn! The roads leading to the Nocturnal-District through the mountains are too narrow and dangerous!" He stammered.

Vladzotz growled menacingly at the pig, clenching his claws against the heads of the seats that he held in his grip.

"Fine. Then _I'll_ do it." He declared broodingly, almost disappointingly. "Open the door!" The bat demanded.

The pig whimpered and quickly reached over to one of the buttons on his dashboard, pressing it with one of his shaking hooves. The door slid open seconds later, the rushing mountain winds howling through the opening in the bus as it drove down the road.

" _Get out_!" The bat shouted.

"Now?!" The pig asked timidly.

" _Now_." Vladzotz hissed, his voice dangerously low.

The bus-driver unbuckled his seat-belt and stood up. Vladzotz positioned himself into the driver's seat and manned the wheel himself. He then looked over to the portly bus-driver, who stood right next to him. Bearing his teeth, the bat administered a kick to the pig's back, who tumbled out of the open bus door and onto the pavement of the road, all while the bus was still driving at nearly thirty miles per hour. Vladzotz then lightly tapped the same button that the pig had pressed earlier, and shut the door with a smooth _click_. With his fangs bared maniacally, and his eyes burning with maddened determination and rage; Vlad floored the gas pedal, effectively causing the bus to lurch backward at the sudden acceleration, and sped down the road at an accelerated fifty miles per hour, heading straight towards the entrance to the gloomy Nocturnal-District.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter!**

 **I apologize if it's not as long as some of you would like, but for _this_ chapter, I wanted to specifically hone in on the perspective of Nick and Vladzotz as they continued their journey back to the Nocturnal-District. Judy got her time in the spotlight in the last chapter, and Nick got his in this one! **

**The coming chapter however, will be one of _both_ perspectives, and even a little bit of a certain Flappy-Bat friend of ours! :D**

 **I can't wait to show you guys what I got coming, and I hope you're all as excited as I am for the coming finale of the Vladzotz Arc!**

 **I intend on making the next chapter longer than this one, at the very least. One way or another, I assure you that it will be coming soon!**

 **But for now, let's focus on and enjoy this chapter: What did you all think of it? Do you like how I brought back Sprock and Russ? What do you think of Vladzotz's actions involving the bus driver? Feel free to answer these lovely questions in a review or PM! All are greatly appreciated, of course.**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	22. Endgame

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Quick author's note here, as I actually have two instrumental music suggestions for you to consider when reading through this particular chapter, both of which I believe fair extremely well when paired up with a corresponding section in the text: The first one pairs well with the second scene, and the second one pairs well with the third scene. You're more than welcome to listen to my suggestion, but you need not if you do not wish, of course. Do still enjoy.**

 **The first one: Davy Jones Organ Theme**

 **And the second: Outlast Official Soundtrack - 35 Now My Son**

 **That's all for now! Without any further ado, let's jump right into the 3rd arc finale of ' _When Instinct Falls_!' Feel free to leave a review once you finish! :)**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"The mind is not a vessel to be killed, but a fire to be to be dwindled." - Plutarch

* * *

So this is the way the world ends.

In a fiery inferno of misery, regret, and hopeless endeavors.

Judy knew what she was doing; She knew where she was going...

But she didn't know what awaited her.

As she drove her cruiser through the winding roads of the mountains surrounding the outskirts of Zootopia, she reminisced to many of her past arrests and throw-downs with her partner, Nick. She recalled one of her first; involving the Ram, Doug, and Bellwether's other goons: It had been a tense and unforgettable experience, and one she would always both remember, and cherish. She also thought back to the tussle in Bunny-Burrow with the Orin family, and how their acts of arson against her own family were finally put to rest.

However, she could only guess and hope for what awaited her in the plumbless depths of the Nocturnal-District.

The bunny shook her head and gathered her bearings as she retrained her eyes upon the road in front of her.

Although she was no criminal psychologist, she had taken a few minor courses back at the academy, and had learned what she could from them. Vladzotz showed all the symptoms of being a psychopath; His maniacal and disturbing smile, his revolting and uncaring perspective towards anything he deemed unimportant, his unwavering, almost irrational determination, and above all else, that crazy light that danced in his eyes. She was worried that she'd be having nightmares about those burning red eyes for a long time.

So now he had Nick: And Judy had to get him back. Simple enough as it was, but beneath the surface, it was an incredibly complicated and dangerous mission. It was her and about half-a-dozen other cruisers: all bound for the Nocturnal-District. In total, there were eleven police officers in that convoy, every single one locked and loaded for a daring mission. Chief Bogo was less than pleased to hear from Clawhauser that one of his top cops had been kidnapped, and might have overdone it with the rescue mission. Judy was confident in every single precinct member she had driving alongside her, but was a tad bit reluctant to find out that there would be nearly a dozen other officers risking their lives to rescue the life of one. Not that it mattered: Judy was ecstatic knowing that she would have such copious amounts of backup, and was certain that this mission would end up resolved with Nick back safe, and Vlad locked behind bars. From here on out, things could only get better, she liked to tell herself, again and again.

But still... She had her doubts.

The mobsters that worked for the bat, like Sprock and Russ: They didn't frighten her. Those crimson-clad criminals were no match for the ZPD... She hoped...

But in the end, what really worried her was Vladzotz. He'd demonstrated to her that he was willing to go to great and uncanny lengths to get what he wanted; from the butchering of that innocent antelope investigator to protect his arms-trade deals, to the kidnapping of her husband just to enact his own personal vengeance. The bunny knew that he wouldn't go down without a fight, and she had a sinking feeling that Vladzotz would stop at nothing to get his way in the end. That thought worried her.

But what worried her even more was the end result of this mission, assuming it even succeeded in the first place. Their main objective was to rescue Nick and get him home safely... But then what? Judy knew she'd have to face her demons sooner or later, and was anxious beyond comprehension to make amends with the fox that she loved.

Nick had more than a few skeletons in his closet, and Judy hadn't a clue how Bogo would react if he ever found out that Nick had killed before. Even worse, she hadn't a clue on how Nick himself would react to Judy's own advancements. For all she knew, the fox might shove her away and deny her re-acceptance and love. Like she had with him.

That thought made her sick with worry and anticipation. With misery and regret. With hopelessness and impurity.

Just as soon as a hot sensation began pulling at her gut, and tears started developing in the very corners of her eyes, her radio transmitter started buzzing, shaking both the dashboard and her conscious as it rang. She reached over and plucked it from it's holster, placing it to the side of her head as she thumbed down the communication button.

Sniffing and wiping her brow on her sleeve before speaking, she responded to the other side of the line.

"This is Officer Hopps, currently on Route Seventy-Four, headed towards the Nocturnal-District, over?"

Releasing her hold on the communication button, she listened intently to the voice that followed.

"Officer Hopps, this is Lt. Delgato, calling in to report a 10-56..." A brief moment of silence. "We found the body of a male pig on Route 63, a bus-driver from the transit station. We found him on the side of the road, broken and battered, but still alive. We called an emergency helicopter on the guy, but we lost a cruiser in the process: Someone had to stay behind to make sure he got home safe, but we still managed to get some Intel out of him. We figured you'd want to hear it... It's some important stuff."

Another pause, the only sound emanating from the transmitter being the static buzz of pure silence. Seconds later, Officer Delgato continued;

"Like I said, bus-driver from the transit station... But he got held-up as a hostage by the same guys we're lookin' for, apparently. Forced to drive them back and fourth."

Judy pressed the communication button on her side.

"How do you know it's the same guys? I would assume that Nick was being flown back to the Nocturnal-District, right?" The bunny inquired.

"According to Fangmeyer, the pig says that he was held at gunpoint by a raccoon: Guns like that are rare among civilians, and used only by cops and criminals, and I doubt that it was any of us that stuck him up. He also said that the bus he was pushed out of was filled with nocturnal mammals ranging from bats to raccoons and badgers."

That just about confirmed it. Judy replied back hastily;

"Alright, that's everything I need to know... Thanks Delgato!"

And with that, she promptly hung up the transmitter, severing the connection between her and the lion. She leaned back in her seat, heaving a sigh as she drummed her fingers on the wheel, the soft pattering noise soothing her anxiety. With the returning silence encompassing her senses, her mind wandered off: Back to the tides of thought.

She remembered the way Nick had looked at her the very last time she had seen him... Back before he had walked off and gotten himself kidnapped. His eyes were full of so much misery, and Judy could tell at the time that he wanted nothing more than to hug it out: To do something, anything to quell his overwhelming sense of regret.

But in the end, Judy had pushed him away... Called him an impostor and a monster... Told him to get lost and take a hike when he had needed her the most.

Now, she was the one stricken with regret. She was the one who needed him now more than ever, and Judy was worried that he would simply just turn his back on her.

She began to feel that pulling sensation in the pit of her stomach once again; but unlike last time, she fought against it.

She had no intentions on crying this one out: That wouldn't make her problems go away.

Instead, she sat up and gripped the wheel with forward determination, steadfast and more than ready to take back the love of her life from the claws of that beast.

Then, when all was said and done... When Nick was back home and safe in her arms... She would pour her heart out to him, and hope for forgiveness.

She added more pressure to the gas pedal beneath her right foot, accelerating the vehicle as it sped down the midnight horizon.

* * *

 _Somewhere in The Nocturnal-District_

At last...

The chains of anxiety fell from his back, clattering to the floor where they could hold him down no longer.

Now he had the edge: He finally had what he had been wanting for so long!

He stifled a throaty laugh, his large fangs clacking together as his jaw swung on it's hinges. Vladzotz had Nicholas right where he wanted him, and would relish every single moment of pain inflicted upon the conniving vulpine. After seven years of waiting, seven years of pain and fury, he would finally have his revenge. After all this time and effort, through times of great anguish and stress, the moment that he had been dreaming of was within his grasp, ready to be exploited to his heart's fullest of contents.

But despite his personal motives, he could never forget who this was _really_ about...

The bat stopped in his tracks.

He was pacing down one of the many long and dark hallways of his mansion, the solitude and tranquil silence of the environment around him sending chills of pleasure down his backbone. He loved the darkness, and he loved being alone: It was a common trait for his species, and he accepted it with pride and vigor. The mesmerizing purple swirls of the wallpaper had begun to peel in this particular hallway, but it failed to make him considerate of the fact that his home was on it's last steps.

This manor had been through so much over the years... it had stood erect and tall ever since the Nocturnal-District first opened it's borders. This house was the oldest one in the entire district, and unlike the modernized urban-sprawl of houses made of rock and stone, his was made of wood and splinters, a testament to the days of old. Despite the clean and prosperous appearance from the outside, his manor was old and rickety from within: The wood that lined the walls of his home was ancient, and the wallpaper was peeling and flaking upon the floor, especially in the oldest sections of his manor.

A large chunk of his mansion had burned down from the fire: The fire caused by that wretched fox... The fire that had claimed the lives of his family.

The bat shook his head, pushing that thought form his conscious.

But still... Even though much was lost to the physical inferno of the fox's sins, a good portion of the house had survived, and once the wreckage was cleaned up, the manor was outfitted with new upgrades and a more modern style in replacement to the rooms that were destroyed. Yet despite the pristine condition of the newer sections, the older parts that had originally survived the fire were crumbling and nearing destruction. But in the end, the bat did not care. In fact, he even preferred the older rooms a lot more.

He liked being in the old rooms by himself, alone and with his thoughts... With his memories.

He raised his wing and traced the tips of his claws along the length of the wall to his left. As he walked, he ran them down the wallpaper, gently caressing the smooth folds of wood and brick, slightly wincing each time his claws came into contact with a scorch patch.

Vladzotz may have used his claws for killing his enemies; For rending apart anything that stood in his way...

But he was gentle with them only to the likes of his own home. He kept his claws incredibly sharp and well-preserved, yet he left no scratches or indentions in the walls as he ran his talons down their length. He breathed in the musty and rustic smell... A leathery sort of scent that he very much enjoyed. His appreciation towards his manor was purposeful, as he had long since realized and considered the idea that the older parts of his mansion were a symbol: A manifestation of defying what tried to pull you down.

These walls had survived that fire from seven years ago, and have stood undisturbed ever since. They represented hope through the smoke... Through the flames...

That was why Vladzotz cared so much for what he had left. He may have been a wealthy and powerful mammal, but he didn't consider himself such.

Because the only things he had ever truly cared about had perished in that fire of seven years past.

Vladzotz wasn't sure whether that made him humble or stubborn, but in his eyes, it mattered not which.

Because at last... At last he would harvest the fruits of his labors, and avenge the deaths of his family.

Ever since they met their fate long ago, Vlad had relentlessly pursued the arsonist behind his manors destruction... the murderer behind his family's death.

It was the number one objective in his mind.

And now, he had at last caught up to Nicholas Wilde, and would make him pay for his sins.

A smile crept upon his muzzle, parting his lips and revealing his razor sharp fangs to the world. He could only imagine the feeling of helplessness the fox was feeling now.

But as his criminal comrades roughed-up the fox, and prepared him for his final judgment, Vladzotz himself retreated to the deepest and oldest depths of his manor, seeking to do one final thing before he finally avenged the murder of his family. He removed his wing from the wall, and reached into the single pocket on the front of his double-breasted vest, pulling out the one thing he cherished more than the remnants of his manor that had survived the fire from so long ago.

It was a silver locket. He pulled it from his pocket by a long and beaded chain which ran through the oval-shaped pendant that dangled at the bottom of the chain. He cupped the pendant in the claw-tips of one wing, and ever-so gently opened the lid of the pendant with the claws on his opposing wing.

Inside the locket was the last remaining photograph of his family... All the others had been incinerated in the fire, save for the single and tiny family portrait that the bat kept with him at all times.

Through the glass, Vladzotz gazed down at the expression of his now deceased wife, who smiled warmly directly into the lens of the camera. Lowering his vision ever so slightly, he could see his two children, small and young as they were when the photo was taken.

This locket was the only thing that kept him from forgetting his dead children's faces.

That thought made him mad.

He closed the locket and tucked it away back into the very same pocket he had retrieved it from, which happened to be positioned directly over his heart. He resumed his journey to the heart of his mansion, where his favorite room lay hidden deep within the depths of his manor.

With his wings creased and claws enveloped within the folds of skin on his wings, he walked on all fours to one of the largest rooms in his house, eventually reaching the thick wooden doors that parted this room from the rest of the house. He slammed his wings against the doors, flinging them open as he entered the new room.

There wasn't much in this room, even though it was spacious and had much room to fill in. The walls were adorned with many expensive paintings, ranging from self-portraits of himself to landscapes of the Nocturnal-District. But the centerpiece in the room was the massive organ, which was centered in the middle of the farthest wall form the entrance. Vladzotz stared down the over-sized piano as he closed the distance between himself and the aforementioned organ, with it's huge brass pipes rising high and nearly touching the roof of the room. He eyes the nearby stool that rested at the base of the organ, but soon pushed that idea from his mind: The bat wasn't a fan of sitting down, as his kind usually rested by hanging from above, wrapping their wings around their bodies like blankets.

Vladzotz had no intentions of resting however, and walked right up to the base of the organ before flipping open it's lid, revealing the shiny ivory keyboard. As he stared down the many keys, he closed his eyes and breathed in slowly, a chill of euphoric indulgence settling down his spine once again. He pulled the locket from it's hiding place and placed it upon the surface of the organ. He then raised his wings and positioned the tips of his claws above the keyboard, hovering just inches from the glossy surface.

And then, with an exhale of baited breath, he began to play.

His talons gently glided over the surface, pressing down upon the keys as he listened to his musical creation: Tacotta and Fugue, it was called.

A beautiful piece as it was. He knew and cared not for who had created it, but greatly admired the sounds that emanated from the hollowed brass pipes of the organ.

The reverberating chords of bass filled the house, shaking the foundation of the room. As time went on, Vladzotz began to play with more intensity, picking up his speed and putting more pressure on the keys as he pressed them down. There was no need for music sheets of any sorts, for the bat had the entire piece memorized. He had played it many times; hundreds, if not thousands of times in masterful repetition. He knew the song from start to finish by heart. It was his favorite: Always had been, and will be.

The bat wasn't sure why he loved this piece so much. Perhaps it simply reminded him of good times past, and long forgotten memories of joy and pleasure with his family.

But now, he translated those memories into anger and sorrow. The bat clenched his eyes shut along with his jaw, his eyelids clamping tight and blocking off all sense of sight.

He now played the organ blind, but it didn't even faze him. His body swayed to the sounds as his talons still glided over the keyboard, drumming each note respectively and without flaw. All the while, the bat was very much aware of his silver locket, which lay still and unmoving on the wooden surface of the organ.

After some time had passed, he finally finished his song, holding the final note for a full five seconds before releasing, effectively ending the piece for good.

He sighed longingly and turned his head to the right, glancing at the locket on the surface of the organ. He shuffled over and plucked it from the organ, taking one last look at it before slipping it away and back into his pocket.

"I will avenge you, my beloved... And I know that you will be alongside me as I serve justice to the filth that took you from this world... That took you from me..."

The bat muttered to himself, gazing into the distance at nothing in particular...

Though in his shattered mind, he thought for a moment that he saw the beautiful eyes of his old wife, staring back at him through the darkness in the corner of the room.

Vladzotz then turned tail and set out for the area where Nicholas Wilde was being held, intent on passing judgement for his sins.

* * *

The bat crept to the inner garden court-yard, where the fox's judgment was arranged to take place.

As he made his way down the length of another hallway, one of his comrades turned around the corner, apparently coming from the same place where Vladzotz was heading himself. It was the mole, Lester, who was no-doubt intending to track the bat down and notify him of the fox's current state.

Instead, when he reared the corner, he suddenly stopped and took a step back in trepidation, as his boss happened to be right on top of him: Notwhat he expected.

"I take it you're looking for me, no?" The bat questioned, his fangs still stained and dripping with blood.

Vladzotz watched as the mole swallowed and reorganized himself, but the bat could tell that he was still slightly shaken. Vlad didn't blame him, though: The bat's species wasn't exactly revered for it's sense of gracefulness or appeal, and Vladzotz has long since grown accustomed to looks of fear or surprise, even from the likes of his own businessmen and associates.

For as ruthless as he may have been to his competitors and enemies, Vladzotz cared greatly for his comrades and henchmen, always trying to treat them like a second family, almost. The bat enjoyed being alone and to himself, mostly, but he still got lonely every once and a while: Knowing that there was a small army of mammals that had his back as much as he had theirs made him very appreciative.

But he still noticed the surprise and fear that was momentarily suspended in their expressions whenever he flew down from above, or materialized from the shadows.

Vladzotz also considered the fact that some of his men might be scared of him for what he does, more than what he looked like. Whenever the bat was presented with the unfortunate soul of an interloper, snooping police officer, whistle-blower, or anyone he despised, he would often kill them in private and away from the eyes of his men. Vladzotz didn't want fear to be the dominant force within the hierarchy of his own mob. He was smart, and understood that respect was the key to a successful organization.

But whenever his men heard the agonized screams of Vladzotz's victims as they were torn apart by his claws, they couldn't help but feel at the mercy of the bat lord.

Meanwhile, Lester watched as a single drop of saliva fell from the bat's fangs and splashed onto the carpet below. After gathering his bearings, he spoke:

"Nick Wilde is ready, sir. He's all yours." The mole said.

"Excellent... Any luck with retracing that rabbit?" The bat asked, his eyes narrowing in anticipation.

The mole just shook his head.

"No sir. The others couldn't manage to find her, unfortunately."

Vladzotz bared his fangs and snarled, causing Lester to back away a few steps in apprehension of the bat lord's fury.

"No matter! I will slaughter that insolent vulpine, and once I'm through with him, we'll track down the rabbit and make sure she doesn't live to see tomorrow's light!"

The bat then pushed his way past the mole, making his way towards the court-yard entrance. He slammed his wings on the surface of the purple-oaken doors that hid the courtyard from the rest of the manor, and filed through the doors as they swung back into place, a loud and startling **thud** echoing through the outside court-yard as the doors made contact with the walls once again.

The mansion's garden wasn't very large, but it was choked full of many different plants; the majority of which were able to thrive in the darkness of the Nocturnal-District. There was no sunshine, but from above, the bat could make out the soothing glow of the glow-worms that clung to the cavern ceiling, emitting ample amounts of light for even the surface-dwellers to see well enough down here...

For as lovely as all the sights were, it was nothing he hadn't seen before.

The main attraction in the center of the garden was the only thing that put a smile on the bat's face.

A small square of empty earthen soil, piled up with blocks of wood and branches, the likes of which constructed a small wall, almost. A single rod of wood thicker than the rest shot up from the pile, jutting towards the dome of the cavern's ceiling.

It was a pyre, built with scraps of wood and other materials. Standing by it's side was Sprock, who held a Jerry-can of gasoline in his paws. Russ the badger stood on the opposing side of the wooden pyre, a large and smoking cigar sticking out from between his lips.

But in the center, tied upright and vertical to the largest wooden board, was the fox Nicholas Wilde.

Vladzotz smiled darkly, taking in the sight of his nemesis tied helpless and tight against the pyre, bound by thick ropes across his torso, his paws tied together too.

"Hmm... Hope you like barbecue!" The bat shouted out to the fox, grinning maniacally. "We're about to have one!"

Nick raised his head from his chest and looked up: He had a black-eye, and a thousand yard stare that stretched past the bat in front of him. His gaze finally settled on Vladzotz, and tears began welling up in his eyes. He looked like he was about to say something, but stopped himself and held his words. The bat spoke out again;

"One barbecued fox! Well done, please!" His maniacal grin resurfaced, spreading his lips and displaying his blood-stained fangs.

And with that, Sprock began sprinkling the contents of his Jerry-Can across the pyre, dousing the wood with gasoline. Russ shuffled forward and positioned himself next to his boss, who was chuckling softly to himself all the while. Once Sprock had poured a satisfactory amount of gasoline across the wooden base of the pyre, he too joined the bat and badger as they all stood side-by-side, admiring the end-product of seven years of hunting.

* * *

Nick himself was woozy: Those thugs hadn't gone easy on him as soon as Vladzotz handed him over to them...

But now, facing the bat lord himself, the fox started to think that getting beaten by those mobsters would be a better deal right about now.

He just stood there and watched as Sprock dabbled the gasoline in little splashes across his feet... It wouldn't have taken that much to get a fire going...

The fox sighed.

So this is how it ends, huh? Definitely not the way I imagined going out... He thought to himself.

Vladzotz's deep and raspy voice demanded the attention of the fox once again.

"So this is how it ends, Nicholas... The same way that my family perished to... In the fires of your own reckless ignorance. You brought this upon yourself, old chum."

The bat's mocking and sardonic words felt like punches to the fox's abdomen, each word sending jolts of pain across his body.

"And now, after seven years of misery and pain..." The bat hissed, sending globs of blood flying across the space in front of him. "I will finally watch you burn."

The bat let loose a drawn-out and maddened laugh, throwing his wings back and flapping them slightly as his insane laughs echoed across the court-yard.

"And you... You will finally feel what it is like to die. Your body will incinerate to ashes, and you will die a death identical to the ones you bestowed upon my family."

Nick knew that there was almost nothing more painful and horrid than burning to death. Because the following minutes would be ones of terrible agony and pain, the fox took his final moments of sanity and peace to reminisce about the greatest thing that ever happened to him.

 _Judy_...

Vladzotz's voice derailed his train of thought, severing him of the mental image of his dearest beloved.

"Goodbye, Nicholas. And one last thing..."

The bat then leaned forward until he was almost nose to nose with Nick. He smiled darkly, showing off his crimson-painted fangs.

"I'll take care of your wife, Judith... She'll be sure to meet an end just as painful as yours."

Vlad then nodded to the badger at his side, who returned the same gesture before plucking the cigar from his mouth, and throwing it into the gasoline soaked wood.

* * *

Nick didn't feel anything at first. He hoped that it wasn't because the fire was so hot that it felt like nothing was there at all in the first place.

He eyed the base of the pyre below his feet, and watched as the smoldering wrapper from the cigar came into contact with the wooden blocks and branches. Soon enough, an inkling of a flame sputtered to life; small tufts of smoke drifting off from the burning gasoline. It started to spread, and pretty quick, at that, with the flames growing in size and intensity as more and more gasoline was set ablaze.

There wasn't much of the flammable liquid, as it was clear that Vladzotz wanted Nick to slowly roast to death, the bat ensured that only small amounts of gasoline were used in the execution. He seemed to be relying on the wooden blocks more, and Nick would have tried kicking them away, if not for the fact that his feet were bound and tied to the base of the pyre as well. Eventually, the wooden blocks started to catch fire themselves, the more powerful flames tickling at the toes of the fox, causing a prickling and almost chilly sensation in his feet.

He was about to spit at Vladzotz - He wanted the last thing he did to that bat to be something humiliating - But was interrupted when a shrill sound pierced the air;

" _NICK_!"

The fox was suddenly thrown from the pyre as a weight crashed into his side, snapping the wooden pole that he was tied to and sending him careening away from the scorching flames of the wooden pyre. As the pole broke, tufts of smoldering wood chips and even entire blocks of flaming wood were sent flying through the air, landing in the patches of plants surrounding the pyre. The nearby Jerry-can was knocked over and to the side, spilling some of the remaining contents across the patio.

After sliding a few feet, his body eventually made traction against the ground. He then looked up at his savior, and felt his broken heart slowly stitch itself back together.

Lying on top of him, her paws still clutched tight against the folds of rope that enveloped the fox's body, was none other than his favorite dumb bunny.

"Judy?!" He shouted out.

"Nick!" She shouted back.

" _WHAT_?!" The voice of Vladzotz roared from behind.

The bunny turned her head and stared at the bat lord, locking eyes with him momentarily. His eyes burned with a seemingly impossible amount of bewilderment and rage. A loud banging sound caused all the mammals in the court-yard to turn towards the large oaken doors that led to the inside of the manor, which suddenly blew open, half-a-dozen officers running towards the center of the court-yard. Through another set of doors to the left of the first ones, half-a-dozen more officers charged towards the commotion.

All the while, the flaming chunks of wood that had settled in the garden had set fire to some of the plants, and was quickly spreading around the pasture.

Judy eyed Vladzotz as he slowly turned in a circle, taking in the sight of his defeat. His body was shaking fervidly and his mouth was starting to foam around the edges.

"No... No..." The bat clamped his wings against his head as if he had a migraine. "I won't fail you... Not again..." He muttered.

The bunny wasn't sure who the bat was referring to, and was about to get to her feet and start reciting the 'You have the right to remain silent' speech to him, but was stopped in her tracks when the bat suddenly threw back his head and let loose a horrible screech, causing the bunny to press her paws against her sensitive ears in an effort to drown out the awful sound. She saw nearly every other officer present do the same thing, and through her muffled ear-drums, she heard Vladzotz cry out in immortalizing insanity.

"I will not be denied what is rightfully mine!"

The bat then lunged, but not at Nick and Judy, or anyone else for that matter.

His talons instead came into contact with the spilt Jerry-can, which he knocked aside in the direction of the pack of officers that had him half-surrounded. The gasoline canister slid for several yards, spilling out every drop of liquid it had before coming to a stop at the feet of the elk, officer Tarviston, who stood at the front of the group. Vladzotz then swiped at the raccoon that stood at his side, tearing open his trench-coat pockets and dropping everything he had in them to the ground in a cluttered mess.

The bat quickly pulled out something shiny and black from the pile, grasping it unsteadily in his long claws before pointing it at the canister.

"He's got a gun!" The elk shouted, causing many of the officers to dive off to the side.

The next thing Judy knew, a small fiery explosion ripped through the surrounding wooden walls, sending flaming globs of gasoline raining down upon everything around the area. The bunny desperately began pulling Nick, who was still tied up, away from the raining flames and ensuing chaos.

It was only later that she would find out that Vladzotz had intentionally shot the gasoline canister, creating a small explosion in the courtyard.

Using her police-issued knife, she started to cut through the ropes that had Nick bound to the wooden pole. After a few seconds of cutting, and when most of the rope had been removed, Judy spared a glance up to get a glimpse of the leftover carnage around her.

In the spot where the Jerry-can had exploded, a flaming pool of gasoline was burning away at the ground, only adding to the mass of fire that was already consuming the garden. The explosion had blown out the windows surrounding the entrance to the court-yard, and had set ablaze large portions of the wooden frame-work of the house around the aforementioned doors. From her brief moment of scanning, Judy reasoned that most of the officers had gotten away from the can safely before it had exploded, but the bunny found herself staring at the unmoving body of one officer that she didn't recognize, and another office, the polar bear, Grizzoli, was rolling on the ground trying to put out the flames that had encompassed his clothing.

Soon enough, Judy had finished cutting through the ropes, and was helping Nick get to his feet when a flash of leathery blackness soared through her line of vision, and when the flash had disappeared, Nick was no longer standing next to her. She glanced to her left, and saw Nick wrestling within the claws of Vladzotz as the two of them tumbled through the open door, down the hallway and into the house. Judy was tempted to chase after them, but first, took to helping Grizzoli put out the fire eating at his clothing.

Meanwhile, Nick was busy trying not to die.

It took every ounce of strength that he had to hold back the bat's arms his he tried swiping at him with his massive claws, occasionally taking shots and missing.

It was only when Vladzotz pulled himself to his feet and hunched over on all fours, ready to pounce, that Nick realized brute force wasn't the way to deal with this.

So he turned around and ran.

Was there any question or doubt in his mind?

Nope. He just ran. He didn't have any weapons to defend himself, after all. He'd much rather take his chances inside the crumbling and burning house than with the bat, who was screaming bloody-murder while chasing him. As the fox ran, he continued turning corners and trying to put some distance between him and the bat, but when he spared a glance behind him, his eyes were met with the sight of Vladzotz practically tearing apart his manor's own hallways, as he used his claws to pull himself forward toward Nick.

Both mammals were screaming as they ran; One in utter fear and terror, the other in maddened and wretched cries of insanity and blood-lust.

Least to say, Nick ran faster than he ever had in his entire life.

Eventually, he turned a corner and sprinted into a burning room: Fire was devouring the walls and furniture, turning the mostly wooden material into ash and dust. It was evident that the explosion earlier had eaten away at larger portions of the house as it spread. A part of the roof above the exit had collapsed, blocking the way out. Now, the only escape was through the way he came. Only problem being...

The fox turned around to a guttural growling sound behind him.

Vladzotz was now taking his time as he paced towards Nick. The bat knew that the fox had no way of escaping this one: He was cornered in a crumbling room choked full of fire and smoke, with his only way out blocked by the approaching bat, whose wings were now spread, filling the entire hallway with leathery blackness.

"End of the line, fox!" The bat laughed crazily, his eyes burning with hate and anticipation. "You have no way out this time!"

Nick just couldn't believe it.

His mansion was burning down, and everything he owned was being reduced to cinders; yet here he way, psychotically laughing as he taunted the fox.

"Why, Vladzotz?!" Nick found himself shouting. "It doesn't have to end like this! You can still walk away from all this!" The fox gestured at the raging fires around them.

Another part of the roof collapsed, landing depressingly close to the bat as he picked his way across the wreckage, closing the distance between himself and the fox.

"Is this what they would have wanted?" The fox asked loudly. "This madness? This insanity? All this pain and misery? Let it go, Vlad!"

The bat planted his talons into the ground, embedding them within the floor-boards beneath his feet. His eyes were smoldering with unparalleled rage and fury.

The last time Nick had witnessed such aggressive and crazed behavior was during the Night-Howlers case, dealing with all those savage mammals.

That was what Vladzotz looked like right then. He looked more than just crazy or insane... He looked downright savage.

"You don't know anything about them..." The bat snarled menacingly. "And you never will! Your life ends here!"

"Don't do this, Vladzotz! Back away!" The fox shouted.

The bat swiped at him, slicing through a board of wood that was behind his head. Nick scurried off and cornered himself a few feet farther away from the bat.

"Who are you to stand against me?!" Vlad hissed. "I've wanted nothing more than to _tear you apart_ for the past _seven_ years, and you think words will stop me _now_?!"

The bat lunged again, his claws cutting straight through another wooden plank that supported the ceiling. The fox dodged just as the bat flew past, effectively slamming into a burning pile of rubble. He writhed around and got to his feet, harshly twisting his head towards the fox, staring him down with anger and hate.

Nick spoke out to the bat, his intentions were truthful and just... He didn't want this to happen...

"Vladzotz, I'm not trying to stop you, I'm trying to save you... Save you from yourself! If you keep doing this, you'll only make things even worse!"

The fox positioned himself in front of another foundation column... He was trying everything he could to dissuade the bat. He didn't want it to end like this... Not at all.

"No!" The bat shouted once more. "This isn't for me!" He clawed at his chest, cutting away at his vest and exposing his torso, which was now covered with cuts and slices from his own claws. As his shirt tore away, something dropped to the floor, clattering against the wooden floor-boards as it hit the ground.

Vladzotz dipped down and tenderly plucked the silver thing from the ground, which appeared to be some sort of necklace, or pendant of some kind.

The bat then fiddled with it, opening the oval-shaped pendant and staring into whatever was inside. As the house burned down around him, and his mind was at last pushed over the edge and into oblivion, Nick saw a flicker of something he'd never seen before in the bat: Regret. Vladzotz began crying, his tears falling to the ground and pattering on the shredded remnants of his vest. His deep voice then spoke out impossibly softly, but loud enough for the fox to detect past the sound of the gunfire from just outside.

"It was never for me... It was for them." The bat spoke out. "It has always been for them."

Vladzotz dropped to his knees, the necklace slipping from between his claws and clattering to the ground. Nick stared at it, and a heavy blanket of empathy settled.

It was a locket. Inside, a miniature photograph of a family of bats... Nick knew without thinking that it was Vladzotz's family: The one that he had lost in that fire.

Now here they were, fighting the same feud in the same mansion, with a new fire raging through the property. The irony made Nick sick with regret and disgust.

Nick exhaled, and took a step forward.

And another.

Until he was standing right next to the bat, with his paw on his shoulder as he knelt, weeping over the locket on the ground.

Nick didn't know what to say, or do, for that matter.

He'd never imagined the day when he'd see himself comforting the same mammal that had wanted him dead for so long.

And he'd never imagined Vladzotz crying. He'd never even imagined that the bat was even capable of empathetic emotion for the longest time.

But here, against all odds and beliefs, Nick Wilde had his hand on the shoulder of Vladzotz Fangpyre, gripping him with a sense of consideration and understanding.

In the upper corner of his line of sight, Nick saw Judy and a number of other officers turn the corner down the length of the hallway, and come to face with the sight of Nick comforting the bat lord as he wept on the ground, flames enveloping the entire room, the sweltering heat of the fire causing the fox to feel almost dizzy.

Nick saw one of Vladzotz's red eyes dart upwards, briefly locking with his own.

This time, Nick saw no tears in his eyes, anymore: Only that same burning flame of insanity that had consumed him earlier.

Not good.

The fox only had seconds to react before the bat slashed his talons upward, hitting Nick across the chest with the duller side of his claws. The impact of the swipe sent him flying backwards and slamming into the wooden column that he had been bracing himself against earlier. He heard the board emit a slight cracking sound as his back slammed into it. Nick felt a warm feeling of a liquid trickling down his chest, and knew without checking that he was bleeding. He was beyond thankful that the bat had struck him with the duller side of his claws, causing him to fly back instead of causing him to split in half.

Vladzotz hauled himself to his feet, chuckling as he eyed the fox sprawled out before him.

"You don't... Know me... _Fox_!" Vlad spoke with heaving breaths.

Nick noticed that the bat's locket was still on the ground near his clawed feet, part of the chain hidden beneath one of his toes.

"And you can't stop me... From doing what must be done."

With that, the bat lunged toward Nick, his claws fully extended and his massive wings spread to their full length. The fox did as he had done twice before: rolling out of the way at the last second, causing Vladzotz to crash into the pole, snapping it as his momentum collided with the column. Nick scampered away, and hoped that his plan would work.

Nick thought he heard Judy yell something from somewhere behind the bat, but her voice was blocked out by the horrible crunching sound of something breaking.

His plan worked perfectly. But in the end, he wished that there could have been another way.

As Nick rolled away and Vladzotz crashed into the final support column, the remainder of the crumbling roof gave way, chunks of the ceiling falling and burying the bat in a wooden tomb of fire and boards. Just before the roof collapsed atop of him, Nick saw Vladzotz look above at the ceiling, and then spare one final hate-filled glare at him before tucking his wings against his body, seemingly embracing his fate as the room then caved down atop him. Unfortunately, Nick only thought out that much of his plan.

As the bat was buried beneath the flaming rubble of the ceiling, Nick was buried right along with him, and felt a sharp pain in his back as the wooden boards fell from the ceiling and enveloped him in his own tomb of foundation and flame.

* * *

Judy watched in horror as the remainder of the room collapsed atop the forms of both Vladzotz, and her husband.

When the smoke and dust had mostly cleared, she stared at the wreckage and saw Nick's upper body sticking out from the pile of flaming boards. She quickly ran over to him and pulled him out, the adrenaline rendering the task quite easy as it was. Around them, the hot fire continued to spread quickly and eat away at the foundation of the room.

She helped the fox to his feet, wrapping one of his arms across her shoulder and holding him tight against her own body, all while tears of joy and sadness fell from her eyes.

"Come on, Nick! We have to get out of here! The entire house is falling apart!" She yelled at both him and the other officers, who immediately reacted; scooping the bunny and fox off of the ground and sprinting towards the nearest exit.

Soon enough, the pack of officers burst through the front door, officer McHorn carrying Nick and Judy in his arms, and several other officers wrestling with the writhing bodies of Sprock and Russ, who were being directed away from the burning manor along with everyone else. Judy didn't know what happened to all the other mobsters that were present within the house during the raid, but as they ran from the manor, the bunny saw several crimson-clad coons, moles, and badgers tripping over themselves as they escaped the burning house through windows and other openings.

After the officers had all distanced themselves reasonably well from the burning mansion, they all turned around and watched dutifully as the manor gave way at last.

Nick in particular was silent during the whole ordeal. He watched in muted sorrow as the remainder of the bat's manor, now full engulfed in flames, collapsed to the ground.

The fox knew that somewhere within the flaming wreckage was the body of the bat lord; who had perished at his own hands as he had tried to kill Nick.

He silently wept for the manor, he silently wept for the long and nearly forgotten souls of the family of bats that had died in a fire much like this those seven years ago...

But most of all, he silently wept for Vladzotz.

Despite the countless atrocities he had committed in his lifetime, Nick felt for him. This entire time, Vladzotz was only trying to quell the internal rage of losing his family.

The bat lord had finally met his end from his own actions though, and had passed away in the flaming wreckage of his own manor as it burned to the ground.

The fox felt a squeezing pressure against his right paw, and glanced over to it's source: Judy, who was physically crying; the tears dripping through the fur on her cheeks.

Nick reached over and grasped her in a hug, embracing her shaking form within the grip of his arms, which clung tight to her body as she cried into his shoulder. For minutes that felt like an eternity, the only sound emanating from the group of officers was the stifled cries of fox and bunny, holding one another in loving embrace.

Meanwhile, the mansion had finally collapsed: And was now nothing more than a smoldering pile of rubble and regret. A thick pillar of smoke was rising from the wreckage; drifting high and all the way to the surface of the cavern's ceiling, where it blocked out the light of the glow-worms, dimming the entire area around the fire.

It was a sad sight.

As the other officers filed in and packed their things, preparing to dispatch back to the station, neither fox nor bunny left the side of the other the entire time.

Eventually, another police cruiser pulled over to the scene, and Chief Bogo himself stepped out from the passenger seat and paced over to the commotion, his gaze long and blank as he stared down the smoldering ruins of what was once the House of Fangs. It was a fair trip to here all the way out from Precinct One, but he had made it anyway.

Nick was standing far away from the wreckage, but with his eyes trained on it solemnly. Chief Bogo lumbered over to the fox, and stood by his side.

The water buffalo sighed. "The world used to be a bigger place, didn't it?" He asked.

Without averting his gaze from the rising columns of ash and smoke, Nick responded with the truth, as ugly as it was.

"The world's still the same. There's just..." The fox swallowed and gestured toward the ruins. "Less in it."

Some of the officers had retreated back to the station, taking Sprock and Russ with them as they drove away. Eventually, only four cruisers were left, including the one Bogo had driven in with Officer Delgato. The Nocturnal-District's small-sized fire department eventually found it's way to the wreckage, and put out the remainder of the fire their hoses. All the remaining officers stayed behind and both directed pedestrian traffic away from the manor, and assisted the fire-officers in digging through the wreckage, cleaning up the area and salvaging what little they could find.

The manor was huge, and it took many hours of hard work, but eventually most of the ruins had been sorted through, the wreckage cleaned out and removed. There were no bodies found within the rubble, and most of the house's contents and adornments had been incinerated in the fire, the second to ever blaze through the manor. The only difference this time, was the fact that nothing had survived the fire. But despite the lack of evidence and leftover remnants of the bat lord's home, it was Nick himself that a found a single silver talisman within the smoldering rubble; It's once shiny surface stained with soot and ash. Nick reluctantly picked it up and opened it, staring inside...

The glass was slightly cracked, but within the lid of the pendant, the portrait of Vladzotz's family was still intact.

Nick heard Judy call out to him from somewhere behind, and the fox quickly closed shut the pendant before slipping it away and into his pocket.

"Nick? Have you found any trace of Vlad's body?" The bunny asked flatly, her gaze looking to the side when the fox turned around and stared down at her.

"No... Nothing at all." He replied in that same monotone voice.

The two of them stood there, ankle-deep in the manor's rubble, not speaking a single word or uttering a single sound.

The silence was as choking as the fumes that were wafting from the wreckage.

Sick of so many things, regretful of so many choices, Nick didn't want this part of his life to get away...

He picked his way through the ruins, closing the distance between him and his wife, who was still staring at the ground, her eyes glazed over and thoughtless as they were.

The fox then scooped her up in another hug, holding her as close to his body as he possibly could. He felt her heave within his arms, choking back tears of her own.

"Nick... I'm sorry for what I said to you. I'm so sorry." She stifled through deep and wheezing breaths.

He held her even tighter, and began tracing his paws down her spine and back up. Unlike the last time he had tried such a technique, the bunny did not pull away.

Instead she just stood there, crying in his arms. At the end of things, there was no where else she'd rather be.

In his arms she felt safe and secure, warm and welcomed, cared for and loved, above all else...

She lifted her gaze and stared into his eyes: His were hazy and red from crying, but he currently shed no tears to the likes of their reunion. He smiled warmly as he stared down at her, his handsome green eyes piercing into her beautiful violet ones, igniting a sense of longing and passion that hadn't been felt for too long...

Simultaneously, the two mammals wrapped their paws around the backs of each-other's heads and pulled one another into a long and drawn-out kiss.

For the ensuing time that followed, neither creature could recall how long they had been locked in loving embrace, their lips mended together in harmonic forgiveness.

They heard no sounds and thought of nothing else but each-other. They were all that mattered, and all that were.

Eventually, the bunny pulled away from her mate, staring deep into his eyes once again as their kiss severed, but their hearts continued to beat rapidly in their chests.

"A wise bunny once told me that true love means never having to say sorry." Nick said aloud, a half-lidded smirk surfacing on his face.

Judy smiled, sniffling and wiping her eyes with the sleeve on her uniform before responding.

"That bunny must be pretty stupid..." She muttered jokingly, but with a slight undertone of miserable regret.

The fox just smiled and ruffled his paws through the fur on the top of Judy's head, the perspiration causing it to stick on end and jut up at peculiar angles.

"You got that right, Carrots." He chuckled softly to himself "But I'd say she's still a hell of a lot smarter than a certain dumb fox that I know." He said pointing to himself.

He then leaned down and nuzzled the top of his forehead against hers, rubbing his fur through her own. Judging by the placid and soothing purrs that she emitted, Nick reasoned that he had at last made sweet amends with his beloved sly bunny.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

After the wreckage had been cleaned up and the tears had dried, all the officers were dismissed from duty for the rest of the night. Nick and Judy were driven all the way back to their apartment by their jackal friend, officer Anhur Varicke. Both of tiny officers seated themselves in the front seat, and didn't break their connection through the entire ride back, grasping each-other tenderly in an embraceable hug all the way until their front doorstep was in sight.

They thanked the jackal for the ride before ascending the staircase and entering their apartment, retreating to the bedroom all while they ardently stripped each-other down and grasped one another in fervid and passionate caresses.

They fell back and onto the bed, though it didn't stop them in their feverish assault of one another. They kissed and stroked each-other as they lay nude and atop one another in the bed, the thin sheet covering their lower bodies as they ravished each-other.

In the end, they did not make love that night, but made sweet and steamy amends through their actions, if only for one to show the other that they still loved them.

The two mammals eventually subsided their lustful and heated desires, curling up in a warm and loving embrace as they slept away the folds of the night.

Although their clothes were earlier thrown haphazardly across their apartment as they made their way to the bedroom, the fox made sure to delicately and respectfully place the soot-stained silver locket upon the kitchen counter, reverently admiring it as the last remaining memory of the bat lord, who was now gone from this world...

Though deep down, Nick hoped that somewhere out there, Vladzotz had finally been reunited with his family.

Nick would never forget the flames of the past and the fires of his sins... He would treasure that locket for everything it once stood for, and everything it stood for now.

Vladzotz Fangpyre was dead at last.

His rain of terror upon the world was over, and the only thing that remained was the memories embedded in the fox and bunny's conscious, and the silver pendant of his family, which now lay peacefully upon the counter-top, it's surface glittering with a soft luster in the light of the moon, which hung bright and fervid in the night sky.

Nick could only hope that what was to come would be all the better.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Wow, this is it! This chapter took hours to write up and polish, but here we are at the end of the third arc of 'When Instinct Falls!'**

 **I couldn't have done it without you guys, as every follow, favorite and review encourages me to continue with my work, bringing my many ideas to fruition.**

 **I thank each and every one of you for everything you've helped me accomplish, and I sincerely hope that you enjoyed this finale to the third arc.**

 **But don't be mistaken: 'When Instinct Falls' still has some gas in it's tank, and more chapters will be coming soon enough! The fourth (and perhaps final) arc is already well into development, and I can't wait to show you all what I got in store!**

 **But until then, please tell me what you think of this chapter, especially dealing with the organ scene, the death of Vladzotz, and the reunion of our two favorite mammals! I would also like to know if you perhaps took the time to follow through with the link I presented, and if you did, I hope you enjoyed the lovely music, as I think it just goes so well with Vladzotz's character!**

 **That being said, I would like to point out that, in fact, one of Vladzotz's personality inspirations is Davy Jones from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. He's one of my favorite movie villains, and I believe that his organ theme is just perfect with the scene of Vladzotz as he played his own organ.**

 **Anyhow, feel free to tell me what you think in PM or a review, and I hope you all enjoyed the ride so far, and join me on the coming adventures through the fourth arc, coming your way soon! :D**

 **Thanks for everything once again, and as always...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: I would just like to remind new readers that the story only gets better from here on out in terms of writing quality, characterization, and storytelling. Keep it up, and I promise you won't be disappointed.**


	23. Pax

"In times of peace, prepare for war." - Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus

* * *

About time that they didn't have something trying to kill one of them.

After going through hell and back, descending down every burning-hot step of the way there...

They could finally take the time to sit back, and and relax.

But times of peace can only last so long, in the end.

* * *

The fox shifted his weight around as he lay horizontally on the surface of the bed, the warm and soft sheets draping over his lower body in a sloppy, lackadaisical manner.

Certainly a better deal than having the talisman get stuffed into a box and left to gather dust in the back closet of one of the ZPD's evidence-archives...

The fox glanced to his right, and gazed at the still-sleeping form of his mate, whom lay in an entrancing and peaceful state of rest; Her legs intertwined with Nick's, and her arms wrapped around his furry chest as she nuzzled the top of her head into his neck.

A lovely sight, as it was.

Nick looked to his left, where the alarm clock had been placed and set for around 9:00 the previous night. The current time was 6:13 in the morning, and Nick was beyond appreciative of the fact that the chief had been lenient enough to give them extra time to sleep in: Their clock-in for that day was scheduled at around 10:00 that afternoon.

It was unlike Judy to sleep in past 6:30 on most days, but on special occasions, such as weekends: She was plenty willing to give herself in to the sweet folds of sleep, relishing every extra minute she could fit in before her biological (or physical) alarm clock roused her from her slumber, and she began her day with an attitude as optimistic as ever.

Nick on the other hand, was _not_ a morning person whatsoever, and most days would find himself practically rolling out of bed and onto the floor whenever it was time for him to prepare for his work-day.

Nick sighed.

Long story short, he had plenty more time to kick back and relax until he had to file-in for work, where a no-doubt simple and laid-back schedule awaited him for the day.

Despite the extra sleeping hours that he would no doubt relish when he got the chance, there was one thing he wished to accomplish beforehand, or at least before he forgot.

Carefully removing himself from the dozing form of his mate, he quietly tip-toed his way to the kitchen counter on the other side of the apartment. As he crept to the other room, he tried not to notice the massive claw marks on the walls surrounding their bed, and made himself a mental note to get them fixed, sometime soon. He eventually made it to the counter, and there, he found the locket: Still undisturbed since it was placed there the previous night. Its soot-stained surface wasn't exactly a sight for sore eyes, so Nick decided to clean it.

He ran the locket under a gentle flow of water, cautiously scrubbing away the dirt and grime from it's surface until the pendant was shinier than it had ever looked before.

After drying it with a nearby cloth, he reverently opened the oval-shaped pendant and spared another look inside.

Nick made out the regal faces of a family of four bats, their formal postures and expressions signifying abundant their wealth and authority. The fox stared down at the face of Vladzotz, singling out as many differences between it and the real one as he could.

The Vladzotz in the picture was visibly younger than the one _he_ had known and feared for most of his life. The bat's face was still somewhat lacking fur and wrinkled looking around the jaws and eyes, but Nick could spot out the age differences between the photograph and the real one, whose snarling face was still burned into his mind.

Nick shook his head before looking back down at the portrait.

Vladzotz looked almost normal in this photograph. There were no blood-stained fangs, no scarred and bony claws showing, and greatest of all perhaps: The insane and maddened light in his eyes was not present. The bat's eyes _were_ still red, and had that same sternness and formality, but it was clear that _this_ Vladzotz was a much happier bat than the one who had died last night. The fox closed the pendent's lid, a small pop of metal-on-metal reaching his ears as the lid snapped shut. He didn't want to look at the faces of Vladzotz's children, nor that of his now deceased mate, either: It was simply too painful. Nick wondered why he had bothered to keep the locket for himself, yet deep down, he knew the true answer to that inquiry: He wanted to remember the lives of those who had died from his mistakes. Netter than letting it gather dust in the ZPD archive.

Nick briefly glanced to the half-open bedroom door, which hung slightly ajar in the darkness, but through the shadows, he could make out the dozing outline of Judy.

A smile played at his lips. He had always wondered what having children of his own would be like, but since that fact was now biologically impossible as long as he was with Judy, he had long-since passed it from his mind every time it popped up.

The fox _also_ knew that Judy had always wanted to be a mother, and that her family and friends had highly encouraged her to do so back when she was living in the Burrows. According to Judy, it was quite common for her species to start having children at fairly young ages, ranging from sixteen and above. Judy however, had had her sights set and her goals set even stronger, and relentlessly pursued her dream of becoming a big-city police officer, even if it had put a dent in her relationship with her own family back home.

Nick greatly admired that about her: Not giving in to expected and blatant cultural outings that she didn't agree with. It took guts to do that.

But still... It didn't keep him from wondering if Judy ever dreamed about mating and settling down with another bunny: That thought worried him for multiple reasons, the most obvious being that as long as Judy and him were married, her dreams of having a family were nil to none unless they adopted; a long and difficult process, especially with a mammal of his background. Nick refused to let those thoughts enter his mind: He shook his head fervidly and tenderly rubbed his sinuses, trying to think about something else.

Eventually, he paced over to the night-stand near his bed, and placed the locket right next to the alarm-clock, which now read as 6:17 A.M.

He then rolled back into bed, once again wrapping his arms around Judy's warm and soft frame before drifting off into dreamless sleep.

* * *

9:15 A.M

It had been roughly a quarter of an hour since their alarm clock had buzzed; its pestilent and annoying ring rousing both fox and bunny from their peaceful rest.

Though the memories of last night's events were still fresh on their minds, there was little talk as both mammals idly went about their morning routines, ranging from teeth-brushing to breakfast.

After some time had passed, Judy had begun to organize her police outfit for the day, placing each clothing item on the surface of the bedroom mattress, when a sparkling glitter had caught her eye. She looked over to it's source, which happened to be atop Nick's night-stand.

The bunny walked over to the tiny table, and picked up the silver necklace.

It wasn't very large, and could have easily been worn around her neck. She seriously doubted it was meant for _her_ to wear, as she wasn't exactly a jewelry mammal. She turned and examined it in her paws, eyeing over the intricate line designs that had been etched into the metal. It looked quite fancy, too, and was a gorgeous little thing, in her eyes.

While gliding her fingers over the oval-shaped pendant that dangled from the chain, she unintentionally popped off half of the pendant; part of it swinging open on hinges like some sort of lid. She gazed inside with curiosity, and then nearly dropped the locket from shock.

Within the silver oval-shaped pendent was a photograph hidden behind a tiny wall of glass: A family of bats, all dressed formidably and posing regally, save for a single small and fluffy baby-bat, which was swaddled in a blanket and cradled in the wings of the mother bat. She knew without even thinking that the large bat that stood in the background was Vladzotz: She recognized his facial features, even though he looked visibly younger in the photo than from what she'd seen of him the past few days.

What surprised her the most was the fact that his facial expression was the _only_ thing that made him recognizable to her.

Gone was the crazy look in his eyes, and the burning flame of hate that was hidden behind his blood-red irises.

His terrifying talons weren't visible in the photograph, and his lips were sealed for the most part, concealing his razor fangs from the camera that took the photograph.

 _This_ Vladzotz looked so much different from the one that _she_ knew. It was almost unbelievable how the death of his family had turned him into that monster.

She turned her head and stole a glance at Nick, who was filling himself a glass of water from the nearby kitchen faucet, completely oblivious to the bunny watching him.

 _Because of him..._

The bunny may have accepted him back into her life and forgiven him for what he had done: But she still had a gnawing sensation tugging at her conscious. She and Nick had mutually agreed not to tell Chief Bogo about the fox's former and accidental arson against the house of the Fangpyre family. They both believed that it was for the best.

But that didn't stop her from feeling as if she was going against everything she'd been working for as a police officer at the ZPD. As it turned out, her career had more holes in it than she would have originally imagined: Working with Mr. Big to capture Duke Weaselton, marrying a former con-artist, and now trying to brush his old crimes under the rug.

She shook her head.

 _Stop it, you dumb bunny! You married him for a reason! You love him, don't you?_ That voice in her head chided to her irritably.

Judy looked back over to where she had last seen Nick, but saw that he was no longer in sight. She imagined him standing there, his handsome green eyes locking with hers, and that obnoxious smile materializing on his face. A brief memory from the past then flashed inside her head; the first night that the two of them had mated with one another.

The rabbit felt her face begin to heat up, and instinctively raised her paws and drooped her ears to hide her blushing face from anyone that might have been watching.

After the hotness in her cheeks and the pulling feeling in her belly had subsided, she raised her head and looked through the window and to the Zootopian skyline, where the rising sun over Savanna-central was still as bright and fiery as it had ever been.

"I do love him." She murmured softly to herself.

Taking one last look at the locket, she closed the pendent and placed it back in its spot atop the night-stand before setting out in the direction of her husband. When she found him fixing his tie in the rest-room mirror, she promptly grabbed him by the shoulders, turned him around until he was facing her, and planted a long and drawn-out kiss right on his lips.

Her actions momentarily took the fox by surprise, who wasn't expecting his mate to be so up-close and personal this close to leaving for work. He soon gave in to the act though: placing his paws upon the back of her head and adding more pressure to their kiss.

After several more seconds had passed, both animals severed their connection in sync, staring at one-another and breathing heavily to recuperate from the lack of air that they had inhaled while smooching.

" _That_ ," Judy began, panting in between words. "Is for being the stupidest, and greatest thing to ever happen to me."

Without further elaboration, the bunny turned around and began pacing towards the front door, intent on leaving for the nearby parking-lot.

Meanwhile, Nick just watched her as she exited the bathroom, his eyes trained on her fluffy tail as she strutted off and turned the corner. Nick smirked before putting the finishing touches on his tie, effectively eyeing the mirror and shooting his reflection with a pair of double finger-guns before going off in search of Judy, whom he found standing by the door, holding it open for him with a warm smile upon her face.

Peace at last.

* * *

10:00

Right on time.

Nick Wilde wasn't one who liked showing up early, and disliked showing up late just as much.: His time was too precious to spend waiting to clock-in, and his job was too precious to lose for not being on time. Finding the appropriate middle-ground was something that Nick prided himself in, truthfully, for as minor as it was.

After holding the door open for his wife as he did every day, he let himself in to the ZPD head-quarters. He glanced at the ceiling far above him, taking in the view through the massive domed windows that adorned the roof of the commons area. He eventually found himself beside Clawhauser's desk, where the jovial cheetah was busy relaying communications back and forth between different officers out on patrol. He waved at Nick and Judy, but otherwise kept his attention focused on the computers in front of him.

Clearly seeing that he was too busy to talk at the moment, Nick decided to skip his usual morning chit-chat with the cheetah and head straight to the cubicle-offices.

Seeing that Judy had picked up her pace and walked ahead of him substantially, he quickly jogged back up to her side before inquiring her of today's work.

"So, Whiskers," He started. "What does the chief want us to get done today, huh?"

The bunny reached into her utility belt and pulled out her note-pad and carrot pen, messily and quickly scribbling something down before responding.

"Well... Last night he told us that today wasn't gonna be very strenuous, remember? So don't expect anything big, I guess. Fine by _me_ , given all we went through last night."

Nick fashioned his favorite smirk while he rubbed his mate's shoulder, pulling her slightly closer as he did. He reasoned that a dose of sarcasm would be appropriate.

"Aw, c'mon Carrots! Who _wouldn't_ want to tango with badgers, coons, and bats while simultaneously fighting for their lives in a flaming mansion as it burned to the ground?"

The bunny giggled warmly before lazily raising one of her paws and pointing to the ceiling.

" _Me_." She muttered half-jokingly.

"Oh, don't be like that fluff! _Dangerous_ cop-work is the _best_ cop-work!"

The bunny elbowed him in the rib-cage with perhaps a _little_ more force than necessary.

"Not funny, Nick. We almost _died_!" She chided, though she _did_ have a smile on her face and a friendly tone lacing her words. She cleared her throat before continuing.

"The most dangerous thing that could happen _here_ is getting a paper-cut." She said as she pushed open the office doors, leading the two of them to their assigned cubicle.

The fox simply shrugged. "I suppose we _have_ earned ourselves a little break, eh?" He asked innocently.

Judy blew a stream of air through her mouth before replying.

"You got _that_ right." She admitted.

Though it was true that the two of them would never turn down an opportunity for action: The past few days had proven a bit _too_ suspenseful for fox and bunny alike.

Aside from almost dying half-a-million times, they had managed to explore a completely new world: The Nocturnal-District itself was rarely visited by surface-dwellers, and after Bogo himself had saw the disheveled crime statistics, and all-around unsatisfactory living conditions for himself firsthand, he had claimed that he would write a letter to city-hall encouraging more up-to-date law-enforcement systems, construction, and a number of other important factors that needed some improvement, apparently. It was no real surprise to the aforementioned water buffalo that the conditions down there were sub-par in comparison to the main districts on the surface. The Nocturnal-District was even farther away from the city limits than most of the other primary districts, which made it somewhat difficult for the ZPD to support, even with its own precinct down there, too.

City-hall had been irresponsible in it's efforts to maintain a balanced status between every district, respectively. It seemed that they had nearly forgotten the Nocturnal-District even existed, thus allowing all sorts of fodder and dishevel to grow in those plumbless depths.

In fact, both Nick and Judy figured that it must've been one of the main reasons behind Vladzotz's rise to power. The local ZPD department in the Nocturnal-District needed some serious refinements, and same with the fire-station, and even the construction; as the roads down there weren't exactly smooth-sailing. However, it was clear thatthe local police department in the Nocturnal-District - Precinct Six - needed the most attention. If they in particular had been better funded by city-hall, the bat lord never would have become so powerful.

Then again, all the _other_ city districts were pretty well managed law-enforcement wise, yet _they_ had their _own_ top crime-lords, too... Vladzotz was no exception to that rule.

That thought made the fox think...

 _Perhaps if we had even better Intel on all these crime-lords, then maybe we could prevent someone as crazy as **him** from ever rising again..._ He thought to himself.

He took a glance at the stack of paperwork on his desk, then proceeded to turn around and eye Judy, who had her back to him as she sorted through her own pile of work.

The fox sighed, then stood up and began walking towards out of his cubicle. From behind, Judy's questioning voice momentarily stopped him in his tracks.

"Hey Nick! Where you going?" She inquired, causing the fox to quickly turn around and shoot her a sly wink.

"Don't worry. I won't be gone for that long. Just headin' over to the archive. There's one thing I wanna do before I tackle _that_ mess." He said pointing to his stack of paperwork.

The bunny just shrugged and nodded before turning her attention back to her computer. And at that, Nick set off in the direction of the criminal-archives room.

* * *

It took some time to find it at first: Packs of curious officers had frequently stopped him and begun to ask questions regarding the previous night's fire and shoot-out at the manor in the Nocturnal-District. Nick just shrugged off the majority of the questions, even giving out a few falsetto answers and untruthful claims, just to get them off his back.

As he made his way to the evidence archive, the fox took to pondering over his plan of action.

Since Vladzotz and his mob had been so well-hidden and elusive from the eyes of the ZPD, Nick reasoned that there must have been relatively little to no Intel in regards to him or his criminal outings. Not wanting anyone to ever gain such anonymity or power again, and to serve as Nick's final payment of respect, the fox intended to fill in the blanks on Vladzotz and his criminal activities within the ZPD's criminal data-base; where the memories of the bat lord would finally be etched in stone, and would also serve as a memento and lesson to all who think that they can hide from the law forever. It just couldn't be done.

Ironically, Nick was currently the only living mammal who knew Vladzotz better than anyone else: Entering all his knowledge of the bat lord into the ZPD's criminal data-base would provide new and helpful insight as to the criminal workings behind the Nocturnal-District, and to how Vladzotz and his mob had managed to evade justice for so long.

Eventually, the fox managed to find the room: Large, and lined with dozens of wooden shelves and a few number of computers strewn about, yet most impressive of all, perhaps, being the many metal filing-cabinets choked full of information on just about every mammal to ever have the unfortunate pleasure of getting a mugshot at the ZPD.

Nick trudged over to one of the largest filing cabinets, and after a decent and frustrating amount of time searching, he came across one large binder, with several small folders tucked away within it. Pulling it out of the cabinet, he slammed it on a nearby table and opened it, flipping through the documents on the biggest criminals names in Zootopia.

Flipping through the binder, he pulled out one of the folders hidden within: A thick green folder with lots of documentations and other paper evidence inside. Its cover read;

RAINFOREST- DISTRICT / TOP RANKING CRIMINALS - SUBJECT: ALPHONSE 'AL' CATPONE.

The fox flipped open the folder, revealing a diverse amount of pictures and sheets of paper. Gazing at the different photographs, he saw one in particular contain a tall and heavy-set jaguar, a large cigar jutting out from his lips as he loomed over several crate-fulls of various flora and other plant material. The yellow-spotted jaguar's burly frame was covered by a thick brown trench-coat, and the top of his head was capped off with a pure white fedora, the bowl of which was wrapped in vines. Nick thought back to what Vladzotz had once told him about Al Catpone during his time at the manor, the other night; About how the jaguar was one of the five crime-lords of the different Zootopian districts, and how he resided over the Rainforest-District, gaining the majority of his profits by smuggling drugs and other illegal plant-based material across the district borders.

Past that, it seemed that Catpone wasn't all that bad of mammal. According to his file, his mob, the so-called Rainforest-Outfit, had set up a number of soup kitchens in the neighborhood of Happy-Town down in Savannah-Central, and wasn't infrequent to making financial donations towards aid groups that assisted predator families living in poverty. Catpone must have had a soft spot for them. Nick could respect that, even if he was still a shifty drug kingpin. The file certainly had a lot of stories to tell.

Not quite what he was intentionally looking for, but still curious nevertheless, Nick set aside Al's folder and flipped through the big binder some more, soon pulling out another folder, this one being yellow-colored and slightly thinner than the previous one. The fox set it down on the table beside him before eyeing over the label on the front of the item.

SAHARA-SQUARE / TOP RANKING CRIMINALS - SUBJECT: SHAHAZ 'THE STINGER' PHOLMOK.

Nick opened the folder, his eyes instantly greeted with even more pictures and papers. Eyeing through the many pictures, he managed to gather that Shahaz was a pangolin: A rare and scaly desert-dwelling mammal related to the armadillo. Apparently, he had earned the nickname 'The Stinger' for his creative torture methods, which involved using live scorpions to interrogate his victims. The document papers claimed that although Shahaz was well known for being cruel to his enemies, his main source of income was arms-trade deals, which primarily went back and forth between Tundra-Town and Sahara-Square. However, the documents also seemed to point to Shahaz having a penchant for racketeering and high-class fraud, with his most prominent ties being to the many sleazy casinos in his home district, the most notable one being the Grand Palm Hotel.

A few pictures were stuffed into the folder, though none of them were very clear or precise. Past their blurriness, Nick managed to make out the shape of a spiky-looking thing with a long snout and large, thick tail. The mammal's scales seemed to be engraved with colored tattoos and other peculiar line art. He didn't look like the nicest guy around.

Closing the yellow-tinted folder before setting it aside, the fox then spared a glance at a nearby blue-colored folder, which donned Mr. Big's true name, Cristoforo Biggit. Nick already knew enough about the ill-tempered arctic shrew, so he slid that folder back into the binder and continued digging around. The fox figured no more need be said on him.

He soon came across another folder, this one colored a deep shade of orange.

OUTBACK-ISLAND / TOP RANKING CRIMINALS - SUBJECT: ILUKA ROMBAHE

Nick _had_ heard of the peculiar outback island, but had never set foot upon the location a single time in his entire life so far. He'd heard things about the place though: Outback Island was an archipelago of several islands, where some of the strangest mammal species resided: Marsupials, they called themselves, which included a weird conglomeration of equally weird mammals such as dingos, kangaroos, wombats, platypus, tasmanian-devils, echidnas, and koalas. Nick had unfortunately never had the pleasure of touching a koala. He had heard tales of their legendary softness, and made himself a mental note to add 'touching a koala' to his personal bucket-list. The fox shook his head and focused.

There was a lot of information on Iluka himself, who happened to be a tasmanian-devil. Apparently, the crime-lord had been arrested in the recent past, and so there was plenty of evidence in the folder for Nick to view over. His mugshot showed a muscular, canine-like mammal with jet-black fur and a few white stripes displayed on his neck. The fur on Iluka's large head was braided with multicolored wooden beads, and his mouth was split into a wide grin, as though he were proud to have gotten himself caught by the police.

According to the marsupial's file, he had been a former museum curator who specialized in ancient marsupial culture. At night, however, he put his particular set of skills to use as the resident crime-lord of Outback-Island; smuggling and selling priceless marsupial treasures and other artifacts off his home island and across the sea to the mainland city. After getting caught, Iluka had all of his archaeological titles stripped away before being sent to jail. He had, however, managed to escape from prison with the help of a crooked dingo officer who, as it turned out, was actually one of his own lackeys, and had undergone the entire recruitment process at the Zootopia Police Academy just to bust him out.

Talk about dedicated.

The file continued to list some more information about Iluka, some of it not very eye-catching, such as his height and weight, with other more interesting bits laden throughout. It went on to explain how after escaping from prison, Iluka had returned to Outback-Island and rejoined with his mob, and has been hiding out with them ever since his escape.

Although all of the information on Iluka was fascinating, it still not the folder that Nick was looking for. He stashed away Iluka's folder before searching through the binder again.

 _Aha! Here we are..._ He thought to himself as he pulled out a pure black folder, this one being titled under the Nocturnal-District.

NOCTURNAL- DISTRICT / TOP RANKING CRIMINALS - SUBJECT: VLADZOTZ FANGPYRE III

This folder was the smallest of them all; only containing a total of two sheets of paper. There were no photos, and the only real information it had on its subject, old Flappy-Bat himself, was that he had been an elusive mobster and wealthy businessmammal before his supposed death of seven years ago. The ZPD truly thought he had died in that fire.

But Nick knew better.

He resorted and refiled all the outdated and inaccurate information about Vlad, rewriting several newly updated papers in regards to his criminal past and likeness. After about an hour of working, the folder was now completely updated, and brimming full of new information that Nick had personally recalled for the sake of the archive. He wrote about Vladzotz's merciless and blood-thirsty homicides, and his elusive business practices that made him virtually invisible to the eyes of the ZPD. He even went as far as to bring up the fact that after his family had passed away in a house fire, Vladzotz has begun to develop mental problems, and could probably be safely diagnosed as a psychopath, sociopath, and every other synonym for 'nut-job' under the sun. After reorganizing Vlad's file, Nick promptly took to uploading the same information into the computer archive.

The fox continued his good work, that was, until there was a sudden knock at the door, which he had closed and locked upon his earlier entrance into the archives.

Nick paced over to the door and opened it, where he was met with the smiling face of Judy gazing up at him through purple irises brimming with excitement.

Her jovial look brought a grin to the fox's face, and he gave her a lazy salute before asking;

"What's the occasion, officer toot-toot?"

The bunny grabbed his paw and slightly pulled him away from the archive room. It was clear that she was in a hurry, and really wanted Nick to come with her.

Her smooth voice caught his attention and brought him his answer;

"Chief Bogo wants to talk... I think he's got another case for us!"

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Hope you enjoyed chapter 25, and as always: Feel free to follow, favorite, or drop a review if you wish! They're all _greatly_ appreciated! :D**

 **But for now, do tell me your thoughts on this new chapter! What do you think of the other criminal lords that were just introduced, in specific? I'd love to know!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	24. Savage Ideals

"We are all ready to become savage in some cause. The difference between a good man and a bad one is the choice of the cause." - William James

* * *

Fresh off the scoop of the now officially dubbed _Fangpyre-case_ , and he was already being thrust into a brand new one...

Talk about overworked.

Despite his snide remarks to Judy about how ' _dangerous cop work is the best cop work_ ', he truthfully wanted nothing more than to kick back and relax.

 _He_ figured they deserved it, at the least.

But after typing and writing nearly 6 pages full of information on flappy-bat for the criminal-database archives, even _he_ started to get a _little_ restless.

Speaking of restless, Judy was practically bouncing off of the walls as they made their way to Bogo's office. She may have earlier joked about wanting a break too, but it was quite evident by her satisfied smile and the spring in her step that she was excited about being given the opportunity for a new mission, one that she probably wouldn't refuse, no matter _how_ dangerous it was.

Momentarily thinking back on their experience from the Fangpyre-case, Nick figured that maybe there _were_ some missions that even the two of them needed assistance with, despite being among the highest-achieving officers in the precinct.

But still... If this supposed 'new case' was anything like the last one, the fox would probably straight up quit... He did _not_ want another experience like that...

Even _if_ him and Judy truly _did_ learn a lot more about each-other...

The fox shook his head, a slight grin pulling at his facial features as he watched his mate skip down the hall-way and turn the corner to his left, vanishing from sight.

 _Dumb little bunny... Always so cheerful..._ He thought to himself.

When he reared the corner that Judy had turned around before him, he spotted her at the end of the long hallway, standing right outside the door to Bogo's office, no doubt patiently waiting for Nick to catch up. That idea put a smile on the fox's face, and as he approached her with half-lidded eyes and a smug smirk on his face, he heard Judy call out to him.

"C'mon, slow-poke!" She shouted. "The law never takes a break!"

Teasingly rolling his eyes, his grin grew wider as she held open the door for him, and the two of them entered Bogo's office, hands clasped together and hoping for the best.

* * *

Bogo's little bull-pen was still just as messy and disorganized as he'd last seen it, with papers and half-filled documents strewn about messily, and a chaotic sense of anxiety hanging in the room.

The only thing different that Nick had noticed was the _smell_.

Bogo's office usually had the stench of manufactured lemon wafting through the air, courtesy of the cheap air-freshener that Clawhauser had gotten him for his birthday a few months ago, along with tickets to the latest Gazelle music concert.

Deep down, Nick wondered which one he appreciated more...

That thought put a smug smirk on the fox's face.

It wasn't a _bad_ smell or anything, but it mixed with the scent of Bogo's sweat, ultimately creating a revolting and putrid odor that smelled like _rotten_ lemons more than anything else. Eventually some officers started complaining (including Nick and Judy), and he'd finally switched out the lemon-scented air freshener for Furbreeze's latest one, 'Musk-Mask', which to be fair smelled _much_ better than what had previously been hidden behind the towering stacks of paperwork and documents.

The bunny and fox seated themselves in the single too-large chair that faced the buffalo's desk. On the opposing side, Chief Buffalo-Butt himself reclined in his own chair, scribbling something on a piece of paper. After a few seconds of silence, which was broken by Nick's cough for attention, the chief looked up from his work; his orange-tinted eyes staring accusingly over the top of his glasses, which he then removed from his snout and placed on the top of the desk. He brought his hoofs to his face and rubbed away at his eyes before sighing and slowly standing up from his chair, pushing it back as he rose.

"You two have _no idea_ how much paper-work I've been drowning in since you got back form the Nocturnal-District..." He muttered, taking a sip from a nearby glass of coffee before continuing.

"City-hall has been _right up_ my tail trying to fight back against the idea of pouring more funds into that place... They're already dumping nearly a _quarter_ of the city's taxes into keeping the air-conditioned borders up and running, and now that the Nocturnal-District is making a comeback into the limelight, they're trying to dissuade the idea of putting money into there... They got enough on their hands already..." He said grimly, almost disappointingly.

He scowled and took another sip from his coffee mug, exhaling slowly and breathing in deep before speaking once again.

"And it's certainly not helping that the Nocturnal-District's residence are fighting back."

That statement caught Judy's attention, in particular.

"Fighting back? What do you mean, chief?" She asked innocently.

"Well... word got out somehow that city-hall didn't have any plans for solving the problems and innovating the situation down there. The citizens of the Nocturnal-District must've found out one way or another, and now they've started filing complaints and even waging protests. They were all under the iron-grip of that bat for the longest time, and city-hall didn't do anything about _that_ , either... _They_ didn't know about it because _we_ thought that _he_ was _dead_!" He yelled, slamming his fist on the desk.

He sighed and took another sip of coffee, draining the remainder of the cup.

"The citizens couldn't even _ask_ for help from the surface, because that bat would've had them killed within the hour: They were afraid. And now that he's gone, the civilians want to undo all the damage that he'd let fester down there, away from the eyes of the city government... Pot-holes, robberies, throw-downs, muggings... all courtesy of Vladzotz's irresponsible rule..."

Bogo placed the mug atop the filing cabinet behind him.

"The workers in the mines have even went as far as to wage a strike in protest of city-hall not wanting to help them. All of this and _more_ has happened within the last 48 hours _alone_... It's starting to get out of hand..."

"Uh, sir?" Nick stammered, causing Bogo to raise an eyebrow in apprehension.

"Yes Wilde?" The buffalo inquired.

"Where _exactly_ do _we_ feature in this?" The fox asked.

"I was _just_ getting to that Wilde, so if you'll _please_ not interrupt me again, then _maybe_ I'll tell you."

Nick nodded approvingly after shrugging, and leaned back in the seat that he shared with Judy, who was listening intently to chief Bogo as he spoke.

"Because the two of you nearly concluded the _entire_ Fangpyre-case single-handedly, _and_ that the bat's manor is now completely gone, many residents down in the Nocturnal-District have come to realize that _you two_ were the ones who freed them from Vladzotz's grip. They're feeling grateful, least to say: Besides... why wouldn't they, even? You brought down one of the largest and most dangerous criminal organizations not _just_ in the Nocturnal-District, but in the _whole_ of Zootopia!"

The fox coughed audibly.

"That _still_ doesn't exactly answer my question..." He said.

The water-buffalo fixed him with a glare that would make a charging rhino stop in it's tracks and run for mama.

"Okay _okay_! I'll shut up... sorry..." Nick stammered hastily, causing Judy to let out a slight giggle as she eyed him before turning her attention back to chief Bogo, who had resumed talking after taking in a few deep breaths to calm himself.

"There's _more_ than just _one_ specific reason, Wilde." Bogo began. "Anyways, back on topic here..." He breathed in deeply before continuing.

"The citizens of the Nocturnal-District are appraising you, and glorifying your work in bringing down the Fangpyre family... The ones who are protesting and calling-out the city government are using _your_ actions as justification for _theirs._ Not only that, but the ZPD _and_ city-hall has gotten _hundreds_ of letters, Z-Mails, and phone-calls from the Nocturnal-District... many of them asking and even _demanding_ for you to side with them in their cause against city-hall. The problem is, doing that might cost you your jobs."

At that statement, fox and bunny both sat up in their chair, looks of concern donning their faces. Nick almost spoke out again, but bit his tongue down at the last second in an effort to avoid the chief's chiding.

"As you know, the new Mayor of the city has just recently been elected..." Bogo started.

They most certainly did: The latest Mayor to take office, a female bob-cat, had been nominated and sworn in just last month. Neither fox nor bunny was exactly sure _why_ , though... She seemed quite stringent, and had allegedly been on probation for drunk driving once, but that scandal had quickly been hushed up.

"As I'm sure you _also_ know... she's a tad bit on the deterrent side, and after the predator-prey protests following the conclusion of the Night-Howler case all those years ago, she promised to maintain a stable society if she was elected into office, which she is now. If she saw you as encouraging the already brewing tensions by supporting the protesters in their efforts, she could have you removed from duty on accounts of sedition."

Bogo's gaze briefly settled behind his two guests, as if he were pondering about the repercussions of having his two best officers removed from duty.

He shook his head before continuing.

"I _know_ you that _just_ got done dealing with the _atrocity_ that was the Fangpyre-case..." He assured the fox and bunny.

"But for the sake of order and stability, I'm assigning you to this new case-" He pointed to a thick file on the right side of his desk. "- Not just because you two are perhaps the best I could think of to handle it, but because it will get you out of the public eye for a while... allow you to lay-low and away from all this political nonsense, at least until it blows over."

At the notion of her new case's purpose, Judy wondered exactly what it might be: If it was something that would 'get them out of the public eye for a while', like Bogo had said, then it must be something different than what they were used to.

Bogo's stern and acquiring voice spoke up again, earning her attention.

"This new case isn't exactly... _established_ , yet. We're not even sure if the suspect in question is even partaking in the presented accusations... _That's_ why we're sending you two in, aside from the bonus of getting out away from the public. You'll have to warm up to the suspect, and gradually sneak information from his belongings and acquiring Intel on his accusations, _if any_ , that is."

The water-buffalo reached over and clasped the case-file on the right side of his desk, sliding it over to and in front of Nick and Judy, who's eyes followed the folder.

"We're calling in the Savage-case," Bogo began, flipping open the cover. "The subject is a rabbit, goes by Jack Savage..."

As soon as the chief mentioned another rabbit, Judy's ears perked up in anticipation.

 _Another rabbit... Haven't seen very many of them here in the big-city... Hmm... Sounds like a male by the name, too..._ She thought to herself.

"He's an ex-criminal informant, and has helped the ZIA and ZBI in the past with various things... Now, he runs one of the largest banks in Zootopia, and also leads several charitable organizations that you might have heard of."

As Bogo filled them in on information about the aforementioned Jack Savage, both Nick and Judy took the time to look over the various pictures and other evidence laden throughout the case-file before them. The bunny's eyes were first drawn to a photograph that looked like it was snapped near city-hall. It showed a formally dressed rabbit walking up the concrete stair-case, suit-case in hand. His back was turned to the camera, and he was wearing a pure-black suit.

Chief Bogo caught Judy staring, and decided to shed some light on what in particular she was looking at.

"That one picture that you're seeing was taken by a ZPD investigative-photographer. We had our suspicions, and judging from the story behind this photo, it appears that something might not be like what it seems... The new mayor, being as strict as she is, doesn't hold meetings with anyone except her closest, and after learning from the assistant-mayor that she had no meetings with any guests scheduled that day, it _does_ raise some eyebrows as to the reasons behind Jack's visitation."

Bogo explained, pointing to the rabbit in the photograph. He then flipped the page, presenting another photograph of Jack Savage, this one apparently intentionally and professionally taken, probably for a website or something.

It showed Jack facing the camera, his lips parted in a prideful smile. He was definitely a rabbit; He had the whole package, complete with long ears that sprouted from his head, and large white teeth that adorned his smile. His fur was a very light-grey, and almost looked white. The sides of his face and the top-half of his ears were dabbled with splotches and streaks of dark-black fur, all of which stood in stark contrast to his blue-colored eyes, which bore directly into the lens of the camera.

Judy couldn't help but think that he _was_ kind of handsome...

She stole a glance at Nick, who was still looking intently into the pages of the case-file. She then decided to follow suite, and began flipping through more pages of information. It seemed that Bogo had already explained the majority of what was to be known, but she _did_ pick up a few extra details, like the charity businesses that he ran: One of the most prominent being a non-profit organization that helped displaced/abused children and orphans find new homes.

While looking over all the charities that he worked with, Judy couldn't help but wonder what this guy could be suspicious of: He seemed to be doing some really generous and considerate things, and from the picture that she had seen, she didn't think that he _really_ looked that threatening or shady...

The bunny looked up from the papers. "So what's the deal with this guy, anyways? He seems pretty clean to me, for the most part." She admitted.

Upon hearing her words, Bogo donned a brief look of bewilderment before replacing it with a scowl of disappointment: He _hadn't_ expected Hopps to be so inconsiderate.

"Hopps, do keep in mind that we could potentially be dealing with a rather dangerous suspect... Don't forget that there _are reasons_ behind why we've placed him on our watch-list. We have reason to believe that he's been financially playing all of his business and charity associates... Fraudulence on behalf of taking donator's money and keeping it for himself. _Hedge-Funds_ , and what-not. We think he's been assimilating the financial endowments he's gained from his charities and putting them in his own pocket. But it doesn't stop there: There's _also_ rumors about drug-trafficking and even agreements with the other reigning district crime-lords, like Al Catpone and Shahaz The Stinger... We're taking this with a grain of salt though, because like I said: We're not so sure. That's why you two are going in getting the job done."

The fox raised his hand and simply asked a single question.

"Uh, chief? What's the job, exactly?"

Bogo nodded his head approvingly.

"Glad that you asked, Wilde." He began. "You two are going undercover in Jack's organization, with new names, new identities... A _complete_ makeover."

And with that, the buffalo rose from his chair and plucked the case-file from Nick's paws, placing it atop the cabinet behind him.

"I just hope that you're not allergic to dye... Because _then_ we'd have to find someone _else_ for the job _..._ "

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I certainly hope that you all enjoyed the latest update of 'When Instinct Falls!" :D**

 **The next one will come soon, I assure you, and will be finally delving into the likes of the new case: I can't wait to show you guys what I got planned out!**

 **But for now, feel free to tell me what you all think about this chapter, ranging from Nick/Judy's new case, to the word-format and dialogue... whatever floats your boat, as they say.**

 **I can't wait to read your responses and reviews, but for the moment I bid you all farewell!**

 **Peace!**


	25. Dyeing Ambitions

"Illusion is needed to disguise the emptiness within." - Arthur Erickson

* * *

Some of us may choose to hide our true selves behind a curtain of false actions...

 _Others_ may choose to hide within untruthful personalities...

But so few are the _rest_ who hide within the _appearance_ of another.

* * *

"You _can't_ be serious..." Nick muttered, eyeing Judy as she placed a bag of gray dye powder and a carton of fur dye on the table in front of him.

"Oh, _I_ think you'd look _perfect_ in _that_ , Wilde!" A deep voice boomed mockingly from behind.

The fox turned around and glared at chief Bogo, who was casually leaning up against the corner of a nearby wall, watching as his officers selected the foundations of their new appearances.

"Yeah yeah, think what you want..." Nick said before turning back around and trailing off. " _Buffalo-Butt_."

"What was that, _fox_?" He heard chief question from behind him.

Nick was about to turn around and give his two-cents to the chief, when a different voice coughed audibly from another direction, causing both fox and buffalo alike to turn towards it's source.

"Once again," The bunny started. "Could you ladies _please_ refrain from name-calling _at least_ until we finish this?"

Nick heard chief Bogo clear his throat and grumble something inaudible before agreeing with her.

"That's right, Hopps..." A teasing grin resurfaced on his muzzle. "Or should I say, Miss Ryder?"

At the notion of her new and falsetto name, Nick watched Judy's face don a scowl of disapproval as she crossed her arms and thumped her foot rapidly against the floor.

"Oh, don't be like _that_ , fluff!" He said pointing to her tapping foot. " _You_ may not like it, but _I_ think it's pretty cute. Suites you perfectly!"

The bunny sighed.

"Don't call me _cute_ , and just choose your dye color, jerk."

The fox chuckled to himself.

"Hey now, I didn't call _you_ cute this time... I called the _name_ cute, which it is." He admitted. "Besides, you might as well start gettin' used to it."

Nick then turned towards the chief, who was still standing behind him.

"Speaking of which, how long do you think we'll have to be undercover, chief?" He inquired.

A full week had past since the chief had assigned them on their new case-mission, and he hadn't exactly spared very many details surrounding their mission yet.

Chief Bogo pursued his lips and looked to the side, briefly thinking about the situation. He then turned back towards the fox and gave him his answer.

"Depends." The water-buffalo began. "Could be anywhere from one week, to several months, to several _years_ , even."

Nick gagged. "Several _years_?!"

"Like I said, it depends: It depends on how long it takes to warm up to Mr. Savage, and how long it takes for you both to extract enough information for us to confirm him as guilty of our accusations. We aren't exactly on a time limit here, but it would be best of us all if you two cracked this case sooner rather than later."

The fox groaned aloud.

"So we _are_ on a time limit then, huh?"

Chief Bogo just shrugged innocently.

"That's up to you two. You could take it slowly and steadily, acquiring bits and pieces over a long period of time just be safe..."

His face hardened.

" _Or_ you could risk everything we've been slaving over for the past _four months_ by rushing things like amateurs, and costing us the _entire_ mission in a heat-of-the-moment screw-up!"

His sudden change in tone caused both fox and bunny alike to cringe in apprehension. Bogo then took a few deep breaths in before finishing his previous statement.

"So _you_ tell _me_... Which one might be better in the long run?"

Nick coughed into his fist before replying.

"Option number two, sir!" He said with a smirk as he raised his right paw and held up two fingers.

Upon hearing the fox's joking response, Bogo's face scrunched up in frustration before he face-palmed, dragging his hoof down his muzzle as he groaned out load.

"Just pick your colors and clothes, and then meet me in the dressing room. The stylist is waiting." Bogo grumbled.

He then proceeded to exit the room, nearly slamming the door behind him as he left. Nick stifled a laugh and mentally patted himself on the back before turning to his mate, who was sorting through rows of clothes and other accessories, including shelves laden with dyes and other fur-coloring creams and powders.

"Not smart, slick." She said to him, her eyes still trained on the racks of dye colors in front of her.

"Hey, he walked right into that one, didn't he?" The fox jokingly inquired, fixing his gaze upon the back of the bunny. Ignoring his question, she just simply rolled her eyes.

Seconds later, Judy turned around and faced Nick. In her paws, she held a white-colored dye, which she showed to him.

"What do you think of this one?" She asked.

The fox placed a paw beneath his chin and tried to imagine Judy with white fur... After a few moments of thought, he nodded his head and smiled.

"I think that'd be an _excellent_ choice, my dear." He stood from his chair and paced over to her side. "White is a _great_ color! Symbolizes goodness, innocence, and purity!"

He rubbed her shoulder affectionately. The bunny glanced upwards and locked eyes with him upon his contact. Nick smirked before continuing.

"Well, I dunno 'bout that last one though, considering how _you_ act in bed!" The fox said teasingly, following it up with a sly wink.

" _Nick_!" She called out. " _Not_ funny! We're in _public_!"

The fox looked around the empty room, turning his head and grinning from ear-to-ear.

"My apologies!" His face morphed into a look of fear as he pointed and spoke. " _Oh no_! That empty corner over there might have heard us talking about our private-life!"

Blushing madly beneath her fur, Judy leaned over and elbowed him in the rib-cage, not-so effectively shutting him up.

"C'mon carrots!" He whined out loud. "Nothin' wrong with having a little fun sometimes, right?"

"Fun? That what you consider _fun_ , you perverted, shifty low-life?" She muttered irritably, but with a pleasant smile parting her lips.

Nick momentarily glanced upwards to the ceiling before grinning even wider and looking back down at the bunny below him.

"Oh, my bad, fluff! I forgot that you cute-little bunnies actually consider _sex_ as the funnest thing around."

At that last statement, Judy punched him in the arm a tad harder than she usually did.

"Can it, Wilde! Last warning you're getting!" She scolded.

"Alright, alright!" He laughed aloud. " _Spare_ me, whiskers..."

The fox then leaned down and gave Judy a quick peck on the cheek before turning tail and starting to dig through the supply rack, searching for his own choice of color.

Meanwhile, the flustered bunny slowly raised a single paw to her cheek and caressed the spot where Nick had kissed her. A shiver settled down her spine soon after.

 _Dumb fox..._ She thought to herself.

Judy then hastily rubbed at her cheek before setting her own chosen dye colors on the nearby table. After that, she waltzed over to where Nick was browsing the various fur-dyes and powdered colors. She lifted a paw and pointed to the one that had grabbed her attention earlier, which happened to be a gray coloring.

"That one." She aloud.

His mate's voice caused the fox to raise his head and follow her intentions, soon plucking the gray-colored dye carton off of the shelf that it rested atop.

"This one, you say?" He asked, to which Judy nodded. "Hmm... why _gray_? Wouldn't white be better, considering the whole arctic fox kinda look, ya know?"

Judy shook her head before responding.

"Nah, I don't think you'd be able to pull off the arctic fox look very well... Besides, _I'm_ already gonna be white, so you'll need to pick a different color: _Two_ white mammals working for Jack at the _exact_ same time might be a _little_ bit suspicious, don't you think?"

Nick pursued his lips and nodded. "Yeah, I suppose so. I haven't seen very many _gray_ foxes around these parts, but you've got a good point. I'll go with it."

He patted the bunny on the head and grabbed his undercover-issued black suit, which he had draped across a nearby chair, and set towards the door, taking the dye with him.

Placing his paw on the handle, he halted right in front of the door before turning around and facing Judy.

"Alright fluff, I got everything _I_ need... Are you ready to go get _stylized_?" He questioned with a certain flamboyancy to his last few words.

Judy just giggled to herself as she grabbed the remainder of her items, including Nick's suggested white-dye and a flowing purple-silk dress that she had been given for her undercover wardrobe.

"Yep." The bunny confirmed to the fox as she walked over to his side. "Let's go get ourselves _stylized_." She said with the same undertone that Nick had earlier.

Smiling and nodding his head, Nick pulled open the door for her, and the two of them then set out down the hallway in search of the aforementioned dressing room.

* * *

When they had finally found the titular dressing room, which itself was labeled under the title of 'Room 007', the fox and bunny promptly entered through the door.

Upon entering, they both were instantly greeted with the strong smell of cosmetic products, including dye, powder, cream, and even shampoo. There were a number of tables littered around the space of the room, many of them topped with a number of hedgehogs, whom bustled about in a hurried manner, picking things up and no doubt preparing for something.

Standing near the back of the room was chief Bogo, who was apparently talking with someone. He had his back to the fox and bunny, and was conveniently blocking the other mammal from sight behind his large and lumbering outline. When the sound of the shutting door had reached his ears, he turned around and eyed Nick and Judy as they approached him.

From behind the water-buffalo, another mammal peered around and stepped forward into sight. It was a middle-aged female porcupine, standing about as tall as Nick. Her many sharp quills stuck up at varying angles, and as she stepped forward, Bogo had to back away to avoid getting pricked. Some of the spines that sprouted from her back were seemingly dyed with different colors, creating a rainbow of razors. She was wearing a clean-white apron, and had white-latex gloves coating her paws.

From behind her, Bogo spoke out.

"About time you two got here. This is your stylist, Marie." Bogo said as he put a hoof on the porcupine's shoulder, carefully avoiding her jutting quills.

"She runs a cosmetics shop on Outback-Island, but sometimes helps us out here at the ZPD during undercover cases that require more _specialized_ outings than just a fake mustache or identity-change. She and her assistants will be applying the dye that will change your fur color, but _she's_ the expert here, so don't ask _me_ how it's done... I'll be in my office until you're all finished here."

And at that, the water-buffalo then lumbered over to the door and exited the room, leaving Nick and Judy alone with Marie and her army of hedgehogs.

"So... How's this dye thing gonna work, huh?" Nick spoke up, causing every hedgehog in the room to turn towards him, which made the fox back away in surprise.

The porcupine stepped forward.

"Oh don't worry about _that_ , dearest: We'll take care of everything. What you _should_ know is how long the dye itself will stick to your fur, enabling you to remain hidden while on the job."

She then turned towards one of the hedgehogs on the nearest table-top.

"How long _would_ that be exactly, Rose?" The porcupine inquired.

The hedgehog called Rose shuffled forward and opened her arms, gesturing at Nick to hand her the bottle of dye. Without thinking, he tossed it to her instead, effectively knocking the hedgehog off of the table and onto the ground as the carton collided with her small form.

" _Oh crap_..." He hissed softly to himself before stepping over. "I am _so_ sorry!" He said, but Judy could tell that he was trying _really_ hard to suppress a laugh.

Squeaking curses at the fox as he picked her up and placed her back on the table, Rose trudged over to the dye carton and searched around through the drug facts on the back of the bottle. After a few seconds of scanning over the many words (half of which Nick could barely pronounce even if he tried), she must have found what she was looking for, because she then scurried over to the side of the table and spoke loudly to the porcupine.

"Both the white and gray dyes will last for roughly one-to-two weeks before beginning to fade, and won't wash away if water is applied: They're both perfect for the mission!"

"Excellent!" Marie said excitedly before turning back towards the fox and bunny. "There you have it. The dye should be effective in rendering your identities as secret."

She then leaned over and plucked the gray dye-carton off of the table's surface, examining it in her paw as she turned it back and fourth.

"Wise choice of color, I must admit, Mr. Wilde... Going with _two_ white mammals might prove suspicious, eh?" The porcupine asked.

The fox then looked down at the bunny beside him.

" _See_ carrots? I _told_ you!" He said with a wink.

Judy glared at him irritably, trying to formulate a response to his bullshit. In the end, she just muttered to herself silently. " _Dumb fox_."

Marie's voice then spoke aloud to the entire room.

"Alright everyone, let's get started, shall we? One gray fox and one polar rabbit, coming right up!"

* * *

Nick never imagined the day that he'd be anything other than orange.

When Marie and her hedgehogs had finished applying the dye, Nick took the time to look himself over in the full-body mirror hanging from a nearby wall. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but had taken the time to change into his black suit pants. The porcupine had applied the gray-colored dye to the entirety of his upper-body, from the belt-line up and all the way to the tip of his ears. They'd gotten the majority of his legs too, from the tips of his toes all the way up to about mid-thigh, where they had stopped; Effectively leaving the fur its regular orange color. Nick figured it considerate though, as he seriously doubted that Jack Savage would need to see anything within _that_ particular region.

So now he was a gray fox: Still of the same genus, but of a slightly different species.

Along with the temporary change in fur color, the porcupine stylist had also given him contact lenses that made his eyes a different color too. Now, his irises shined with a soft brown color. In _his_ opinion, Nick thought that the color brown was hideous as it was, but staring into the reflection of his now brown eyes, he couldn't help but think that it went pretty well with his gray-colored fur.

Shooting his own reflection a pair of double finger-guns, he whirled around and locked eyes with the hedgehog, Rose, who was standing on a nearby table.

"Looks pretty nice! You all did a good job, I must say." The fox admitted.

Rose sneered at him, apparently still ticked off about the dye-carton incident, before she pointed to his suit jacket and undershirt, which were still flopped carelessly against the back of a chair on the other side of the room.

"Go and finish getting dressed, fox. We're still putting the final touches on Judy here, so go wait outside after you get your stinking clothes!" The hedgehog snapped.

At the mention of his mate, Nick turned his head in Judy's direction and glanced at her as she was getting her right arm dyed white. To be able to put the dye on effectively, she'd had to remove her shirt so that they could work with the fur on her chest and upper-body. She still had her pants on, which were rolled up as high as they could go so that they hedgehogs could dye the fur on her ankles and thighs. As he paced over to retrieve the remainder of his clothes, Nick eyed her undercover-issued dress, which was draped out across one of the tables in the corner of the room, right next to where his own suit and undershirt were. He thought it was pretty cute, but would only really be able to tell once it was on her. Averting his attention back to his own problems, he quickly dressed himself before taking the moment to stare at Judy as she was having her ears recolored.

Eventually, Rose's pestering demands for him to leave caused him to do exactly that. He exited the room and looked down the hallway to his left and right: Nobody was there. He shut the door behind him and leaned up against the wall to the right of the door he had just exited, casually placing his back upon the wall and getting lost in his own thoughts after stretching out his arms and legs.

He checked the current time on his phone, which he had earlier pulled from his former clothes and placed in his new ones.

 _4:56_

Nick stifled an annoyed grunt: They'd been in there for quite a while. Three hours, almost. It had taken a _lot_ longer than he had originally expected. In the end, this fact wasn't very surprising, as coating his _entire_ body in gray-colored fur dye had proven quite the time-consuming experience. But now it was all over and done with. Finally!

He _was_ somewhat surprised on how it had taken _him_ less time to recolor than Judy, as she had less total body mass to cover, thus resulting in less fur to dye.

 _Then again... It did seem that I had more hedgehogs working on me than she did..._ He thought to himself before shrugging and looking back down at his phone.

 _4:58_

Just then, a loud and jovial chuckle found it's way to his ears from his right side. The fox looked over and locked eyes with officer McHorn, who must've been walking down the hallway when he had came across Nick.

"Whoa there! Almost didn't recognize you, Wilde!" The rhino said aloud. "You look _completely_ different!"

Nick looked down and examined the gray colored fur on his hands.

"Yeah, I guess I _do_ look pretty different... It's the eyes, ain't it?" The fox asked, causing the rhino to stifle a deep-based chortle.

"No kidding! You got _brown_ eyes now... That is _so_ weird!" McHorn admitted as he walked past. "Undercover, I'm guessing... right?" He asked with his back to the fox.

"You got that right, buddy." Nick confirmed as he watched McHorn rear around a corner. The rhino's voice called out one last time.

"Well good luck with that! You're gonna need it, foxy!"

Nick smirked to himself as he listened to the rhino's chuckles fade away.

The fox then recalled back to their undercover job-descriptions: How the two of them were already added to the files of Jack's work-force, and all that they had to do was go and meet him before their mission would start, and they would begin to work under his business as they earned his trust. After some more time had passed, he heard the handle on the nearby door jiggle, and the door pull open to the inside. Moments later, Nick watched as Marie peered around the corner with a smile before stepping outside.

"Ah, good to see you!" The porcupine claimed. "We just finished up with Judy, and now that she's finished dressing herself, I think you two should see each-other!"

And at that, she backed away from the door, allowing enough space for Nick to fit through and enter. He was about to do just that, but another form exiting the door stopped him in his tracks.

Judy herself had stepped out and into the hallway, and when Nick laid eyes on her, his jaw nearly dropped from his muzzle.

She was wearing her undercover-issued dress, which shined with a sweet and appealing purple color. It's silken violet fabric clung tight against her body, complimenting the curves of her hips, waist, and thighs. The dress itself was sleeveless and long, it's base flowing gently as it scraped the base of her ankles. The dress parted on the left side; A single slice exposing her long and smooth leg, which was colored white along with the rest of the fur on her body. Aside from the familiar sway of her luscious hips, and the smoothness of her legs and fur, the only part of her that wasn't completely alien and nigh-unrecognizable to the fox was the pair of violacious eyes that gazed warmly at him across the space that separated them. Nick loved the color similarities between her gorgeous eyes and the new dress.

"Woah... Whiskers, you look... _amazing_!" He managed to say through parting lips. Soon enough, a grin found it's way to his face.

" _Amazing_..." He repeated quietly as he stared into her mesmerizing purple eyes.

To him, she looked so _clean_... so _pure..._ and _so_ beautiful... He just couldn't look away.

Judy smiled before glancing away.

"Really?" She asked timidly.

It was clear to the fox that she still wasn't very comfortable with the new change in appearance... _Especially_ with the dress. Although Nick knew that she could have a lecherous sexual appetite when she wanted to, and openly allowed Nick to caress her and compliment her on her physical appearance, she _wasn't_ one to often strut around in revealing clothes: It just wasn't her nature, in the end.

"Don't worry, Carrots... _I_ think that you look _great_." Nick said with not an ounce of dishonesty in his words.

The bunny ran her paws down her ears, pressing them back and against her neck. "Thanks." She murmured.

"Well... You ready go and meet Mr. Savage, M'lady?" He asked politely before sticking out his elbow.

Judy simply smiled lovingly at him before replying.

"Am I ready? Why, yes. Yes I am." She then looped her arm around Nick's, locking them both together by the elbow.

Arm-in-arm, the two of them then set out towards Bogo's office, intent on clocking out with him before leaving to Jack's business center and starting their mission.


	26. Mirage

"Our knowledge is like a receding mirage in an ever expanding desert of ignorance." - Will Durant

* * *

Hiding behind the rippling and prismatic folds of illusion lies a vast and unexplored reality of false hopes and blatant lies.

Too many wolves frolic through the fields in the clothing of sheep, disguising their true selves until the time turns right.

Both the fox and bunny had miraculously similar feelings in regards to this philosophy, and as they drove back to their apartment so that they could finalize their situation, they spoke with one another about their roles and reprises in this new and daring mission.

" _Soo_... Who am I again?" Nick asked innocently, his paws hectically running through the case-folder in search of his falsetto-identity's information.

The bunny giggled and just rolled her eyes methodically.

"You'd better get yourself in character, Mister Felix Leyfur..." She said teasingly. "We wouldn't want Jack to single _you_ out, now would we?"

It was at that moment that Nick finally pried out his falsetto identification sheets, courtesy of the ZPD's undercover department. Although a tad bit crumpled, he quickly skimmed through the traits and qualities of his new personality, attempting to get down as much as he could before their meeting with Jack.

The bunny sighed.

 _So unorganized... Dumb fox..._ She thought to herself.

The two of them were currently riding passenger in officer Fangmeyer's cruiser as he carpooled them both back to their apartment for a brief pit-stop before the wolf would drop them off at Jack's business department, which happened to be a large section of one of Zootopia's equally large sky-scrapers, right in the heart of the Downtown area.

Soon enough, they'd arrived back at their apartment-complex, and promptly exited the vehicle before pacing hurriedly back towards their apartment. Fangmeyer had promised not to take off and leave them there, but Nick couldn't help wanting to be extra quick, considering the fact that the wolf's _past_ pranks had often left him in sticky-situations himself.

As they hastily headed to their apartment, Nick decided to quiz Judy on the likes of her new personality.

"So, Carrots... What's your _real_ name, hmm?"

"That's _Alaina Ryder_ to you, fox! Come on, make it a challenge!" She pressed.

Nick momentarily pondered another question before inquiring her of her background.

"Well then, Alaina..." He began flamboyantly. "What type of rabbit _are_ you, exactly?"

Judy answered without hesitation.

"Polar rabbit, also known as the arctic hare, also known as _Lepus Arcticus,_ also known as-"

"Okay, okay! I get it, I get it!" The fox chuckled, rubbing the bunny's shoulder affectionately before thinking of another question to ask her.

"And you want this job because...?" He inquired.

"Because I've been searching for a higher form of occupation that..." She trails off before sighing heavily, a frown encompassing her facial features.

"That appeals to cute little bunnies like myself." She said sarcastically, her tone laced with disapproval. "Sound about right?"

Nick nodded slightly and gripped her shoulder with a tad bit more pressure in an attempt to reassure her alongside his coming words.

"Come on now fluff... Eh, and I'm speaking to _Judy_ carrots, not _Alaina_ carrots here..." He corrected himself with a smirk and half-lidded eyes.

"Hey, I'll do what I have to to get information out of him." Judy claimed, her gaze wandering off and away from Nick when she spoke her last statement.

"This mission _is_ important, carrots... This might prove challenging to you and all, mostly because you're being forced to act as someone you're not... but just because you're adopting a new and temporary persona, doesn't mean that _I_ see you as anything other than who you _really_ are..."

Her mate's silver-etched words greatly soothed the bunny, who had been grasping for some shred of reassurance in that she wasn't some meek little bunny secretary to some top-dollar, multi-millionaire business tycoon... even though she kind of _was_ going to be playing that part...

Nick stared into her eyes and saw this, and he too realized that he'd struck a nice chord in her.

Time to screw it all up.

"Yup. I know who you _really_ are, carrots... You're a cutesy-wootsy, fluffy-wuffy, _adorable_ little- _ACK_!"

He recoiled back as the bunny's elbow plowed into his chest, effectively knocking the wind out of him _and_ shutting him up for good.

"Come on now fluff..." The fox choked. "That's animal abuse... _and_ marital abuse... and _abuse_ abuse..."

The bunny pursued her lips as she scowled at him. She then spoke her mind.

"Well it's gonna be a _triple homicide_ if you call me cute _one_ more time!" She snapped.

"What, so you'll kill me three times over, is that it?" The fox teased some more.

"Exactly."

And with that, Judy teasingly winked at him a single time and stuck out her tongue before picking up her pace, putting distance between herself and the fox behind her, who trudged along silently as he eyed the way her hips swayed back and fourth within the tight fabric of her purple-silk dress.

 _Sly bunny..._

* * *

When they both had managed to reach their apartment, they made short work to pack up their most needed items before undergoing their undercover mission, all of which would start with the meeting with Jack Savage.

Both fox and bunny alike would be staying in a small back-water hotel for the first few days of their undercover work beneath Jack's business empire. Thus, they wouldn't need to be staying at their true home for a short while.

They packed up several things, including extra undercover-issued clothing that the department had gifted them. They were careful not to add anything that might give away their true identities, like Nick's green button-up shirt, as he was well-known on the streets for his awful sense of fashion.

As they began to wrap up their packing, Judy reverently lifted her left paw to her eye-level. There, she gazed at the glittering diamond, which itself was embedded in a golden halo that wrapped around her finger.

She knew that it _had_ to be done for the mission, but _something_ was still itching her at the prospect of removing her wedding ring.

It irritated her, as she'd oftentimes worked entire days without wearing her ring, as handling fire-arms tended to be dangerous while wearing them. So she wasn't sure _why_ it bugged her so much this time.

Sighing, she tenderly slid the golden ring from her finger and placed it on her night-stand... right beside where Nick had earlier lain his.

That thought put a smile on her face.

* * *

Judy had just already finished packing, and had head out to rendezvous with officer Fangmeyer before he dropped them off at Jack's building. As Nick was double-checking everything, such as making sure all the lights were off and whatnot, he entered the bedroom for one last look-around.

A small and shining glimmer caught itself in the corner of his eye.

The fox turned towards it's source, which of no surprise, was Vladzot'z silver locket: Still resting undisturbed since he had last fiddled with it. Nick's feet seemed to move on their own, and soon enough, the fox found himself standing right next to the nightstand, holding the medallion in his paws.

He wasn't sure why... But he felt compelled to bring it with him.

Nick didn't see any apparent problem in doing so, though he still couldn't shake the feeling that it was strange to take it with him.

Shrugging, he slipped the locket into the pocket on his right pant leg, and grabbed his suit-case before heading out towards the door.

* * *

"So that's it?" Fangmeyer's voice questioned from the driver's seat.

Judy lifted her gaze and stared up into the sky; her eyes tracing the length of a tall and winding sky-scraper, which must've stood as perhaps amount the top five tallest buildings in the entire city. It was mostly clad in shining windows, of course, but concrete foundations and support columns could still be seen in and around the panes.

It didn't seem to be the most attention-catching building out there, but it obviously held it's purpose.

They'd already made the stop to their temporary settlement; the Hotel Alexandria, where they had checked in and dropped off their luggage.

Now, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, under the alias of Felix Leyfur and Alaina Ryder, were at last to hold their meeting with the rabbit business-mogul of Zootopia, Jack Savage.

Their false identification was already in Jack's employee archives, so all they had to worry about was a brief chit-chat with the rabbit before they went on their way.

Judy then took the time to answer the wolf's previous question.

"Yeah, that's it all right." She pointed to a nearby curb at the foot of the building. "You can just drop us off there!"

They then removed themselves from the vehicle, thanking Fangmeyer before setting out towards the entrance.

When they entered through the doors and stepped into the lobby, both mammals took the time to admire the awe-inducing interior of the complex.

The main-lobby was about as large as the ZPD's commons area, but much more educated, and elaborate, if you will. It wasn't 'super-fancy' or anything like that, but it certainly expressed class and higher-status. Coming from and built up by one of Zootopia's largest business moguls, it wasn't a surprise that he had enough bank lying around to invest in the glittering-generalities of his building.

 _He may be one of the city's top businessmammals, but he's probably one of the city's top frauds, too..._ Nick mentally told himself.

Fox and bunny strolled next to one-another until they reached the receptions-desk, where a lanky female camel was leaning over a computer, taking in calls and pressing various buttons on her computer.

Judy walked right up and placed her hands on the desk, ringing the little bell to catch the camel's attention. She rolled over in her chair, still sitting down, and scribbled something down on a sticky-note before turning her attention towards the fox and bunny.

"How may I help you today?" She said pleasantly, her voice surprisingly appealing for that of a camel.

Nick leaned in and gave her their answer.

"We're here for Mr. Savage. Have a meeting scheduled with him for around this time, I believe." He glanced over to Judy. "Right Miss Ryder?"

" _Oh_!" She stammered before catching herself. "Y-yes! We're here to speak with Jack about our new jobs here."

The camel nodded and pointed her hoof towards an elevator on the far side of the room.

"306th floor, room 893: That's where you'll find him: Best of luck with your new jobs!" She said before returning her attention back to her computer.

Nick and Judy made way to the elevator, where they dialed in the 306th floor, and the elevator shot upwards and to the sky. It was slow, and gave them plenty of time to discuss various topics.

They took the time to rehearse some more of their roles, speaking about their dialogue, personalities, and perceptions within their falsetto identities.

Eventually, a certain topic popped into mind.

"Hey Alaina?" Nick asked. He was gonna have to get used to calling her that around here.

The bunny turned her head towards the fox and made a questioning and soft _hmm_ sort of sound.

"Our jobs are probably gonna have us working apart from one another for some time. We'll only be able to relay Intel during specific hours, like back at the hotel or during break in some secret spot."

Nick's paws fiddled nervously, his thumbs twirling around and in circles.

"Just be safe out there, Carrots. This is our first undercover mission, and we don't know _how_ this thing could go down, in the end.

He momentarily trailed off, staring at the tiled floor of the elevator. He then resumed;

"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something bad happened to you."

Judy blinked a single time, her gaze resting still and unmoving on the fox that stood before her.

Then without warning, she pulled him into a kiss; Their lips locking together in a passionate embrace. After a few seconds, fox and bunny pulled apart. They both breathed in and out as they re-accumulated the oxygen in their systems, all the while staring into one another's eyes. Nick watched Judy with intent as she spoke out her coming words;

"Since we may not be able to do _that_ very often, I figured one last time wouldn't hurt." She whispered to which Nick nodded, a smile slowly forming on his face.

Judy spoke out once more, the hot air from her breaths flowing through the fur on the tip of Nick's snout.

"Besides: Don't worry about _me_ , sweet-heart!" She said reassuringly. "I can take care of myself!"

And with that, she pulled away and administered a playful hip check to the fox.

"Don't worry," Nick began. " You can take on anyone, fluff."

"You got that right!" She confirmed excitedly.

A few short seconds later, the elevator doors slid open, and both mammals stepped out of the box and into the confines of the long hall-way, bound for room 893.

* * *

As they walked down the long and window-framed hallway, Nick gazed out of the glass-panels and across the Zootopian sky-line. The sun had just begun to set, and had started to bathe the farthest reaches of the west in a blanket of dreary redness, purple-tinged colors accompanying.

Nick couldn't help but think of it as beautiful... He envisioned it as a mirage, almost: The sun being an imaginary reality, only existing to be replaced by the darkness of the night as it swallowed up the unlit expanses of their world.

But yet... Every morning, the sun _always_ rose up from its tender sleep, ready to bring life and light to the land with it's warmth... Nick appreciated that...

For as cynical and sardonic as he was; Even Nick Wilde _himself_ couldn't deny the fact that he had inherited his father's artistic taste in perception.

Eventually, the two mammals reached the room titled 893, which was a smooth-oaken door stretching from the floor to the ceiling.

Nick knocked a single time, hoping for a response of some kind.

For a short while, he was met with only silence.

Then...

"Do come in, chaps! I've been expecting you long enough!" A milky but stern voice called out.

Looking down at Judy with a look of apprehension, the bunny simply nodded before pushing open the door herself, revealing the next room to them both.

It was a large and spacious office, with floor-to-ceiling windows aligning the farthest wall from the door that Nick and Judy had just entered from. The walls that rose parallel to the right and left were empty for the most part, but did have a few paintings and other accessories hanging from the walls. In the very center of the room, there was a large rectangular carpet, with intricate designs flowing through the fabric spread out across the floor. In the center of the rug, there was a small coffee table, which was flanked by two pairs of large and fluffy sofas; one on each opposing side of the table.

At the base of the windows in the back of the room, there was a big desk, with a computer and a number of other ornaments strewn across it's surface. In an over-sized black-velvet office-chair, Jack Savage lounged back with his feet planted on his desk, and his arms behind his head.

He seemed very relaxed and calm; His passive state reflecting upon Nick and Judy as they approached him. Nick knew _all_ too well from his experience with Vladzotz that looks could be deceiving: At first glance, the bat lord seemed friendly and very gentlemen-like, but once he showed his true colors, it was clear that deep down he was a terrible and blood-thirsty monster.

Nick took Jack's laid-back appearance with a grain of salt, and decided to scan his new and temporary boss's form. He wasn't very tall, perhaps only a little bit shorter than Nick, but he certainly stood taller than Judy did. He was equipped within a formal black tuxedo, with a small blue-flower clipped to his right-breast. The flower complimented the light-blue color of his eyes, which pierced both stern and friendly at the same time. Physically, he looked pretty much identical to how he had in the photo-shoot picture that Nick had seen earlier that day back at the ZPD head-quarters. The tip of the rabbit's ears were black, as if they had been dipped in a pool of ink, and angular slashes of black stained the fur on his cheeks.

"Good to see you both!" He sat up in his chair, kicking his legs off of the table-top. "It's a pleasure to meet you, of course! The name's Jack... Jack Savage."

The rabbit leaned over and plucked a small stack of paper from another side of his desk, holding them at eye-level.

"And you two would be, eh..." He glanced at Nick. " _Felix Leyfur,_ yes?"

Nick nodded, resisting the urge to shoot the rabbit with a finger-gun while he did.

Jack then turned towards Judy. He smiled as he read her name aloud to the room.

" _Alaina Ryder_! Mmm, _very_ lovely name, my dear..." Jack reached out across the desk and grasped Judy's paw within his own, shaking it respectfully as he did. The male bunny then leaned down and planted a light peck of a kiss on the top of her paw before letting it go.

A frown found it's way to Nick's face: Why hadn't _he_ gotten a hand-shake? And what was with that kiss?

Jack's rich-toned voice filled the fox's ears once more, derailing his train of thought.

"Now that we've gotten the formalities out of the way," He said glancing back and forth between the fox and bunny. "I suppose we must talk business now, shall we?"

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I certainly hope you enjoyed this latest chapter of 'When Instinct Falls' as much as I did! I found it quite entertaining to write about Jack, as he seems to be an interesting character as he is!**

 **Speaking of Jack, I must ask: What did you guys think of him? Do you like the way I portrayed him? Are you excited about what's to come?**

 **I know _I_ am! :D**

 **I got big things comin' everyone! And of course, I can't wait to share them all with you mi amigos! Stay tuned for chapter 29, coming your way soon!**

 **As always, feel free to leave a review, favorite, or follow telling me your thoughts/ideas/opinions: They're all _greatly_ appreciated!**

 **Peace!**


	27. Down the Rabbit Hole

"I particularly like the whole idea of being boss. It's the slave quality that I find alluring!" - Hugh Grant.

* * *

"So, let's talk business, shall we?" Jack began with a hearty, but almost weary smile.

Nick stifled a slight grin on his face as the male rabbit continued to sift through the various papers strewn across his desk, no doubt gathering information on his latest employees.

"Alright," He spoke aloud. "I know that the two of you are here for job opportunities, yes?"

Both Nick and Judy nodded their heads in agreement and confirmation.

"Of course... Now, correct me if I'm wrong," He pointed to Judy. "You're here for the secretary position, right?"

"That's right, sir!" Judy replied jovially.

She may have been undercover, but her joyous attitude still seemed to leak through. Nick would have to remind her later on that having her true emotions showing might give them away for who they really were. Jack then looked in Nick's direction.

"And you would be here for the office-coordinator position! Perfect! Two empty spots, now occupied once again!" Jack beamed excitedly.

The fox raised his hand in slight apprehension, attempting to ask a question. Jack didn't seem to notice, so he took the chance to speak out.

"Sir... Uh, where exactly will my job be located? I know that J-" Nick briefly stammered. "Alaina will be working directly under you, respectively, but where do I play in?"

The male rabbit nodded his head and furrowed his brow before responding.

"Well, I was just getting to that, Mister Leyfur. I'll jump into it immediately now that you've brought it up."

Jack leaned over in his seat and opened one of the drawers embedded within the back of his desk. Moments later, he pulled out another sheet of office paper, seemingly adorned with many different definitions or vocabulary words of some sort: Likely some sort of startup document for Nick's own personal convenience.

"You Mister Leyfur, will be on floor one-o'-two. As an office-coordinator, your job is vital for ensuring an orderly environment in the work place. It will be your responsibility to maintain a stable work-place scenario, to ensure proper incident notification and documentation towards all higher-ups in the chain of command, and for you to organize the schedules of all the mammals working in your sector, which is Sector-A, to be specific. Oh, and here's your badge!"

The rabbit tossed him a security-badge with his photograph on it, already well prepared and accounted for in the building's employee workforce, no doubt.

Meanwhile, Nick's head was still throbbing with all the words that the rabbit had just listed off.

He made a mental reminder to thwack Bogo upside the head the next time he saw him: Why couldn't Nick get an easy job, like a janitor, or an elevator bellhop?

"Meanwhile, Miss Ryder will be my secretary of course!" He then turned towards Judy. "You'll be accompanying me on business events, scheduling my appointments, documenting my meetings, and filing my work-place, all while being directly under my personal management!"

Sparing a glance at his mate beside him, Nick could tell that she seemed just as frazzled as he was.

"Yes, yes..." The rabbit donned a triumphant smirk as he leaned back in his chair and eyed his two latest employees. "Good business... Good business."

For a few short moments, there were no sounds emanating from any of the three mammals; But eventually, Jack's voice broke the silence one more.

"Well, time is money people! Felix, you go and report to Sector-A, floor 102... And Alaina; if you would stay here, I'll fill you in on what must done for today."

Nick shifted his weight anxiously before rising from his chair and pacing a few steps backwards, keeping his eyes locked on Jack. He said aloud,

"Yeah... You got it boss! I'll be sure to, uh... Hop to it! Yeah!" The fox cleared his throat, taking note of the two bunny's unimpressed faces. "I-I'll see myself out, now."

And with that, he shuffled over to the door and lightly closed it, sparing one final glance at Judy, whose eyes momentarily locked with his before the door closed shut.

* * *

 _Great..._ The fox thought to himself.

He hadn't expected this to be his job: He'd walked into the building hoping that perhaps he and Judy would be able to work together to some degree, but instead, he gets spat into some D-list desk job 200 floors away from Judy.

That thought made him mad... It also made him mad that Judy was all alone up there with Jack... Nick didn't trust him one bit: All of his years on the streets have hardened his perception on the way that mammals acted... He always took other mammal's attitudes with a grain of salt, not truly letting them in until he deemed them worthy of it.

The fox shuddered: The entire fiasco with Vladzotz and his mob served as an unrestricted reminder of that fact specifically.

As that short thought passed through his conscious, Nick suddenly became aware of the locket that he had in the breast pocket on his suit.

The silver talisman seemed to become heavier and grow colder in his pocket at the mere thought of the bat lord's name...

He shook his head before coming to a halt, stopping right in front of the same elevator he had came up in... Only this time, he would be taking it back down all by himself. After pressing the button and being forced to wait for the elevator as it made it's way to his current floor, he tried to think of more positive thoughts.

 _Maybe getting split up is a good thing. Perhaps it'll allow us to broaden our area of search, so we can find out if this clown has actually been playing people_... He told himself.

Eventually, his elevator dinged audibly, and the doors slid open to reveal a brand new hallway. Nick stepped out and began walking down the hall. There wasn't much to see: Mostly just benches, potted plants, and doors embedded with hazy windows. He soon reached an area labeled under 'Sector- A', and recalling Jack's previous words of instruction, the fox began his journey into the new area.

It was a bright-colored place; with yellow-ish colored walls and lots of green from the potted plants. The color combinations seemed to blend together in a rather uplifting sort of lemon-lime mixture. Most of the cubicles were manned by animals more or less around Nick's height, the majority of them being bunnies. Many of them typed away at a computer of some sort or filed documents into cabinets, likely just organizing the numbers from all of Jack's profits.

It felt welcome enough, but Nick's brief sense of acceptance was soon shattered when a pair of male rabbits came into view and stopped him in his tracks. They were both dressed identically in matching security guard uniforms, complete with white button-up shirts and tiny little radios holstered to their left shoulders. They didn't have guns, but Nick did see one of them hovering his right paw over what looked like a close-range taser, and the other doing the same with some sort of night-stick.

"What business do you have here, fox? Can't you read the sign?" One of the rabbits spoke out, pointing behind Nick.

The fox turned around and eyed the aforementioned sign.

It read: **'** **No unauthorized personal beyond this point.'**

From behind, the other rabbit spoke aloud,

"This work-place is off-limits to anyone who doesn't work here, such as visitors like yourself." He said flatly, pointing to the little sticky-badge that he'd stuck onto his collar.

Glancing down at his shirt, Nick caught sight of the sticker that he'd planted on his collar back at the reception's desk downstairs. An idea suddenly formed in Nick's conscious. Technically, he would be running this entire sector from now on. These guys had no right to boss him around! If anything, _he_ would be the one giving orders, now.

Wishing to mess with these dumb bunnies some more, he quickly formulated and stated a sardonic response of his own;

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry... I didn't know that there were visitors today! If I see one, I shall inform you immediately."

And with that, the fox gave the security guards a mock salute and then tried to wordlessly maneuver his way around them, but they simply blocked off his path once again.

"Take a hike, fox." One of the guards spat. " _Your_ kind wouldn't be welcome even if you _did_ work here!"

Nick pursued his lips and furrowed his brow.

"Well you see... The thing is, I _do_ work here, actually. In fact, I'm the new office-coordinator for this sector!" Nick smirked coyly as he whipped out the badge that Jack had given him earlier and showed it to the guards, who both frowned disapprovingly before a look of fear suddenly seized upon both of their twin faces.

"Oh dear..." One of them muttered, beginning to turn red around the ears. "I am... _So_ sorry, sir!"

" _We_ are so sorry, s-sir!" The other one piped out. "Eh, go on ahead! Your office is at the end of the hall, t-to the right of the cubicles, sir!" He stuttered.

Nick huffed softly to himself.

 _Sir... I could get used to going by that!_

And at that, Nick pushed his way past the guards and walked farther down the hall, into the room with the cubicles. He walked around, getting the gist of what everyone was doing. Most of them were just filing paperwork and crunching numbers... Nothing Nick found very interesting.

And to think that he had to manage this joint for who knows how long?

It was only when he found his own office did he truly realize just how many bunnies were working in this sector. In this cubicle room alone, there must have been 50 or so of the little guys running around, going about their business. Nick wondered how they all would take to the idea of having a predator, a fox in specific, running their sector from now on.

He had a bad feeling that they wouldn't take it very well.

From across the room, he briefly locked eyes with one of the security guards that had hassled him earlier. The fox bared his fangs and showed his claws in a joking manner, but it certainly did it's number on the bunny, who paled in the face and hurriedly turned around, walking away from his line of sight.

As he sat down in his chair with a thump, he chuckled out loud to himself, eyeing the contents strewn across his desk all the while. He placed his paws behind his head and kicked his legs up onto the desk, doing so in exactly the same way that Jack had been when they both first met.

"Yeah... I think I could get used to this!" He mumbled aloud to himself.

* * *

As Judy watched the door close behind him, she couldn't help but wonder if Nick would be able to handle himself out there: If he was going to be scheduling appointments and filing paperwork for an entire cubicle, the bunny seriously doubted that he'd be very successful in his endeavors.

 _Then again... This is Nick we're talking about! If he puts his mind to it, he can squirm his way out of anything thrown his way..._ She mentally reminded herself.

She had to tell herself again and again that splitting up was the best plausible scenario: The two of them could cover more ground than if they were side-by-side, thus making this entire mission go by faster. If there was anything to be hopeful for, it was that.

Movement ensnared in the corner of her eye grasped at her attention.

Jack Savage had risen from his chair and walked over to the couches in the center of the office. He promptly gestured to one, beckoning Judy to come and sit: She did as she was instructed.

As she plopped onto the floofy sofa, Jack had gone over to the small coffee table in the middle. From the surface of the table, he plucked a glass of dark, amber-colored liquid.

"Care for some scotch, Miss Ryder?" He inquired, one of his eyebrows raised questionably.

Judy was about to formulate her denial, but Jack must've seen the momentary look of apprehension on her face, because his smirk grew even wider and he chuckled aloud.

"Aw, don't be like that Alaina! This stuff isn't cheap, and I have so few people to share it with..." He trailed off, eyeing the bottle almost sympathetically.

His blue eyes shot up and locked with Judy's once again.

"I'll ask again... Care for some scotch, Miss Ryder?"

Something about the way he said that sent a chill down Judy's spine.

It almost sounded... Like a threat...

She wasn't one that was intimidated very often, her only recent memory of true hesitation out of fear came from the time that Nick and her had escaped from the Nocturnal-District, and when she had seen Vladzotz tearing apart their police cruiser... That was something you didn't see everyday.

But the way Jack had worded that sentence sounded almost threatening, and for a moment, Judy wasn't sure what to say: She wasn't very fond of alcohol, as she didn't like having her mind and rational-thought process overtaken by intoxication.

Besides... Dhe'd had some bad run-ins with alcohol before...

One time, she and Nick had gone out partying with Clawhauser for his birthday, and had gotten VIP access to the backstage and special outings, including some rather expensive beverages. Seizing the opportunity to prove herself as adventurous (and to sate Nick's consistent teasing and tempting), she had downed at least 3 glass of wine that night.

Later on that evening, Nick had been subject to a thoroughly forceful mating session: Much to both animal's surprise, it was apparent that if you intoxicate a female bunny in heat, it will result in very lewd and unpredictable behavior...

That brief thought brought a blush to her face, but she quickly hid it as best she could.

She still didn't know whether to deny to accept the scotch. In the end, temptation and a desire to seem reasonable took over, driving the bunny to accept his offer.

When Jack heard her speak out "Sure", he then poured two glasses of scotch; one for himself, and one for his guest. He walked over to the couch rotunda and handed Judy her glass before seating himself on the opposing couch to hers.

As soon as he sat down, Jack began drinking his scotch: Gulping it down in hard and dry chugs that caused some of the scotch to spill out the side of the glass and trickle down his face.

It was obvious that drinking must've been something he was used to.

The rabbit's smooth voice broke her train of thought.

"Go on then... try it! Good stuff, I say!" He claimed as he placed his now completely empty glass back onto the table.

The male rabbit then turned towards Judy expectantly, his eyed edging her to take a sip of the drink in her paw. Judy looked distastefully at the amber-colored liquid as it sloshed around in her glass. It smelled like juniper, and was admittedly an alluring looking drink.

Raising the side of the cup to her muzzle, she felt a few small drops seep between her lips and pitter onto her tongue. The taste wasn't sweet at alllike she had expected. Instead, it was bitter and sour, almost. She almost set the drink down, but in order to show some appreciation and respect towards her host and brand new boss, she quickly swallowed a few more small gulps of the drink.

She felt the bitter liquid travel down her throat as she swallowed it, each gulp almost painfully being forced past her collarbone as it made its way toward her stomach.

Judy Hopps was not a drinker, and was by every sense of the word, a light-weight.

Nearly gagging, she devolved her wretches into light and powdery coughs as she placed her glass down on the table and slid it as far away from herself as she could.

Meanwhile, Jack was grinning as he watched her try to drink the scotch, and as she set down her glass with finality, Jack let out a hearty chuckle.

"I take it that you didn't like it?" He asked.

It didn't matter how much she needed to suck-up to this cocky bastard... Judy would not be drinking more alcohol anytime soon: She gave him her honest opinion.

"Honestly Mr. Savage, that's the worst thing I've ever had the displeasure of tasting!" She muttered, averting her gaze from the male rabbit.

She thought that he might be insulted or offended by her words, but instead, he started laughing some more. He spoke out once again,

"Well Miss Ryder, as I've always said; The first drink of scotch you have always tastes like burnt cork, the second, like leather, and any more after that, well... And you'll be a confirmed scotch drinker for life!" He said jovially, jabbing his thumb to himself when he mentioned the third point.

He laughed, and Judy couldn't help but stifle a slight giggle at his words as well.

Jack tipped his head and smiled before speaking out again.

"And please, do call me Jack... Mr. Savage is my father! Ha!" He then leaned back on his couch. "Well, since I suppose you'll be working with me for some time now..."

He trailed off, breaking eye-contact with Judy and momentarily looking towards the ground before reconnecting his gaze.

"It might be best if we get to know each-other, yes?"

Judy had a feeling that it was less an offer and more of a requirement, but she decided to give in to his small-talk: Whatever got her one step closer to the evidence she needed for the case... They still didn't know if Jack was guilty of all his accusations or not, and she knew that it might take time to worm information out of him, so she'd take every chance she could get to pry as much knowledge out of him as possible.

"Of course!" She said, beaming a pleasant smile at the male rabbit. "Is there anything in particular you want to know, sir?"

Judy hatched a quick but clever plan to worm her way into his head: It was obvious that Jack would be getting intoxicated soon, as he'd downed nearly the entire bottle of his scotch at this point, and was now drinking out of the bottle itself, completely skipping over the use of the shot-glasses. Judy had a feeling that if he was drunk while he spoke about himself, that she might be able to peel some private information out of him while his mind was altered and his thoughts were scrambled.

So naturally, she volunteered to go first so as to give the alcohol enough time to settle into Jack's system. Given the fact that it didn't seem like he had eaten anything earlier, and that he was a light-weighted rabbit, it would only be a matter of time before he was completely hammered.

"Well..." Jack mumbled. "How about where you were born? Oh bother... cross that: I'll take it that you're from Bunny-Burrow, yes?"

Nodding her head, Judy hummed a confirming mmm-hmm to her boss's question. Jack himself laughed out loud at her response.

"I knew it! Honestly, what rabbit isn't from Bunny-Burrow, eh?"

Judy smiled and just kept nodding her head back-and-forth like some timed bobble-head, giving fake answers to the many questions Jack had to ask her. As time drew out, it was clear that the scotch had started to settle into his system, as Jack had begun to show symptoms of intoxication: His eyes and ears drooped, his words gradually became more drawn-out and slurred, and he seemed very passive and relaxed, but at the same time, incredibly alert and anxious.

In the end, Judy was disgusted about the way he was acting: Openly getting himself drunk on her first day of the job! How rude was that?

She bounced off many of Jack's questions, and after a few more minutes had passed, she was about to start asking Jack about himself, when he pulled a single question out of thin air that made her hesitate.

"So... Are you married, Miss Ryder?"

Of all the things that he had inquired about thus far, none of them caught her more off guard than this one.

She briefly stuttered, unsure of what to say. Eventually, she found her words, and managed to force them out of her mouth...

"No, sir... I'm not married to anyone..."

It was slightly painful for her to say that last statement, but at least Jack bought it. He nodded dutifully and grinned, gazing at her eyes without speaking. As Judy stared back at him, she thought that she saw a flicker of something carnal pass over his vision.

Beginning to feel uncomfortable, she then decided to ask Jack her own questions.

"So, are you married, sir?"

The male rabbit lolled his head back and let out a dry laugh, nearly devoid of humor., before he pulled his head back and responded.

"Nope. Never have, never will: T-time is money, and I don't got the time for a family..." He admitted.

Thinking about what he just said, Judy formulated a plan: She intended to direct the tipsy-minded Jack down a path of various questions, eventually leading to more personal things, such as his emotions, and business practices, and what he did in his spare time.

Time went on, and slowly as it did.

To keep the male rabbit as drowsy and drunk as possible throughout the ordeal, she continued to offer him glasses of scotch: He accepted each and every one.

She also took the chance to sit next to him, her ankles crossed, but about as close to Jack as she was willing to get at that moment. She wanted to appear friendly and appealing, so as to make Jack feel comfortable about telling her important information.

Judy wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there with Jack ever since she'd first picked up the scotch glass, but by the time she spared her most recent glance outside of the large windows; it was dark outside, and the moon was shining through the glass-panels.

Night-time.

Refocusing her attention back on Jack, she quickly tried to think of another question to ask him, this one even more personalized to something illegal that he might be doing part in. Remembering Bogo's words about how there were rumors that Jack had done business deals with some of the crime-lords from the city districts, she decided to use that Intel against him.

"So Jack... With some or your more recent business deals... Has there been anything... Out of the ordinary, that you might have come across?" She questioned him, batting her fine eye-lashes for effect.

Jack placed his palms to his face and wiped away at his eyes: He was visibly getting tired, so it was clear to Judy that she didn't have that much time left before he conked out.

"Uhh... Heh..." He slurred for a second. "Well, there was that one guy... Real prickly fellow, by the looks of 'im! Urghh..."

At the notion of this supposed 'prickly fellow', Judy's ears shot up in anticipation: She had a feeling that this was gonna be good...

"Prickly fellow?" She repeated. "What do you mean by that? Who do you mean by that?"

Judy had a few ideas come to mind: One of which was definitely not going to mean less paper-work for Bogo...

"Eh... I shouldn't tell, love... That scaly son of gun wouldn't like it..." Jack grumbled, his head lolling away from Judy as he trailed off. "Wouldn't be... good business..."

She didn't particularly like how he had called her 'love', but she just wrote it off as a good-manners sort of thing. It also appeared that Jack liked using the words 'good-business', as he'd brought them up at least a total of eight times throughout her talk with him.

"But _I_ would like it. If I'm going to be working with you, I need to know every business detail you can think of! Who is it?"

Jack blinked a single time as he stared at Judy. He leaned his face in a little closer, almost until his mouth was touching the inside of her ear.

"I forget the bloke's name..." He spoke softly. "Hard to pronounce, w-while drunk... Sazz... Shaz... Somethin' like that. Oh wait... He's... Shahazzzzzz..."

The male rabbit slurred the final letter of that name before promptly falling asleep, his head resting on Judy's shoulder as he snored away his intoxication.

Judy swallowed.

Shahaz... She knew that name...

Shahaz 'The Stinger' Pholmok... One of the ZPD's most wanted active criminals. According to Nick, he was a pangolin, and one of the four remaining crime-lords that controlled the majority of the city's organized crime, his district of choice being the Sahara-Square.

So it was true: Jack Savage really was doing deals with the crime-lords. She wondered if there were any more that he had worked with, like Al Catpone, or Iluka Rombahe.

And to think, she hadn't even started her working day!

She went to Jack's desk and pulled out a post-it note, writing on it about how Jack had feel asleep, and that she had walked home as a result. She had a good feeling that Jack wouldn't remember what had happened in the morning, and probably wouldn't even care if he did, as he'd be too busy fighting off a massive headache to think about it.

As she pulled the note away and placed it on the counter next to where Jack had dozed off, she briefly considered snooping around some more in his office, so as to gather even more information. She quickly scratched that idea though, as Jack could end up awaking any moment, and finding her snooping around through his stuff might not be the best thing to wake up to.

Besides, after slowly directing that conversation to the end result that was his confession, she thought that she deserved a break... She wanted to head back to the hotel and crash with Nick.

But in the end, no matter what she did: She had all the evidence that she would need.

As she turned off the lights and carefully closed the door shut behind her as she left Jack's office, she held up the orange-colored carrot pen that she had been hiding from Jack while she listened to him talk.

Pressing the button, she heard the recording scratchily squeak back to it's previous usage, and Jack's slurred words suddenly filled the hallway.

" _I forget the bloke's name... Hard to pronounce, while drunk... Sazz... Shaz... Somethin' like that... Oh wait... He's... Shahazzzzzz..._ "

The recording ended to the sound of Jack's head flopping against Judy's shoulder as he passed out.

Turning off the recorder-pen and slipping it away into the folds of her dress, she smiled to herself as she strutted off towards the elevator, all the while imagining how unprofessional Jack must look right about now; flopped across his couch and smelling like whiskey.

"Dumb-rabbit." She muttered to herself as she pressed the elevator button.

It wasn't much, but she figured it enough to tell Nick at the very least: She doubted it would be enough evidence to lock Jack up behind bars though...

There would need to be more hustling to do: But judging from how easily she'd managed to play Jack that time, she had a good feeling that she'd be able to do it again.

As she stepped into her elevator compartment and watched the doors slide shut, she briefly saw another elevator door on the opposing side of the hall-way slide open. The little button that signaled when an elevator was going up or down didn't flash: Instead, the door itself just opened without warning. She didn't see whoever was inside, but the thought that they had managed to come up in an unmarked and untracked elevator made her slightly suspicious.

Shrugging it off as perhaps a mechanical error, or a technician working on the elevator, she promptly closed her eyes and listened to the sweet sound of classical music as her elevator glided down and to the lobby.

When she stepped out, she only had one thought on her mind...

 _Nick..._


	28. Cead Mille Falte

**Hey Everyone!**

 **I just wanna say one small thing real quick, just to avoid any minor confusion: _This_ chapter starts where Nick was left off in the _last_ chapter. Later on in this chapter, the setting catches up to where we left off Judy in the last chapter, though. Good on that! ****Also, I'd like to thank you. Thank you all _so very_ much.**

 **Why?**

 **Because 'When Instinct Falls' has just reached 300,000 views! That is completely outstanding!**

 **Never did I imagine that this little story of mine would _ever_ become so popular, and grow to be so adored by so many people. I would like to thank each and every one of you, especially the one's that have stuck with me the whole way through... You all are highly appreciated, and I am incredibly grateful. _Thank you._**

 **Regardless, I'm sure you all will enjoy what this new chapter has to offer... I certainly _hope_ you do, at least. Be sure to tell me whatcha think! :D**

 **Anyhow, jumping right into the action, I give you chapter 30 of 'When Instinct Falls'... 300,000 views edition!**

 **Peace!**

* * *

"A hundred thousand welcomes! I could weep, and I could laugh, I am light and heavy! Welcome." - William Shakespeare

* * *

First, he was a petty con-artist...

Then, he was a police officer...

And now, he wa an office coordinator.

 _Never imagined I'd ever get this high up in the food-chain_... He thought to himself as he eyed the small army of bunnies running around filing paperwork.

For the longest time, Nick had never imagined ever scraping any higher than the bottom of the barrel when it came to job occupations. His work as a con-artist was crude and shoddy, not to mention the fact that it was highly looked down upon and incredibly unfulfilling. Then his life took a turn for the better, and he became a police officer: something he'd always thought as nigh unreachable due to his criminal-background, and of course, the fact that he was a fox.

So now he was here...

Legs kicked up on top of his desk, paws placed comfortably behind his head as he watched over the dozens of bunnies running the various cubicles in the office. Nick kept watch as they went about their work, which ranged from organizing papers, to typing away at computers, to filing documents and other crafts.

Though they all appeared to be rather busy, Nick would occasionally see one or two of them glance over in his direction; though, he was unsure whether it was out of consideration for the fact that he was in charge, or _fear_ for the fact that he was a predator.

In fact, he was the _only_ predator in the entirety of the sector.

The fox was surrounded by prey on all sides, mostly consisting of rabbits, but there _were_ a few other small-prey mammals doing business, including the likes of several nutria, muskrats, and even a sheep.

Nick still couldn't believe that he had near complete authority over all these other employees: Deep down, he hoped that they would consider him with respect for his position, and not out of fear for his race.

Tired of sitting down and doing nothing, he placed his phone on the table and decided to stand up and simply pace around the perimeters of the cubicles, sometimes stepping in momentarily to see what the employees were working on. Nearly every time he peeked his head in, the bunnies inside the cubicle would jump in their seats, expressions of fear briefly frozen upon their faces until they realized that Nick had no intention of administering harm.

The fox still found it difficult to believe that even after all the work that he and Judy had done to portray predators in a positive light, that the fear was still there. Even in the slightest of amounts, Nick could tell that many of the rabbits in this sector didn't like him, and were uncomfortable with his mere _presence_ in their work-space.

He tried walking up to some of them and speaking with them, but the results were quite disappointing: They either jumped in alarm at his sudden intrusion, or had a momentary expression akin to the likes of fear. Even the seemingly more laid-back rabbits showed signs of trepidation.

Nick didn't exactly blame them: They'd probably never worked directly under a predator before, especially their species' _natural_ predator.

The fox continued his repetitive activity of checking in on bunnies, only to be met with faces of apprehension and nervousness. Eventually he had made his way to the far side of the sector, on the complete opposite end of where his office was located. In the farthest corner of the opposing wall, Nick spotted out a small cubicle; tucked away and slightly hidden from the rest. It was smaller than most of the others, and as the fox poked his head inside and looked around, his eyes were met with the sight of one small desk, piled high with paperwork and other office junk. A tiny computer perched in the farthest right corner of the desk, and typing at it's keyboard was another rabbit.

Curious to get the bunny's attention and to see what he was up to (It _was_ his _job_ , after all), Nick took his paw and knocked on the nearest cubicle wall. The bunny's ears shot up a bit higher in detection and twitched at the sound of the noise. Turning around in his office-chair, the rabbit faced Nick and looked him in the eye.

No fear, no anxiety, and no sense of insecurity.

That was what Nick noticed in this bunny's eyes: He was the first one that he'd talked to today that hadn't flinched or jumped when he got their attention.

That realization made the fox smile.

The bunny that he was facing smiled back; his lips pulling apart in a slight but nevertheless delightful grin, showing off rows of angled and slightly-pointy teeth.

"Heya!" The bunny greeted aloud. "Somethin' I can help ya with, boss?"

Nick had been referred to as 'boss' by some of the other bunnies, but coming from this one, it actually felt like the title had a position of authority and respect, not one of fear and hostility.

"Oh, just checkin' in on stuff around here... Making sure all you cuties are workin' hard, ya know?" The fox replied easily.

It was only after the bunny that he was speaking to donned a look of embarrassment did Nick realize that he had dropped the 'C-word' on accident.

Nick rubbed the back of his neck anxiously.

"Uh, sorry about that... Kinda slipped out. My bad."

The bunny just nodded his head understandably and stood from his chair, smile still plastered on his muzzle.

"Don't worry 'bout that, boss. _I_ don't find it very demeaning... Just watch it around these parts, ya hear? Might get yourself a few dirty looks!" He acknowledged.

The fox stifled a laugh and straightened himself out before responding.

"Yeah, I know, I know... I've met other bunnies before, but it sometimes just slips out. As for the dirty looks part..."

He glanced over his shoulder and eyed all the other bunny's in the room, many of them dutifully trying not to look at least a little bit nervous.

"I already got _that_ one covered." He muttered disappointingly.

The bunny took a step closer and spoke his mind.

"The other's givin' you a hard time? Eh, I ain't surprised... I doubt any of 'em have ever worked under a predator before, especially one like yourself."

"No kidding." Nick grumbled.

He _was_ starting to like _this_ bunny though: He was friendly, but he also seemed to actually respect Nick for who he _truly_ was, instead of just stereotyping him and whatnot.

"What's your name, huh?" He found himself asking.

"Dyvim, sir... Dyvim Whitetail. Pleasure to meet ya!"

"I go by Mr. Leyfur, by the way, but _you_ can just call me Felix." The fox told the bunny.

The two of them shook paws, both grinning and gripping the other's paw with a firm reassurance of trust.

Soon enough, a conversation started brewing. It wasn't exactly anything that Nick would consider as very interesting, but Dyvim made it so: The bunny had a certain way of speaking that made him likable. And aside from that, after being either ignored or looked upon with fear by nearly every other mammal in the sector, it was nice having someone to talk with that wasn't unsettled by his appearance or species, even.

Dyvim seemed to be a pretty good multi-tasker, as he both spoke with Nick _and_ typed away at his computer during their conversation. The bunny explained to the fox about what he was working on, which happened to be a documentation on the status of Jack's various banks throughout the city.

Upon the notion of Jack, Nick suddenly remembered the reason he was even here in the first place: He had to search for information on the guy...

Clearing his throat, he spoke out to the bunny;

"So... What _do you_ think of Mr. Savage, huh?" He asked. "Seems like an, uh... Interesting fellow, to me."

Simple enough of a question, as it was.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Nick noticed Dyvim stop typing at his keyboard altogether. He turned around in his chair and stared the fox in the eye.

"Well... I-I think he's a great businessmen and a good CEO... But he's got his problems, I guess." Dyvim muttered.

"Problems? Like what?" Nick asked, taking his weight off of the wall that he was leaning against.

"For as good of an executive as he is to us prey, I've noticed that he doesn't seem to show the predator employees the same amount of respect."

 _Figures... That creep wasn't very cheery to me, when I first met him, either..._ Nick thought to himself.

"Anything else?" The fox inquired.

"Enough as it is... I also think he spends too much time in his office, at least whenever he's even here in the first place. Mr. Savage also puts a _lot_ of emphasis on profits... a lot more than most other banks, and even other businesses do. I ain't too sure _why_ , as he's already pretty stinkin' rich."

It wasn't much, but Nick took that information for what it was worth: While Judy got to know Jack better _personally_ , Nick would get to learn how his _employees_ thought of him, which was just as important to the Intel-gathering process of the undercover case.

The fox continued his conversation with Dyvim for some time before politely excusing himself from the bunny's cubicle. Checking the time, it became apparent that he'd been chatting with Dyvim for nearly two hour. As a matter of fact, his shift was almost over: Just about thirty minutes left until he could go home.

As he took his first few steps out of the cubicle, he heard Dyvim's voice call out from behind him.

"Uh, Felix, sir! I just wanna tell you one last thing, if you don't mind..."

Shrugging, Nick trudged back into the tiny office and realigned his gaze with Dyvim, who was still sitting in his office-chair.

"I just wanna say, sir..." He began. "That even though the others might be uncomfortable around you... That I'm not."

The bunny twirled his thumbs in his paws as he spoke aloud to Nick;

"I think that you're a real good mammal, sir, and I think you'll do us well here at Sector-A. It was nice talkin' with you, Felix... It really was."

Nick wasn't too sure on what to say. Aside from Judy and the majority of her family, Dyvim was really the only bunny that he'd met who openly accepted him for who he was. Judy's family didn't exactly count in the fox's mind, though, as they were sort of a 'package-deal', as some might say.

The fox grinned. "Hey, thanks... That's nice of you Dyvim." He said.

The two then nodded and bid each-other farewell one last time before Nick turned around and head back towards his office, a smile on his face every step of the way.

* * *

The door roughly slid shut against the carpet floor, an unpleasant scraping sound following the action.

Judy had just gotten back to her and Nick's assigned hotel room, her fur slightly wetted from the light drizzle of rain that accompanied her half-mile stroll back to the hotel. She wasn't a complainer, and didn't mind the trip, but even she wished that Nick had been there alongside her as she walked back.

Now, she was back at their hotel room, which itself wasn't very big: It only consisted of a bedroom and a bathroom.

The ZPD's undercover-regiment had assigned them this hotel due to it's close proximity to Jack's building, _and_ because it was cheap... Mostly because it was cheap, probably.

Even though it definitely wasn't the fanciest hotel out there, it wasn't bad or anything short of the word. The bed was comfy, the bathroom was clean, and the atmosphere was peaceful: That was all that Judy could ever ask for out of any hotel, honestly.

She glanced over at the digital alarm-clock in the corner of the room, which stood atop a small nightstand near their bed.

9:04

It wasn't _that_ late, yet she couldn't help but wonder where Nick was at the time: He should have gotten out of work as early as _she_ had. His absence confused her, but didn't lead to any worry or anxiety: She knew that Nick could take care of himself when he wanted to, even if he _was_ rather lazy sometimes.

Soon after closing the door, she felt a rumbling sensation within her stomach. Clutching her paws against the surface of her abdomen, she took the time to consider her options involving food: They didn't exactly have any in their new apartment, and Judy didn't particularly feel like going out to eat at the time. Stealing a glance at her mobile phone, which was resting on the surface of the mattress to her right, she considered the idea of take-out, or perhaps even room service of some sort.

Her stomach growled again, and the bunny felt the vibrations on her paws as she clutched them against the walls of her stomach.

Not wishing to wait any longer, she quickly decided to just order some sort of take-out, eventually settling on the choice of pizza. Judy wasn't someone who ate stuff like that very often, but because it was cheap, convenient, and tasty, she gave in to her hunger and placed an order for one small pizza, half cricket and half vegetable.

Being a healthy eater for the most part, she would have much preferred a salad, but figured that eating a few slices wouldn't kill her.

She planned on changing out of her purple dress, but chose to attempt contact with Nick first. After the order for dinner was made, she went to Nick's number in her contact list and promptly called him.

After a few short buzzes, the fox managed to pick up. His voice on the other side of the line spoke out.

"Yellow! You've got orange here... Or, _gray_ , this time around!"

Her husband's peculiar greeting caused Judy to giggle sweetly. Unbeknownst to the bunny, her laughter brought a smile to the fox's face.

"So what's up, _Alaina_?" He asked teasingly. "Mr. Savage not give you that promotion you wanted?

"Oh, stop it Nick! You don't have to call me that and you know it. I just wanted to make sure that you were alright, because it's almost ten and you're _still_ not back yet."

"Look out the peep-hole." Nick requested.

"What?" Judy asked.

"Just do it, dumb bunny!"

"Fine, fine... I'm going over to the door as we speak."

Judy reached the door to their hotel room, and stood on the tips of her toes so as to gaze out the tiny peep-hole embedded in the door-frame. Standing out in the hallway was none other than Nick himself. In his right paw, he held his phone up to the right side of his head, the call still ensuing. In the other paw, he gripped a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of dark-red wine.

 _Oh, you dumb fox..._

Nick's voice spoke out both from the other side of the door, and the other side of the line.

"Care to let me in, whiskers? I forgot my key-card."

Rolling her eyes, she quickly dug around her purse and pulled out the key-card that the hotel receptionist had given her earlier on in the day, before they had even met Jack. She slipped the plastic sliver into the lock, and with a small clicking noise, the door unlocked, swinging open to reveal Nick as he stood in the hallway.

Upon closer inspection, it appeared that the bundle of flowers he clutched in his left paw were roses, with the stems shaven clean of their nasty spikes; their red petals glistening with drops of water from the previous rainfall, light as it was. The wine was a bottle of Merlot, which happened to be Judy's favorite. The bunny wasn't the biggest of fan of certain alcohols, like the Whiskey that Jack had edged her to try, but _wine_ was something she made rare exceptions for. Nick smiled warmly before exiting out of the call and slipping his phone back into one of his pockets.

Judy closed the door after Nick had stepped in, wiping his feet on the carpet floor as he paced over to the small two-chaired table in the corner of the room, where he placed the wine and set aside the flowers.

"I suppose that's what took you so long?" The bunny asked, pointing to the bottle of wine and roses.

"Yep." The fox confirmed. "I decided to pay a quick visit to the Otterton's floristry... They give me those for free! Isn't that great?"

"Sure is, slick. Though I must ask: What's the occasion?"

Nick raised an eyebrow.

"You're joking, right?"

The bunny shook her head. "Nope. No jokes here." She said.

Two seconds of silence ensued where neither mammal spoke. Then suddenly, Nick broke down in a hysteric fit of laughter, placing his paws on his knees and bending his back over in lenience. His wheezy chuckles confused Judy, who had no idea what was so funny.

"What? What's so funny?" She inquired of Nick, who was now nearly leaning on the table and trying to catch his breath.

After a few more seconds of choking chortles, Nick looked over at Judy and spoke aloud;

"Oh, oh you really are adumb bunny!"

He then followed it up with more rambunctious laughter, which was starting to annoy Judy. Pursing her lips, she strutted over to the fox and gave him a knock on the head with her knuckles.

"Earth to stupid, anybody home?" She asked jokingly.

Nick took a moment to breath in deeply, and it was obvious that he was trying pretty hard not to crack. hauling himself to his feet, he smirked and crossed his arms.

"Carrots," He began. "Did you forget? It's your _birthday_ , dumb bunny!"

Judy's eyes widened in sudden realization.

She had completely forgotten that it _was_ her birthday today: Her 28th, to be precise.

"Sweet cheese-and-crackers it _is_ my birthday!" She cried out as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the fox's torso. "Wow Nick... You _remembered_!"

She loosened her hug on Nick and leaned back so as to look him in the eye, her paws still clutching his shirt.

" _Even when I didn't_..." She murmured, staring into his eyes.

Nick gazed back longingly: He lost himself within her mesmerizing purple eyes no matter how many times he stares into them. He was glad that Judy didn't have to wear contacts for the mission, as he loved her violet ones so much. They reflected off of the clean-white fur that encompassed her body, and just matched perfectly with that lovely dress of hers.

Meanwhile, Judy took note of just how different Nick looked: His fur was now gray, but the bunny considered the fact that his eyes were now brown to be the biggest difference. She thought they were pretty as they were, but personally preferred them to be green... It was a color she associated with him dearly.

The fox was just about to lean in for a kiss, when there was a sudden and reverberating knock at the door, startling both mammals within the apartment. Smiling, Nick gave the bunny a sly wink before he paced over to the door and looked outside. He then turned back around and faced Judy before asking;

"You order pizza, whiskers?" He questioned, to which Judy nodded in confirmation.

He then opened the door and dealt with the delivery, soon reentering their hotel room holding a small pizza box. He went over to the same table where he placed the wine bottle, and set down the pizza box.

Nick turned around to beckon Judy forward, but as his head swiveled towards where she was last standing, a white blur flashed across his line of sight and disappeared behind him. When he had turned back around, he saw Judy, pizza slice in hand, sitting in the chair nearest to him. He blinked a single time before settling himself down in the chair beside her and reaching into the box, pulling himself out a large slice of cricket-topped pizza.

For a short while, they just sat their as they ate their food, silently enjoying each-other's company. Nick found it kind of ironic and strange that he and Judy were eating pizza and drinking wine while they were still in their business clothes. Eventually, the fox decided to inquire Judy of her experience with Jack Savage that day.

"So," He muttered aloud through a mouthful of pizza. "How was your day with Jack, huh?"

Judy swallowed another bite of her pizza before responding.

"Pretty good, actually. I figured some stuff out... Stuff that might be just what the doctor ordered."

Nick gave her a puzzled and questioning look, with raised eyebrows and pursued lips.

"Stuff? What sort of stuff, exactly?" He asked.

The bunny took a quick swig from her wine-glass before setting it down on the table, the glass making a _clink_ sort of sound as it came into contact with the smooth wooden surface of the table. She then raised her paws and felt around the area of her dress that encompassed her torso, sliding her paws down the folds of her dress. Nick wasn't too sure of what she was doing, but continued to watch Judy as she took her left paw and slipped it into the dress's chest cavity, soon retracting her paw and pulling out an orange object.

"You should hear it for yourself!" She said, twirling the carrot-pen around her fingers.

Nick himself seized the chance to make a snide remark.

"Ooo! Got anything else in there, fluff?"

Judy just rolled her eyes and smiled before tossing it to Nick, who fumbled trying to catch it, causing the bunny to laugh out loud. Furrowing his brow at his wife, who was still smirking at him, the fox then placed the recorder on the table and pressed the rewind button.

The husky and seemingly drunken voice of Jack Savage filled the room.

" _I forget the bloke's name... Hard to pronounce, while drunk... Sazz... Shaz... Somethin' like that... Oh wait... He's... Shahazzzzzz..._ "

And with that, the recording sputtered to an end.

"Oh, that doesn't sound good... and Bogo's _definitely_ not gonna like that..." Nick said grimly, looking up and eyeing his mate with respect. "Did you get him _drunk_?"

Judy smirked triumphantly. "Yes, yes I did."

The fox chuckled and shot Judy with a finger gun. "Sly bunny, as always!" He said, to which Judy nodded approvingly before saying;

"Now don't get your hopes up _too_ high, fox... This isn't enough to turn Jack in to the ZPD just yet..." The bunny stated, pointing to the carrot pen-recorder.

The fox winced in apprehension.

"Hate to ask," He claimed. "But why not? We've _literally_ got him admitting _on record_ that he's been doing business deals with Shahaz the Stinger, of all mammals!"

"Believe me, but this isn't enough to report him for his accusations... It _doesn't_ confirm him of taking money from his charities for his own personal gain, and we don't even know if this is the _right_ Shahaz that he's talking about!"

Nick laughed dryly and shook his head.

"How many other _Shahaz's_ are out there, hmm? Seems like a pretty unique name to me." He stated, taking a sip from his wine glass.

"I see what you're getting at, Nick, but it just isn't enough. Not _yet_ , at least. It's only our first day on the job, so we've still got plenty of time to find out whether or not Jack and his company has been up to anything suspicious."

Judy took a deep breath in and placed her paws to her nape, where she rubbed her neck and shoulders tenderly. Nick took note of this action, and was about to ask her how she was feeling when she suddenly piped up with a question of her own.

"So what about you? What was it like in Sector-A, huh?" She asked as she leaned back in her chair, wine-glass in hand.

The fox blew as stream of air out through his nostrils.

"Smell anything... _Dumb_?" He asked tenaciously.

"Just one Nick Wilde."

"Oh _ha_ ha, Hopps. In case you haven't noticed, I have that ' _not Judy_ ' bunny smell all over me... Sector-A was choked _full_ of rabbits."

The fox let out a dry chuckle before continuing.

"At first, I thought that I'd dropped into hell-"

"Hey now!" Judy cried

"Just kidding, just kidding!" He claimed, paws raised up in defense. "So anyways, rabbits _everywhere_... None of them were very keen on a _fox_ being their supervisor."

A thought passed over his mind; one that made him smile in acceptance and comfort.

"Except one, at least... Bunny that went by Dyvim Whitetail." He glanced at Judy. "Ring any bells?"

"I think he might be a cousin of mine." Judy pondered.

"Of _course_." Nick said before letting out another wheezing laugh. After breathing in for a few seconds, he continued his explanation.

"I didn't really find out anything that we didn't know already... But I _did_ learn at least _one_ important thing today."

"And what would that be?" Judy inquired.

"That _you're_ the only bunny I'd ever want to smell like." He smirked. "I'm gonna go take a shower."

And with that, he rose from his chair and trudged over to the bathroom. Half-way there, he turned around and locked eyes with Judy.

"Ya know..." He sniffed the air lightly. "You're welcome to join me, birthday girl... you've got that Jack smell all over you... I'd much rather have my favorite dumb bunny smell like herself than anyone else."

He turned tail and continued walking, eventually vanishing behind the door-frame that led to their hotel bathroom.

Slightly blushing at the thought of taking a shower with her husband, she took the time to finish her wine glass before rising from her chair and walking over to the bathroom.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Once again I'd just like to thank you all _so much_ for everything we've accomplished together over all this time! I _truly_ couldn't have done it without you! :D**

 **Now of course, do feel free to drop a review telling me how I did: I'd _love_ to know your thoughts on the banter between Nick/Judy, and of course, how you think I did on the sex-scene. **

**I'd also enjoy knowing what you lot think is coming for the future! Feel free to tell me your _own_ ideas on how _you_ think this arc is going to play out, and I'll compare them with the likes of what _I_ have in mind.**

 **I'll also have you know that there's some new fan-art on display on my tumblr account: It goes by upplet.**

 **Chapter 31 is coming your way soon! 'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **UPDATE: I've decided to answer this one question that some people have been asking me, if not to evade confusion.**

 **The events of Nick and Judy getting themselves dyed and sent to Jack take place on the same day/night (period of 24 hours) as _this_ chapter does. Alongside this, it has been roughly a week since they had been assigned their new mission involving Jack, which they were given the day after Vlad's mansion burned down.**


	29. Leveled Sights

**Hey Everyone!**

 **I just want to start off by apologizing for the lack of updates for the past few days... I've been busy lately: wrapped up in exams and rent and all sorts of other nasty stuff.**

 ** _But upplet_ , _Why are you taking exams? I thought you already graduated college!_ You all ask curiously.**

 **Right you are, mi amigos: My college experience has long since passed.**

 **When I say exams, I mean the final exams for my flight school! I'm learning how to professionally fly helicopters, as it's always been something I've been fascinated with. I hope to one day work for some sort of heliport, perhaps flying those things back and forth... Oh my, getting off topic again aren't I?**

 **Point is: I'm sorry for the pitiful updating schedule, for I have been most occupied the past few days. Back on track now though! :D**

 **I sincerely appreciate all of your great patience and stable attitudes: Thank you.**

 **Without further ado, I present to you chapter 31 of 'When Instinct Falls!'**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"All roads that lead to success have to pass through hard work boulevard at some point." - Anonymous

* * *

Just another day on the job...

But of course, it's been like that since day one.

For the past three weeks, Nick and Judy- under their falsetto aliases of Felix Leyfur and Alaina Ryder- have been working beneath the mercantile business empire of none other than Jack Savage himself.

Their undercover work seemed like a walk in the park at first glance, but after exactly 21 days, both fox and bunny were starting to realize that it was, in fact, quite the opposite...

Their first day of undercover work within Jack's business proved to be quite effective, as they had claimed some unofficial evidence that certainly put Jack under the shadow of suspicion. However, what they learned that first day had failed to meet the fixed objective that they had been assigned: To expose Jack Savage for financial fraudulence on the behalf of his own company and everyone he worked with.

The information that Judy had acquired was undoubtedly _something_ , but it was far from what Bogo had asked for, who even _himself_ dismissed the idea of Jack committing crime-related business deals with Shahaz the Stinger, the Sahara-Square's number _one_ criminal figure-head.

As he oh-so officially claimed; _The information that you've recovered fails to undermine the backings of the case's accusations, and currently cannot be treated as important._

 _That_ statement _really_ put a twist in Judy's tail, as she had spent nearly 8 hours sucking up to Jack and trying to get him wasted, only to find out that that _single_ sentence of information that she had recovered in the very end was nil to nothing in regards to the importance of the mission.

So with the exception of that seemingly worthless and unofficial lead that she had obtained on the first day of working with Jack, the past three weeks had been filled with a dreary staleness of clues: She'd uncovered nothing close to what Bogo wanted, and was no closer to finishing the case than when she had started. Thankfully though, Jack didn't remember a single thing from that night of heavy drinking, and he continued to work with Judy as if nothing had ever happened in the first place.

Since then, Judy attended Jack to nearly every single one of his business meetings, executive updates, trips, and more, yet she had nothing worth showing for all of her hard work. In the end, it wasn't very surprising to her, as she was forced to stick right alongside Jack for nearly her entire working period, thus rendering any sufficient intelligence-gathering as futile.

The only intelligence-gathering she could do was conversation with Jack himself, who hadn't unintentionally given away _anything_ useful since the first day.

In short, Judy was becoming frustrated.

Frustrated with her fake job,

Frustrated with her _real_ job,

Frustrated at Jack,

And perhaps most of all, frustrated with _herself_.

She, Judy Hopps: The bunny that had alone plowed her way through the police academy and outfitted herself as the unopposed valedictorian of her class...

Judy Hopps, the hero cop that nearly single-handedly solved a conspiracy that could have brought down the entirety of Zootopia and everything it stood for...

Judy Hopps, the police officer who had practically wiped an entire criminal organization off the map of the Nocturnal-District in a few days time...

Was losing.

She was losing her patience, her temper, and her clear state of mind.

Her frustrations were beginning to eat away at all of these factors, but all the while, she had to keep on a straight and smiling face in the presence of one Jack Savage.

Despite chief Bogo's warnings, she had expected this case to be over and done with a _lot_ faster than how it was currently drawing out to: Her speedy and slightly impatient nature made this long and especially drawn-out case to be one of great irritation and dismay to the bunny.

Her nettled state of mind clouded her sense of reason and empathy: Making her unaware of the unsavory actions that seeped out and were bestowed upon others.

Since she bottled up her emotions and forcefully plastered on the cheery and unquestionable personality of Alaina Ryder in the presence of Jack Savage...

There was only _one_ mammal whom her frustrations truly leaked out to...

Judy's own husband, Nick, noticed her antsy and even somewhat _depressed_ attitude within short notice, of course. Figuring that Judy was strong and wouldn't need assistance overcoming this obstacle, the fox didn't bother questioning the bunny about her current state of mind _or_ mood at first.

He could tell that she wasn't liking her current situation... There were even a few times where Judy would simply flop into bed after arriving back at their hotel from work; completely avoiding any form of conversation with Nick and leaving him in the dark in regards to their mission.

Eventually, Nick grew worrisome of her sullen attitude, and decided to take matters into his own paws by talking it out with her when they got home when night. He figured that allowing her to let loose some steam via ranting might get some of the wight off of her shoulders: It did, for as soon as Nick had asked her how she was feeling, she nearly broke down; beginning to tear up around the eyes and nervously fidget with her fingers.

After she was done speaking, Nick got up close to her and gave her a reassuring kiss on the nose, soothingly telling her not to give up or let herself fall apart.

"Aw, don't get all weepy on me: You're doin' good, whiskers!" He told her.

"I don't see how... we haven't gotten anything useful on Jack in all this time... I feel like I'm just failing miserably here..." Judy claimed, wiping at her eyes.

"Now I know that this new case is frustrating and all, but you gotta keep moving one step at a time. Don't let the fact that Jack isn't dropping any clues get in the way of you being you, carrots... Don't forget that."

Judy aptly and quickly calmed down after that, for Nick's soothing words never failed to cheer her up in even the bluest of situations. They cuddled for some time after that before falling asleep, both mammals locked in one another's arms and dreaming of one another's warm and silken touch.

* * *

The following morning, fox and bunny alike awoke from their slumber extra early, so as to make a quick trip back to the ZPD to get their dye redone. Around their joints and other body parts that absorbed lots of friction, the due had started to wear away, showing off their true colors underneath. Judy's wasn't as bad as Nick's, whose orange fur made itself quite noticeable through the dull gray coloration of the surrounding dye.

Upon their arrival at the ZPD head-quarters, they immediately made their way to the stylist room, where they found Marie and her small army of hedge-hogs in wait.

"Ah, welcome back, welcome back!" The porcupine said aloud. "What do you see we re-layer that dye of yours, hmm?"

Both animals stripped themselves and promptly took their places with their stylists, whom made short work of them both.

As Nick stood very still while the hedge-hogs applied his dye, he couldn't help but listen to Judy and Marie's conversation as their new dye layer was applied.

The porcupine's shrill-sounding voice was detected first;

"I'm just so glad that the ZPD lets us help you officers out... So few mammals back on Outback-Island get cosmetic work done, so it's nice to open up towards a new and diverse crowd."

Judy's sweet spoke next.

"That's good! But why don't very many mammals go to your cosmetic shop on Outback-Island?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, just cultural norms and whatnot! Most of Outback-Island's population consists of kangaroos, and dingoes: Neither of those mammals have very long fur, thus making most of my products quite useless towards them. The _koalas_ are the largest market that I have."

She snorted out of her nose before continuing.

"But _don't_ get me started about those taz devils, honey! Violent lil' guys, I'll tell ya! You ever try and clip their nails before? It'll be the last thing you _ever_ do!"

Nick stifled a reverberating chuckle. Not only did he find it amusing listening to Marie talk about her customer pool, but he also noticed that Judy was acting more like herself: Laughing alongside the porcupine, engaging in active conversation, and being all-around more friendly and approachable.

That thought put a smile on the fox's face for the rest of the day.

* * *

Meanwhile, Judy continued listening to Marie as she ranted about the poor cosmetic hygiene of wallaby's; But behind the porcupine's tirade, she could make out the squeaking conversation of two female hedge-hogs as they discussed something atop their table.

"Hey, we're running out of dye here! If these two coppers don't manage to crack this case before their next clock-in with us, we're gonna need to get some more." One said.

"Yeah, no kidding: We're burning through dye like a wildfire, here! I'm honestly surprised that those two haven't wrapped up their case yet... I thought they'd be done by now!" Another stated.

"Huh... Some hero cops _they_ are, huh?" The other squeaked back irritably.

Judy had completely blocked off the sound of Marie's voice, and had focused her entire sense of sound upon the two hedge-hogs. She couldn't help but feel a little bit disappointed in herself: Those hedge-hogs were upset at _her_ because she hadn't completed the mission yet. The bunny felt like she had let them down, and was only prolonging their already drawn-out mission. Her stubborn nature and steadfast attitude convinced her that she needed to be more assertive and goal-centered in her efforts: She was going to prove those spiky little turd-balls wrong!

Though alongside her regular attitude when it came to set-backs, the bunny's reassuring talk with Nick the previous night made her even more determined than before.

She craned her head around and stole a glance at Nick, who was already looking directly at her. She saw him wiggle his eyebrows teasingly, causing the bunny to let out a few giggles before turning back around.

 _Dumb fox..._ Her conscious blurted out.

"You got that right." She softly said aloud.

And with that, she refocused her attention upon Marie, listening to the porcupine drone on about the stubbornness of wombat fur as she reapplied the dye to the bunny's body.

* * *

10:00

Time to clock-in at Jack's tower.

Both mammals strode together jovially as they entered through the sliding-glass doors, stepping inside the lobby and into Jack's building.

Judy suppressed her desire to hold Nick's hand as they walked, and instead focused on him as he shot a few finger guns towards a small crowd of bunny's in the corner of the room, all of whom were waving at him and shouting morning greetings across the lobby.

"Looks like you've been making friends, huh?" The bunny asked the fox, whom turned towards her and gave her his signature half-lidded smirk.

" _Yes ma'am_!" He said excitedly. "The other bunny's in Sector-A have started to warm up to me! But hey, what can I say? I'm a natural charmer!"

Judy rolled her eyes.

"Whatever you say, _Felix_." She muttered mockingly to the fox, causing him to snort out loud before responding.

"You know I am, _Alaina_!" He mocked back before leaning in and whispering in to her ears. "Also, _you_ know you love me!"

Judy didn't respond until they had stepped foot inside their elevator, pressing the button that sent them up and soaring to Nick's floor.

"Do I know that? Yes... yes I do, you dumb, dumb fox." Judy claimed as she reached up to Nick and gave him a quick peck on the nose.

Blinking once, Nick briefly donned a puzzled look before reconstituting his favorite smirk. Unsatisfied with the previous kiss, he leaned down to Judy's level and gave her a longer, more drawn-out smooch upon her forehead. Nick adored the feeling of Judy's soft white fur beneath his lips, and milked the moment for every second that he could. The bunny's eyes closed in relaxation, and soon reopened when a sudden and reverberating _ding_ sounded through the elevator cart.

When the elevator doors slid open once again, Nick shot Judy with a finger gun and gave her a sly wink before stepping outside and entering his floor level, bound for Sector-A.

Meanwhile, Judy was still recovering from his surprise smooch: She batted her eyes and lowered her ears in embarrassment, where they flopped over her cheeks, hiding her growing blush. Though she knew no one else was in the elevator ( _and_ that there were no cameras in the elevator), it was simply a habit that the flustered bunny just _couldn't_ loose, no matter how hard she tried.

 _Today will be a good day..._ She mentally repeated in her head: The bunny was certain of this.

Although she didn't exactly have a set-in-stone plan for today's work with Jack, she was _determined_ to obtain _some_ sort of useful information. Bogo might not have approved of her previous lead which supposedly involved Jack doing crime-related business deals with Shahaz the Stinger, but Judy had a sinking feeling that there was something more to this than what met the eye.

She was ready to find out just what.

When the door slid opening, revealing the window-clad hall-way that lead to Jack's office, Judy couldn't help but sneak a glance at the other elevator on the opposing side of the room.

Throughout her time working with Jack, she'd seen all sorts of mammals come and go from the elevator that _she_ had just used... but not a _single_ one from the other...

It's doors had remained shut every day ever since she first saw them open, albeit slightly, on her first day on the job. Sometimes, after her work with Jack had concluded, she would stand in the hall-way next to the elevator, making sure to stay at least until the approximate time when she had _last_ seen it open.

Despite all of her attempts, the doors stayed shut... thus the bunny, stayed suspicious.

As she paced down the hall-way, she eventually found her way to Jack's office. She was just about to open the handle and enter when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

In the farther reaches of the hall-way as it continued onward, Judy spotted a steel-framed door labeled 'Security/Surveillance' at the end of the hall-way.

She stared at it for a few brief moments before turning back around towards the doors in front of her, smiling all the while, for she at last had an idea.

 _But first... Priorities..._ She told herself.

And with that, she flung open the door and entered Jack's office, beaming with excitement that for the first time in _days_ ; Wasn't forced or fake.

That though, at the very least, made her all the more pleased.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **As always, I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter, and do feel free to drop a review, favorite, or even follow this work of mine: It would be _most_ appreciated! :D**

 **As for now, be sure to tell me whatcha think of chapter 31! The 32nd is _already_ in the works, but will be a bit longer than this one, I promise! I have a number of thing planned out for the next few chapters, all of which will be interesting and quite neat as they are! I can't wait to unveil them all to you! :D**

 **Also, don't be surprised if you see another OC drawing popping up here sooner or later! I have _another_ idea for _another_ OC, and one that I _really_ want to put to paper here soon! But in regards to putting him to _words_ , well... _that's_ a different story. **

**In the end, time will tell whether or not _Ivar Obdenberg_ , and _Gryggori Ratsputin_ find their way to 'When Instinct Falls'... For those who are interested, _Ivar_ has been drawn in my image, and _I_ think he looks pretty neat: If you wish to see what he looks like, take a stop by my Tumblr page real quick to see him! I go by the same alias there as I do here:  upplet**

 **Anyways, that's all for now, folks! Be sure to let me know of whatcha think of chapter 31, and perhaps your hopes/thoughts for the future!**

 **Peace!**


	30. Dossier

"In the absence of information, we jump to the worst conclusions." - Myra Kassim

* * *

The glossy oaken door swung open smoothly, revealing the interior of Jack's office to the eyes of Judy Hopps, who stood in the doorway momentarily before letting herself in.

Closing the door behind her, she scanned the office in search of it's owner. She was scheduled to meet with Jack Savage at around 10:00 that morning, and she had arrived right on time. Craning her field of vision around the room, she didn't see Jack anywhere, so she took to seating herself on one of the sofas in the middle of the room while she waited for his arrival.

As she sat down, Judy took out her phone from her purse, briefly fiddling with it in an attempt to get a read on the current time.

10:09

Jack was late, unsurprisingly.

He may have seemingly been an able businessman and charming rabbit at first glance, but it was clear to Judy that he had a _lot_ of personal problems: He was prone to alcohol induced mood swings, where he'd go from being super relaxed one moment to raving around his desk as he scribbled his signatures on countless paperwork the next.

 _Those_ moments were few as they were, but it only took _one_ to make Judy apprehensive of her boss's true personality.

She wasn't afraid of him or anything like that, but she did worry herself in the fact that he might one day hurt himself in his office, as he spent his free time drinking in solitude and suffering from the aftereffects.

He'd drink when he was stressed, and he'd drink when he was excited.

A vicious cycle, as it was.

Judy just hoped that he wasn't passed out in some ditch somewhere.

But despite all of the male bunny's flaws, Judy actually _did_ enjoy herself with him from time to time. Being away from Nick for so long would often cause her to become lonely or depressed, a common and unfortunate trait that accompanied mated bunnies, and having some shred of company helped her, even if said company was subject to drunken shenanigans.

That was one of the things that made Judy love her job _and_ her marriage so much: Being able to work side-by-side with Nick was truly an amazing experience. Judy never wanted to be the stay-home type of wife that most female bunnies are nowadays, and her job as a police officer working alongside Nick was about as good as it got.

So with Nick out of the picture, even if it _was_ only for a few hours every day, Judy began to feel like a piece of something was missing from her.

It wasn't a feeling she enjoyed.

But with Jack, she felt a similar spark of comradeship and acceptance: Jack reminded her of Nick in many different ways, from his sly smile to his charming attitude.

Granted, _nobody_ could _ever_ replace Nick.

The bunny glanced down at her phone once more.

10:13

Sighing, she slipped the mobile-device back into her purse and rose from her sofa, leaving the bag behind as she paced over to the large windows at the back of the office, behind Jack's desk. The wall of windows was paneled and extensive; rising from floor-to-ceiling with clear and clean glass. Gazing out, Judy could see a large portion of the Zootopian skyline, with colorful buildings and diverse neighborhoods. Staring out at the city below her feet, she felt powerful and in control: As if she reigned over this city undisputed and unquestioned. There was also a longing sense of freedom, as the landscape that stretched out for miles before her was clearly visible.

Behind the rigid mountains in the distant west, she could see the fluffy sea of clouds that blanketed the canopy of the Rainforest-District; tropical birds flying in and around the dense vegetation. To the left, the Sahara-Square lay spread out across the ground; the dusty dunes and rocky cliff-sides brimming with animal activity for as far as the eye could see. Judy unfortunately couldn't see Tundra-Town, as it wasn't positioned in the field of view from the window.

Focusing her attention back to the arid landscape of the Sahara-Square, Judy found her eyes tracing the towering length of the Palm Hotel, shining with a gorgeous golden luster. She'd been within the lobby a few times, but had never had the pleasure of staying over-night: That didn't stop her from putting that idea on her bucket list, though.

As she stared down the shifting sands of the desert-district before her, she couldn't help but wonder if somewhere out there, Shahaz the Stinger was committing some sort of foul crime against the good folk of Zootopia. The bunny also wondered if perhaps, sometime in the past, the pangolin crime-lord had done business with Jack Savage himself.

"Beautiful sight, isn't it?" A honeyed voice murmured from behind her.

Judy turned her head and locked eyes with Jack Savage, who had somehow snuck up behind her while she gazed out through the window. His piercing blue eyes stared quizzically into her own, and it took her a moment to realize that he _had_ asked her a question.

" _Oh_..." She blinked and turned her head away from him, gazing back out at the Zootopian city-scape before responding. "Yes, certainly."

Her sensitive ears detected Jack's soft footsteps against the red-carpet floor, growing louder as he edged closer. Soon enough, Jack as standing right next to Judy, staring out the window along with her.

"Indeed... It never fails to captivate me no matter _how_ many times I just sit here and stare..." Jack claimed before trailing off and looking in Judy's direction.

Judy tried not to notice that it wasn't the skyline that he was staring at.

Clearing her throat audibly, the female bunny tried to hide her blushing as she took a few tiny steps back from the window. In her retreat, she noticed a single slew of imperfections upon the clear-glass frames of the windows. One of the windows on the left about a quarter way to the center of the main panel was adorned with hinges and small levers: It was clear to Judy that it must be a window that could open upon interaction... perhaps to allow breeze to flow through the office...

There was a small rectangular-shaped glass panel that rose from the floor-level to about a foot high, positioned directly beneath the hinged window.

But it wasn't the fact that the window could open that caught the bunny's attention...

Lining the single small-glass panel that was placed beneath the hinged window, Judy saw a myriad of little scratch marks and imperfections... Each one _barely_ visible from the streaming sunlight and bustling city below.

They almost looked like they were administered with _claws_...

As she turned back around and faced Jack, the first thing that she did was eye his paws, which were currently stuffed into his pockets. Judy didn't recall Jack ever having any claws: It was unnatural and impossible for a rabbit to make claw marks that large.

Ruling out that scenario, Judy concluded that someone _else_ must have left those indentions... _But why on that one window_?

The scratch marks were found _only_ on the window that could open... the rest were all flawless in condition; completely untouched and undisturbed.

Jack's smooth voice recaptured Judy's attention once more.

"I _sincerely_ apologize that I left you waiting, for not only was I running late, but I had a few things that I needed to pick up first!"

Judy watched the male bunny as he reached behind him and picked up a small stack of documents that had been lying on the desk. He moved them into view before plucking the paper from the top of the stack, eyeing it with a look of approval.

"I don't have that much for you this morning... These registrations need to be filled in, sorted, and mailed to their respective properties, of which range from Bugga-Burger Incorporated, to the city-hall. Every single one is an important piece of licensing and financial agreement, especially the ones involving Bugga-Burger! They, after all, feed the entirety of the predator population, yes?"

Judy nodded her head in agreement: If Jack was making business deals with Bugga-Burger, they _had_ to be big.

"As for myself, I'll be downstairs in Sector-A... I wish to _personally_ check in with Mr. Leyfur, so as to see that all is running well in his assigned work-space."

At that statement, Judy made a mental note to call Nick and warn him as soon as Jack left. The _last_ thing Judy would want is for Jack to walk in on her husband playing a game of cards with the other employees, or something...

"But alongside this," Jack added. "I'll be having _quite_ a busy afternoon... meetings, filings, round-abouts, and a whole _mess_ of paper-work, of course. Though, my 5:00 to 8:00 time frame is devoid of any responsibilities, at the moment."

The male bunny drummed his fingers against the surface of the desk, momentarily glancing away from Judy as if to ponder about his next few words.

"In reward for all of your generous assistance these past few weeks... I was wondering if perhaps you would like to join me for dinner, this evening?"

Jack's piercing blue eyes settled upon Judy, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of demand with that last request: She had a feeling that there was _no_ denying this...

 _Well, I guess there's nothing wrong in going on a date with Jack..._ She thought to herself... _Besides: The more that you warm up to this phony, the better!_

Unbeknownst to the bunny, she had mentally referred to Jack's offer as a _date_.

"Uhm..." She briefly stammered. "Sure! I'd love to!"

The male bunny smiled wide with a triumphant smirk before replying.

" _Excellent_!" He then turned around and began walking towards the office's exit. "I'll let you know the details later, but for now... There's work to be done!"

Jack disappeared behind the door, momentarily poking his head back inside a few short seconds later. "I'll check back in with you in an hour or two! Cheerio!"

He gave Judy a single wink before slipping back off into the hall-way: He didn't appear again.

Meanwhile, Judy was rather flustered at Jack's sudden and belligerent approach. She figured that getting the opportunity to make small-talk with Jack might lead to more clues being unearthed.

Aside from that, a free meal _certainly_ wouldn't hurt...

The bunny lightly shook her head from side to side, clicking her tongue against her teeth.

 _It's clear that this charlatan has been eyeing you for some time now, and that he thinks he can walk all over you... but you're not going to let him: There's work to be done!_

She stared at the pile of documents on the surface of Jack's desk.

"But not _that_ work..." She donned a placid smirk of her own. "Sorry _Jack_ ," Judy muttered mockingly. "But I have some _undercover_ work to get done!"

* * *

"No no no, not like _that_!" Nick stated, jabbing a finger at Dyvim's face.

"What?" The rabbit asked tenaciously.

"You're not supposed to _smile_! Or _frown_ , actually... or _anything_ , really..." The fox shook his head. "It's called a poker-face, fluff-butt! No emotions whatsoever!"

After setting foot outside the elevator earlier that morning, Nick immediately made his way to his tiny office at Sector-A, passing by all the other cubicles as he went. He counted a total of eight administered finger guns, three waves, two high-fives, and even a solid fist-bump before finally settling down at his personal desk.

As the weeks went by, Nick had done everything he could to appear friendly and courteous to the other rabbits in the office, and much to his surprise, he'd come out _quite_ successful in his efforts. After befriending Dyvim all those weeks ago, he and Nick had set an example in the work-place as a representation of a predator and prey working effectively side by side. Soon enough (and with a little edging from Dyvim), the other rabbits had slowly begun to accept him as their new office-coordinator.

Now, many of them adored Nick and his ways: Even those two grumpy security-guards that had denied him entry on his first day of work had jumped in on the band-wagon!

Nick was more than pleased with himself at being able to earn the respect of the other bunnies at the office. It made him feel welcome and authoritative, alongside the fact that none of them were giving him fear-filled glances whenever he approached them. Indeed; The fox had become quite popular among the many other workers, as of late.

 _And all it took was a few magic tricks and a couple of corny jokes to win them over... I'm too good!_ Nick mentally told himself.

He knew that there wasn't much work to be done at this hour, especially since Jack Savage had just finished wrapping up that business and licensing deal with Bugga-Burger: The amount of paper-work that flowed through Sector-A gradually became less and less over time, until some employees literally had nothing to do. Nick, seizing the chance as always, had decided to bring in a pack of cards to work that day, so as to entertain the temporarily off-duty bunnies, and to provide himself some amount of amusement.

He'd just finished pitching up a poker game with Dyvim and a number of other workers when he received a call. Turning the screen away from the prying eyes of the other bunnies, Nick glanced down and saw that it was Judy calling him.

"Hey guys, I gotta take this..." He said as he set down his cards and pointed at them. "Do not even _think_ about looking at these!"

The fox rose from his chair and walked away from the table before answering his phone.

"Hey, Carrots! What's up?" He asked coolly.

Judy's voice piped up from the other end of the line.

"I just got done talking with Jack... He's coming down to Sector-A _right now_ to check on you!"

" _Aw_ , don't think I can handle him, is that it?" He teased. "We're doing great down here, mind _you_ , Whiskers!"

"You're not playing _cards_ , are you Nick?"

The fox's smirk melted and his ears lowered as he turned around and eyed the table piled high with chips, cards, and money.

"Nope."

Nick heard Judy heave a sigh of relief. "Okay, _good_... Just stay cool and _please_ don't do anything stupid!"

"Don't _worry..._ I got this!" He smirked victoriously. "Never doubt a fox in a sticky situation, Carrots!"

"Alright... I got work to do up here, so I'll talk to you later, Nick. I love you, remember that."

"I love you too, Fluff." He made a quick kissing sound into the phone before cancelling the call and hurriedly shuffling back to the table.

One of the rabbits, a portly guy that went by Mitch, gave Nick a sly wink before speaking.

"You got yourself a girlfriend, Felix?" He asked curiously.

Nick nodded, momentarily thinking about his wedding ring, which was still sitting peacefully atop his nightstand back in their apartment.

"Yup. Nice lil' vixen from out of town." He lied. "She's a keeper for sure!"

Mitch chuckled a dry laugh and patted Nick's lower back, which was about as high as he could reach while sitting down.

"Good for you, boss!" He then frowned suddenly, furrowing his brow quizzically. "Why'd you call her _Carrots_?"

Nick's stomach settled a little lower at that last question. He mentally cursed himself for talking so loud in such close proximity to these guys.

He quickly weaved another fitting lie in response to the still looming question.

"Oh, just because her fur is _orange_ , and it reminds me of carrots, ya know?"

" _Orange_ fur? But _you're_ a gray fox, though..." Mitch smiled and leaned forward. "You into that _inter-species_ stuff, Mr. Leyfur?"

Nick rubbed the back of his Neck and let out a small chortle.

"Nah, not at all, really. She may be an orange fox, but we're close enough to, _ahh_... You know." He trailed off, hoping that the bunnies would buy it.

Mitch, Dyvim, and the rest of the rabbits all nodded in understanding and laughed before refocusing their attention back towards their poker game.

 _Poker game... Oh crap..._ Nick thought.

"Okay, uh, bad-news everybody!" He announced quickly. "We gotta stop the game cuz Jack Savage is comin' here _right now_!"

All of the rabbits around the table looked at him in confusion and spared apprehensive glances at one another.

Then suddenly, like a well-oiled machine, all the rabbits threw themselves across the table and started scooping up armfuls of poker chips and cards, before running off and stuffing them into various cabinets and other hiding spots. They all hurried back to their designated cubicles while Nick made his way back to his own office, where he waited in hushed patience for a few short minutes before Jack Savage finally arrived. He didn't stay for very long, simply pacing around the sector and eyeing the work being done before giving Nick a thumbs-up and a pat on the shoulder before he turned tail and left the way he came. The fox was glad that the inspection had went down so smoothly.

Nick allowed himself a sigh of relief and a few minutes to recover from the check-in before he paced over to the restroom, where he washed his face and relieved himself before resuming his duties in the work-place, going from cubicle to cubicle and desk to desk.

In his head, he wondered what Judy was up to at the moment... He wouldn't have been surprised if it was nothing more than piles of paperwork and documents.

That idea put a smile on the fox's face, and caused him to laugh out loud.

 _Nice knowing that I'm not the only one doing the hard work here!_ He thought as he leaned back in his chair and stared out the window in his office.

"Life is good. I just hope Carrots knows what she's doing up there." He softly said to no one in particular.

The fox continued to gaze out at the skyline of the city of Zootopia, taking in all the sights that his brown eyes could see.

* * *

After looking over a few of the documents that Jack had assigned to her earlier out of curiosity, Judy concluded that she would deal with _those_ later, and instead focus on the whole reason she was here in the first place: To uncover information about Jack's fraudulence crimes.

She trudged around his office, eyeing the dusty bookshelves and searching all the unlocked cabinets that she could find. There wasn't much at the moment, especially since most of the drawers and cabinets that Jack had in his office were locked tight.

So instead, she made her way towards the security and surveillance room that she had spotted out earlier that morning. Entering the hallway, she saw the metal-lined door at the end of the corridor, slightly gleaming in the sunlight as it beamed through the nearby window panels.

Judy walked up to the door and tried at the handle, but it didn't budge. She then glanced to her left, noticing that the door was electronically tied to a key-card lock system.

"Of course." She grumbled to herself as she made her way back to the office.

Suddenly, an idea sparked to life in her mind: She remembered seeing a key-card in one of Jack's drawers. The bunny strode back over to Jack's desk and opened the corresponding drawer, which slid open to reveal a mess of papers, a few office supplies, and one shining plastic key-card.

"Yes!" She said aloud, grabbing the key-card in her paws and sprinting back to the security door as fast as she could.

This time, when she slid the card into the electronic slit, her ears were greeted with a _ding_ sound and her eyes stared down at a pulsing green light.

She was in!

Grasping the handle and pushing against the door, Judy set foot inside the security room, which appeared to be tailored with various computer monitors and other equipment. Much like most of the other things in the building, the entire system was sized just perfect for most small mammals, and it proved cooperative with Judy, who pushed the rolling office-chair out of the way and stood facing the monitors.

Every single screen was glowing with live footage of various cameras around the building. There were hundreds of individual points, but after some time, Judy managed to map out and select the floor that she was currently on.

Surprisingly, there weren't any cameras inside Jack's office, but she quickly singled out the camera in the corner of the approaching hall-way, which conveniently faced the doors of that mysterious elevator.

Now, it was only a matter of selecting the same date and time frame that she had seen the elevator open: Which happened to be on her very fist night working under Jack and his company.

After finding the date, she rolled the timer to around 9:45, and from there, she waited.

Some time passed, but eventually she saw her past self on the screen: The digitally recorded Judy paced over to the elevator out of sight from the camera and entered.

 _Any second now..._ Judy repeated again and again in her head.

At last, the elevator doors on the opposite side of the one her recording self had just entered, opened wide and slid open smoothly. Judy saw a heaping shadow inch forward from the elevator, and right when it seemed that the shadow's source was going to reveal itself, the camera footage turned to a whirring fuzz of black and white.

The recording was disconnected.

" _No_! No no no!" She placed her paws on the side of the monitor and slightly shook it in a vain attempt to restart the footage.

Several agonizing seconds later, the footage returned to life, the blurring fuzz completely gone from the recording. The instant the scene reappeared, Judy saw the elevator doors closing: Whatever had taken that elevator up was gone.

The bunny cursed and clenched her fists before sighing and lowering her head in seeming defeat. Out of the blue, an idea suddenly came to her, and her ears shot up in excitement as she grabbed the computer mouse and fast-forwarded the footage.

She may have missed the entrance, but she still might be able to see the suspect on their way back to the elevator!

She continued to speed up the clip until it restarted the next morning: Ever since the footage blanked out, the elevator stayed closed, the the film stayed smooth and undisturbed.

Considering the idea that maybe the suspect took the _stairs_ back down, Judy selected the camera that viewed the stair-well on her current floor, and did the same with that clip that she did with the other: Speeding it up and searching for any signs of movement or interruption in the recording.

Again, she was met with nothing but emptiness.

"How did they leave?" Judy murmured softly to herself.

The bunny was stumped: Whoever had taken the elevator up to the floor where Jack had passed out that night, _hadn't_ returned the way they came. They _also_ didn't use the staircase to get back down, either...

Judy was perplexed and at a loss for ideas.

What she _did_ realize was that the interruption in the footage of the hall-way was _purposeful_ , and not the result of some incredibly well-timed inconvenience: Whoever had taken that elevator up didn't want to be seen.

Reasoning that she had seen enough, she shut down the various computers and exited the room, making sure that everything was exactly the way it was as she had first seen it. She even took the time to delete the footage of herself entering the security room.

Judy walked back into Jack's office and took a seat in his big office-chair. She wondered what Nick was up to right about then, and also thought silently to herself, hoping that he hadn't messed up and been too easy with her acceptance of Jack's date. She rotated the chair around and faced the pile of paper-work that lay on the desk in front of her.

"Well... Best get started." She said to herself before letting out a sigh of discontempt.

She may have had lots of work to do, but one thing was certain to the bunny: Jack Savage had been expecting someone that night.

 _Someone who didn't want to be seen_...

The bunny shook her head and refocused her mind back into the stack of papers, intent on finishing them all within the next 30 minutes.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I hope you enjoyed this new chapter! It was a fun one to write up and I'd love to know your own thoughts on the likes of my work: So feel free to leave a review, favorite, or even follow!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	31. Good Business Part One

"The worst mistake a boss can do is not to say well done." - John Ashcroft

* * *

Roughly three hours had passed since Jack Savage's surprise visit to Sector-A, but _still_ the CEO's presence reigned control over the other mammals in the office.

None of them wanted to play cards anymore, and they all had begun to get wrapped up back in their work, thus leaving a bored Nick all to himself.

For 60 minutes more he kept to himself in the confines of his office, where he simply stared out of the window and off into the distance of the Zootopian skyline. He wondered what Judy was up to right then, and if she was making any progress on the mission objective.

Nick sighed deeply.

For the past near-month, nearly zero progress had been mustered revolving the fox and bunny's latest case. Nick himself wasn't too concerned about the length, as he had somewhat expected a rather dragged-out and lengthy mission.

What _did_ concern him was Judy, and how _she_ was taking the case...

The fox realized long ago that Judy wasn't a very patient creature, and that she preferred her work to be over and done with. He wasn't sure whether or not that was a bunny thing, or just a part of her personality, but he didn't press it: It was just a factor of who she was, and he respected that.

Nick just hoped that she could keep it together for the rest of mission... However long it may be.

Eventually, the fox began to feel restless and inconsiderate; He'd been sitting down doing practically nothing for the past hour, and all the other employees in his sector were working their tails off. Aside from that, Nick felt that he hadn't contributed enough to the case as of yet, and decided that perhaps snooping around a little wouldn't hurt.

He rose from his chair and exited his officer, closing the door behind him as he did. He started to pace around the work-place, doing simple things such as peeking his head into a cubicle every now and then: Thankfully, he no longer got fearful reactions from any of the other mammals.

After a few short minutes of patrolling the sector and it's subsections, Nick started making his way to Dyvim's cubicle, intent on striking up more conversation with the titular rabbit in an attempt to gather more clues surrounding Jack Savage. Soon enough, Dyvim's little corner was in sight, and right when he was about to enter, he detected someone squeak from behind him.

" _Oh_! Mr. Leyfur! Mr. Leyfur! I have something you should see!" The voice called out.

Turning back around, Nick searched out for the source of the voice. Looking downward slightly, he locked eyes with the small form of a pure black female bunny, clad in an office-attire that consisted of a white button-up and simple black skirt. Her eyes were a piercing green color, which stood in stark contrast to the oil dark color of her fur.

He recognized the bunny as Natalia Blackthorne; Sector-A's only female bunny employee, _and_ only bunny that wasn't either white or gray in coloration.

"Yeah, what's up Nat?" The fox inquired.

Natalia walked up closer to Nick and showed him a few sheets of paper, which the fox grabbed and began to look over curiously.

"I just printed out these account records... I-I noticed that the numbers didn't add up correctly... It's as if they had a part of them cut out from the financial withdrawal."

Nick blinked as he stared down at the papers.

He had barely understood a word that Natalia had said, but he figured that what she meant wasn't a good thing. Taking a closer look at the long column of numbers, all of which were summed up with a single eight digit number at the bottom of the page: 18,456,997.

He turned back towards the female bunny.

"Thank you, Miss Blackthorne... I'll look into this right away. You're dismissed." Nick stated.

Natalia nodded respectfully before walking off and disappearing behind a corner to the left. Nick swiveled around and continued walking towards Dyvim's office, not removing his eyes from the papers he still clutched in his paws.

When he stepped inside, he was met with the sight of Dyvim already eyeing him, the rabbit casually leaning back in his office-chair as if he'd expected Nick's arrival.

"Hmm... Lemme see that paper, Felix." The bunny mumbled. "From what I heard Natalia say, it sounds like you got yourself a phantom-profit..."

"Phantom profit?" Nick repeated as he handed the paper to Dyvim. "What's that?"

"Not good, I'll tell ya that much. It basically means that a portion of the money being handled has been unofficially removed."

The rabbit looked up from the paper and locked eyes with the fox.

"In other words, someone withdrew money from this account's financial flow without the permission of the higher-ups."

At that statement, a tiny little light-bulb went off in Nick's head.

"Wait wait..." He stammered. "So you're telling me that someone disrupted this account's loans?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Dyvim confirmed.

Nick took another look at the papers. Eyeing the recipients of the money: Bugga-Burger, the largest predator food-corporation in all of Zootopia.

They were _huge_... after all, they fed nearly 10% of the city's population every day.

"I wonder why someone would do that..." Dyvim's voice spoke aloud, bringing another idea into the fox's head.

"Tell me Dyvim... why _else_? Whoever took the money from Bugga-Burger's account didn't just throw it away... It got moved!"

"Bugga-Burger? Why them?" The rabbit questioned.

"Probably because they have such a high financial intake that they wouldn't notice if any money got withdrawn! Look here!"

Nick leaned the paper down to Dyvim's height and showed him the numbers. Some of them were pictured over time, and visibly shrunk over a period of several months. Not only that, but like Natalia had said, they simply didn't add up to the final sum of 18 million. The fox looked over and saw that Dyvim was nodding his head as he eyed the paper.

"So what do we do, boss?" He asked the fox.

Nick's smile grew ever wider as he lightly backhanded the paper for effect.

"We find out where the money went!" Nick rose to his full height and began to exit the cubicle, talking as he did.

"Assuming it was transferred using the exact same system, _ours_... Then we can retrace where the withdrawn money was deposited to."

The fox stepped out into the middle of the work-place, he took a deep breath in and shouted out across the office.

"ATTENTION! ATTENTION, _PLEASE_!"

Every single employee in the office stopped what they were doing and eyed the fox with confusion.

"We've got a problem here, everyone! It was just brought to my attention that we have a phantom-profit zipping around in our system! Ya hear that? A phantom-profit!"

He held up the paper and pressed his pointer finger into it.

"I need everyone to keep an eye out for any _other_ transactions that don't seem to add up! Specifically, any _additional_ profits that were added onto another account!"

He readjusted his collar and stepped away from the scene, indicating that he was finished. The sound of a hundred keyboards being pressed upon filled his ears and brought a smile to his face.

"There we go! In no time at all, I'm sure we'll be able to locate where that cash went to. Great work, Dyvim!"

Nick turned around expecting the see the rabbit right in front of him, but instead saw that he had retreated back to his office and was leaning in the frame of the entrance, staring out in front of him. Nick followed his gaze and saw that he was staring at Natalia from across the office, his eyes watching her every move. Dyvim had a dreamy sort of look on his face, and didn't refocus until Nick snapped his fingers right into his ear.

" _Huh_?" He vocally stumbled before quickly spitting out his next few words. "Ah, yes! Thank you, sir!"

The rabbits eyes momentarily darted back to where he was previously looking before settling back on the fox, who had one hell of a smirk plastered onto his muzzle.

"Aaah, well would you look at _that_! Mister White has a thing for Miss Black! A _perfect_ match, if I ever saw one!"

Dyvim furrowed his brow and scowled before pulling Nick into his cubicle.

"Please don't say stuff like that out loud... I haven't exactly told anyone yet..."

Nick was excited; After all, he _had_ just gotten a new lead on his case... A _big_ one at that! But for the sake of his friend, he did his best to calm down.

"Aw, don't worry about it too much, Dyvim! Just let things unfold and you'll get the girl one day, I'm sure..." The fox said as he turned around and eyed the hundreds of rabbit.

"Speaking of letting things unfold," He added. "I reckon that it's only a matter of time until we have a lead on where our money went."

"Lead?" Dyvim chuckled. "What are you, a police officer?" He asked sarcastically.

The fox just shrugged.

"I'm just a guy tryna' get some answers, thas' all..."

Nick crossed his arms and smiled as he watched the scene before him: Hundreds of bunnies working to find the phantom-profit.

 _That's right... You're running out of luck, Jack... Soon, I'll have you right where you belong... The Zootopian County Prison..._ He thought to himself.

He then raised his paw and gave Dyvim a high five.

He figured that he'd earned it.

* * *

" _Phew_!" Judy panted. "New record timing!" She said while eyeing the clock on the wall, which had just struck twelve.

She may not have reached her previous goal of finishing the entire stack of paperwork in 30 minutes, but for an amount _that_ big, it was certainly a worthy achievement to complete the paperwork in an hours time.

At least in _her_ eyes...

Flexing her aching fingers, Judy rose from Jack's chair and began pacing around his desk in an effort to get the blood flowing back to her legs, which had gone without use for quite some time.

After walking about ten laps around the large desk, Judy cracked her knuckles and began sifting through the paperwork that she'd just filled out. In her rush to finish it, she'd paid little attention to what the documentations were actually about, and now that she had finished, she decided to take the time to skim through and see just what type of deals that Jack was making with these.

As she flipped around the sheets, she recalled Jack's previous claim that the majority of the papers dealt with loans and other financial jazz with Bugga-Burger, the predator-based fast-food company. Ogling the many words, she realized that Jack had been telling the truth, as most of the papers seemed to revolve around back and forth deals with Bugga-Burger and it's closest associates.

There was a knocking sound at the office's entrance.

The door creaked open slightly, and Jack Savage stuck his head in and bid hello before stepping fully inside.

He confidently strode up to Judy and placed his paws on the desk surface, leaning his weight onto the table as he smiled and spoke aloud;

"Oh, I'm so excited!" He started, his dazzling smile growing even wider. "The meeting I have scheduled with the CFO of Bugga-Burger himself is almost upon us!"

He leaned away from the desk, clearing his throat audibly before pacing around the desk and walking right up to Judy.

"As I've told you before, I've been looking forward to this meeting for _months_! If all goes right, then we'll have a _massive_ foothold over the public's investments into their stock market! All the money they invest in Bugga-Burger's stock will go straight through our banks! It'll be a breakthrough!"

Judy smiled warmly and nodded her head in agreement. She'd heard of Jack talking about this particular deal for weeks on end. Judy noticed that each time he brought it up, his eyes would glaze over and his attitude would turn very approachable and cheery: She liked seeing him like this, and personally hoped that it would work out for him in the end.

"It shouldn't take very long..." Jack continued, placing his paw beneath his chin and staring out the window. "No more than an hour at most."

The male bunny whirled around and locked eyes with the female bunny.

"The meeting is scheduled at 5:00 and should be running 'till about six... Hopefully it won't go over, as I wouldn't want it to interfere with our dinner, of course!"

Judy bit back a curse: She'd forgotten about her agreement with Jack.

"Sir," Judy began. "When exactly do we want to go out?"

Jack nodded his head, before giving his response.

"Well, I thought that we could leave for the restaurant at about seven, yes? We'll meet here, at the entrance to the building, where my chauffeur will pick us up."

He said everything so matter-of-factly that it was hard to believe that anything else could possibly happen differently.

"Alright, sounds good to me!" Judy claimed excitedly: She took this as an opportunity to delve more into Jack's personal life for Intelligence purposes.

But alongside that, she figured that it might be nice learning a bit more about Jack other than the fact that he likes "good business", and is a hopeless alcoholic.

Jack broke eye-contact with Judy and walked over to the desk, eyeing the stack of papers every step of the way.

" _Well-done_ , Alaina!" He said as he plucked a single paper from the stack. "I'll be needing these papers for the meeting, so I'm pleased to see that you filled them all out."

The female bunny shifted her weight from foot to foot and fiddled with her thumbs.

Chief Bogo _never_ complimented her on finishing her paperwork so quickly... It was nice to be appreciated like that.

"Why, thank you." She said timidly, trying to avoid his piercing blue gaze. "Is there anything else you'd like me to do?"

"No, not at all: I think you've done quite enough for today." Jack stated, patting the stack of papers for emphasis. "Besides, didn't I say you had an easy day today?"

Judy _did_ recall Jack's previous words, about how that stack of work was virtually all that he had planned for her that day.

"Yes, yes you did, sir." Judy said.

"Indeed... You're excused for the rest of the day, m'lady... Just be sure to meet me in the lobby at seven, and we'll let things unwind from there, I suppose!"

Jack gave a half-lidded smirk that looked nearly identical to the one that Nick gave so often.

"You're free to go, Alaina. Besides, I'm sure that you could use some lunch at this point." Jack stated, pointing his thumb behind him and toward the clock on the wall.

12:08

"Okay, thank you sir!" Judy said one last time before grabbing her things and exiting the office, smiling the whole way back to the elevator. When she stepped inside, she tried to ignore the closed doors of the opposing elevator, which still stood dark and quiet across the hall. After her elevator shut it's doors and began sliding down to the lobby, she pulled out her phone and placed a call to Nick.

A few seconds of silence were concluded when the fox's voice spoke out from the other side of the line.

"Hey, fluff-butt! What's the occasion?"

Judy smiled and made a _hmm_ sort of sound before responding.

"Oh, well I just got done with my shift, and I was wondering if you wanted to meet up for lunch or something?"

"Lunch... Yeah, I could use some lunch! My shift just ended too, so I'll meet ya in the lobby, okay? Just gotta catch this elevator first..."

As soon as he said it, Judy's elevator slowed down and came to a sudden halt. The door's slid open, revealing Nick as he stood in the hall-way, phone held up to his face.

"Oh, well would you look at that!" Nick's voice stated from both the phone and in front of her. The fox stepped inside the elevator, pretending to ignore Judy.

"Alright Judy, I gotta go, there's this dumb-bunny in the elevator who won't stop giving me weird looks... I'll see you in the lobby!"

Nick promptly ended the call and put his phone away, as soon as it was gone, he donned a look of surprise and excitement.

"Hey, look who it is!" He wrapped his arm around Judy's shoulder and pulled her until their sides met. "It's my best-buddy, Alaina Ryder"

Judy rolled her eyes and elbowed Nick in the sternum. That action effectively removed the fox from her shoulder, but he still smirked victoriously.

"So, off early you said?" He asked while adjusting his brown tie: Judy loved how it matched his identically colored eyes.

"Yep. Jack let me off early, but I-" She hesitated.

 _Should I tell Nick about dinner with Jack? He doesn't need to know, does he? It might be better for the investigation if he doesn't know, for now..._ She thought to herself.

"I-I'm gonna do some overtime at around 7:00... I'm hoping I'll find some more evidence that might help us on our case." Judy claimed.

She hated herself for being untruthful, but she truly believed that it would be for the best if Nick was kept in the dark about this one.

He seemed to bought it, as he nodded his head in understanding. A few seconds after that, the elevator stopped with an audible _ding_ , and the doors slid open to reveal the busy and bustling lobby.

"Speaking of evidence, I think that I made a major breakthrough back in Sector-A... I'll explain it to you once we find a place to eat..." Nick claimed.

As they stepped out of the lobby and exited the building, Nick glanced at Judy and smiled before asking the million-dollar question of everybody's afternoon.

"So fluff... What's for lunch, huh?"

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I certainly hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! Be sure to tell me whatcha think! :)**

 **'Till next time, everybody...**

 **Peace!**


	32. Good Business Part Two

"All of us show bias when it comes to the information we take in." - Noreena Hertz

* * *

It may not have been 'the most important meal of the day', but to anyone who worked nearly six-hour shifts before noon, it was certainly up to the task.

Due to their undercover assignment, both Nick and Judy were tasked with staying elusive and secretive about everything involving their _real_ identities: Relationship included.

That fact severely restricted the amount of time that they could spend together in public, and for good reason: If anyone from their undercover work-place saw the two of them holding hands, kissing, or walking together, then it could potentially jeopardize their entire mission.

Chief Bogo had made it _quite_ clear that he would _not_ be happy if Nick and Judy were discovered for who they _really_ were...

But that fact didn't stop the two of them from being... well, _them_.

Despite their alteration in fur coloration, new and exotic clothing style, and even name identification changes, Nick and Judy were still very much the same mammals.

Fox and bunny alike walked side by side as they strolled down one of Savanna-Central's primary streets. Neither knew their exact destination, but both had the same end-goal: Food, and how to get it. The two of them talked idly as they walked, ranging from small and insignificant things to larger and more intricate topics.

All the while, both animals took to squeezing past crowds of other mammals, every single one simply going about their day. After nearly losing her in a large pack of goats, Nick took to holding her paw within his own. As careless as it could have been for the likes of their undercover-mission, it was a gesture that both mammals enjoyed.

"Pretty busy time of day, huh fluff?" The fox inquired, looking back to make sure that the bunny was still with him. "I almost lost ya back there!"

Judy briefly glanced back at the sea of goats that had nearly washed her away.

"No kidding... We'd better hurry up and find a place to eat before one o' clock! We wouldn't want you to be late, now would we?" She asked while smiling.

"Nope. No we would not, _indeed_ , madam." Nick tried for his best Jack Savage impression. " _Time is money_!" He claimed, his ears perked up as high as they could reach.

The bunny snickered slightly at his horrible imitation.

"Oh, come on now!" She muttered before playfully socking him in the arm. "He doesn't sound like... Whatever _that_ was!"

"Mind you, whiskers, but _I've_ only been around Mr. Savage for a total of 8 minutes and 34 seconds!" The fox retorted.

"Where'd you pull _that_ number out of?"

"That ludicrously tight undercover-issued dress that you're wearing." He replied quickly.

" _Nick_!" She punched him in the arm once more. "You _don't_ need to be bringing stuff like that out in public!"

The fox ducked beneath the rising step of an elephant, hurriedly pulling Judy through before she was stomped flat. After gathering his bearings, he whirled around and locked eyes with the bunny, continuing their conversation as he walked backwards, still grasping her paw in his own.

"Hey now, _you're_ the one who chose to wear that thing in the first place..."

Nick's coffee-brown eyes traced her body from head to toe. A smirk twisted his facial features into their seemingly default expression: Smug.

"Not that I'm complaining." He added innocently, shrugging nonchalantly as he turned back around and faced the direction they were walking.

Judy pulled her paw away from Nick's and crossed her arms firm against her chest. She also lowered her floppy ears and used them to cover the sides of her face, attempting to hide a growing blush beneath her white fur. The fox knew that she did this whenever she was embarrassed, and he thought that it was just the cutest thing.

" _Aww_ , fluffy feeling flustered?" The fox asked teasingly as he wrapped his arm around the bunny's shoulder, pulling her side closer until it met with his own.

He detected Judy giggle softly to herself, and he felt his own smirk grow wider and more smug. He rubbed her shoulder affectionately before continuing.

"You know, I'm tired of walking... Whaddya say we pull over and get some grub there, huh?" He called out while pointing to a tiny burrito stand on the far corner of the sidewalk.

The bunny parted her ears, which were still covering her face, and peered out at Nick's suggested eatery. As soon as she saw the burrito stand, her ears shot up quickly and her eyes grew wide with anticipation.

" _Ooo_! Great idea!" She claimed cheerfully. "I've heard about that place before... in the newspaper once! I've heard that they have _really_ good salad wraps! Let's go!"

Judy suddenly grabbed Nick's paw and darted forward, practically dragging the fox along with her as she raced over in the direction of the burrito stand. She may not have been wearing the most able-bodied attire when it came to running, but that didn't stop her from nearly sprinting until she reached the stand's counter. Meanwhile, Nick was breathing in heavily, trying to ignore the fact that Judy was hardly even winded.

"Gee, fluff!" He said in between pants. "You must be _really_ hungry!"

Judy turned around and faced the heaving fox, one paw on her hip as it jutted out in that teasing and sassy sort of way.

"Yep, sure am." She confirmed. "It's about time we found someplace to eat. Besides, I wanna hear _all_ about that new lead that you have on Jack, remember?"

Nick straightened himself out and readjusted his tie, staring at the bunny standing before him all the while.

"Don't worry, I remember, I remember... This new lead may prove to be our _greatest_ leap forward yet!" He said officially, pointing towards the sky with gusto.

The fox then leaned down and lightly tapped Judy's shoulder with the point of his elbow, eyeing her coyly as he did.

"Certainly a lot more useful than what _you_ gathered that first night!" He mocked.

" _Hey_! I worked hard to figure that out, slick!" The bunny spat back.

"Relax, fluff! I'm just joking!" He chuckled as he ruffled the top of Judy's head with his paw. "You know that! _And_ , you know you love me!"

Judy donned a momentary facade of confusion, with eyes glancing upward in consideration, and a single paw placed beneath her chin, mimicking deep thought.

"Do I know that?" She asked, before a smirk appeared upon her muzzle. "Yes..." She grabbed his tie and pulled his head down until they were eye-to-eye. "Yes I do."

The bunny concluded her statement by placing a quick smooch on the fox's forehead, right between his eyes, which crossed at the sight of his mate's sudden act of affection.

She released her hold on his tie, letting it back to drooping loose around his neck. Meanwhile, Nick admirably caressed the spot where Judy had smooched him, a smile surfacing on his face as he did.

 _Gosh, I love this dumb bunny..._ He thought to himself.

The sudden voice of the registrar derailed his train of thought.

"Next!" The voice called out.

The moose that was in front of them walked away from the counter, allowing Nick and Judy to step forward a place in line. The mammal manning the register, who happened to be a female ocelot, didn't see them at first due to their short height in comparison to the counter, but after a few good knocks on the metal surface, they managed to get her attention.

"Hi! What can I get for you today, ma'am?" The ocelot asked cheerfully with a pleasant and welcoming smile.

The bunny had unfortunately made the mistake of not looking at the menu while they stood in line, and had to quickly choose her order so as to hurry along the growing line behind them.

"I'll take the deluxe salad wrap with extra green olives, please! _Oh_ , and go easy on the dressing too! Thank you!" Judy squeaked before taking her number and walking off to the side.

Nick had taken the time of choosing his dish while Judy ordered hers, so he was ready when he stepped up to the counter and placed his order.

"Yeah, I'll have the refried-bean wrap with fried crickets and cheese." He said, earning himself a nod from the cashier, whom handed him a number before he rejoined Judy.

The two of them sat down at a nearby plastic one-seat table, which happened to be nearly ten times their total size. They both fit comfortably atop the single chair, and placed their numbers on the table-top.

"Alright, fluff... You know the rules!" Nick began. "You have to try _one_ bite of _my_ burrito, and I have to try one of _yours_!" He said with a smirk.

Judy groaned and rolled her eyes, though she smiled the whole way through. She'd forgotten about her and Nick's little agreement: That whenever the two of them go out to eat, they have to try a sample of each-other's food, whatever it may be. Nick was usually alright with whatever Judy ordered, as he wasn't too picky, but Judy always got squeamish whenever she tried one of Nick's dishes; which usually consisted of fried insects and strips of meat, which all happened to be things that bunnies like herself didn't particularly enjoy.

Even still, she always sucked it up and ate her servings... It _was_ an agreement, after all. As much as she regretted it sometimes, she actually really liked it, as it allowed her to try new and exotic foods that most prey would never even think of eating.

"Yeah, yeah, I haven't forgotten, hot-shot... But I mean, come _on_! Fried crickets? _Really_?" The bunny complained.

The fox just kept on smirking.

"Don't forget the refried beans and cheese!" He added jokingly. "And don't worry about those fried crickets... I'm sure you'll love them! _Excellent_ source of protein!"

Judy sighed in defeat and rolled her neck, popping the vertebrae that held up her head, causing Nick to wince in apprehension. He looked away and clenched his fists in an attempt to dispel the cringy feeling that overtook his body. After watching a tiger order it's own meal, he turned back around and looked at his mate.

"Doesn't that hurt?" He asked, to which Judy snorted before replying.

"Not at all... Feels pretty good, actually!"

The fox pursed his lips and nodded in agreement, glancing back at the burrito stand so as to see if their food was coming along effectively. After a few moments of silence between the two mammals, the fox heard the bunny's voice speak aloud in question.

"So, what's this _new lead-_ " Judy emphasized with finger quotations. "-That you won't stop bragging about, huh fox?"

"Glad that you asked, whiskers!" Nick claimed as he tapped Judy on the nose with his index finger. "Well, _technically_ we haven't gotten anything super _official_ , as of yet."

"What do you mean?" The bunny asked, causing Nick to blow air out of his mouth in apprehension.

"Hmm, _where_ to begin?" He asked himself? "I suppose I'll start from the beginning: Not too long after I left you for work this morning, one of the-"

He trailed off as his eyes came into connection with a plate piled with burritos, one of which was lightly steaming. Judy craned her neck in an attempt to follow his gaze, and smiled as soon as she saw a she-wolf waitress place the food upon their table.

"There you go! Enjoy!" She stated before pacing hurriedly back to the outdoor kitchen hidden behind the burrito stand.

Fox and bunny alike temporarily subsided their original conversation so as to enjoy their food. Judy opened her wrapper, and was greeted with the site of one well-sized burrito, but instead of being wrapped in a tortilla, it kept it's contents secure within the folds on several large lettuce leaves. She was about to take a big bite out of her burrito when Nick spoke out, stopping her mid chomp.

" _Ah_ ah ah, you forgetful fluff-ball!" He grabbed his own burrito, and opened it before leaning slightly it towards Judy's face. "Just one bite!"

Nick's burrito was clad in a fluffy-white tortilla, but Judy saw through the guise: She knew that the inside was choked full of nasty deep-fried crickets.

"Do I _have_ to?" She sighed, to which Nick simply replied; "Yup."

Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, Judy grabbed the sides of the burrito, which was almost as big as her face, and opened her mouth as wide as it could stretch before biting down. The instant her jaws closed down upon the soft wrap of the tortilla, she felt her mouth begin to salivate in anticipation of the oncoming flavors. She pulled back and began chewing, trying to focus on the taste of the warm beans instead of the crunching bug parts between her teeth. She kept her eyes closed the entire time, and didn't open them until she had swallowed every last bit of bug, bean, and cheese.

As the last of the fried crickets slipped down her throat, she felt a shiver slither its way up the length of her spine.

" _See_? That wasn't so bad, was it carrots?" She heard Nick ask beside her.

Breathing in deeply before replying, she allowed herself a few chuckles and a victorious smirk.

Nick donned a look of confusion and apprehension. "What's so funny?" He asked curiously, to which Judy looked at him with pity.

"Your turn, dumb-fox." She said as she held up her burrito, which Nick took in his paws and eyed suspiciously.

"What'd you do to it, huh?" The fox questioned, looking at Judy closely for any signs of dishonesty.

"Oh, _nothing_... It's just _loaded_ with olives, that's all!" She responded innocently.

Nick's eyes widened and his ears sank a little lower. " _Olives_?" He choked in near-disbelief: He _hated_ olives!

"Yup... What was that you said earlier, hmm? That _you_ had to try one bite of _my_ burrito, and that _I_ had to try one bite of _yours_? No backing out of this, fox!"

Nick groaned and shivered in disgust.

"You're diabolical..." Was all he managed to say.

Judy just gave herself a mental pat on the back and a triumphant smirk. "It's called a hustle, sweetheart! Now dig in!"

"You monster..." Nick said flatly.

"Go on then!" Judy edged once more.

Eyeing the bunny's burrito with a distasteful look, Nick closed his eyes and bit down slowly on the lettuce-wrap, his teeth causing little crunching noises of which emanated from the thick plant-material. Judy watched as he cringed in revulsion: It was obvious to the bunny that he'd just chomped into a mouthful of olives. A tiny bit of olive-juice dribbled out from the sides of his mouth, dripping down the gray-colored fur on his muzzle.

A few seconds later, he swallowed the last bit of his previous bite, and eyes Judy with a look of pure loathing.

"Evil, sly bunny!" He hissed teasingly. "You hustled me good, didn't you?"

"You got that right!" Judy confirmed with a smirk. "And, uh.. you've got some olive juice on your face, by the way." She added, pointing to his muzzle.

The fox reached out toward the stack of napkins that their waitress had provided for them. He promptly cleaned himself off, much to Judy's own personal amusement.

After their laughing had subsided, they both stared into one another's eyes. Their moment ended nevertheless, and soon enough, they both were digging into their respective burritos: Both very pleased that they no longer had to eat anything outside their comfort zone.

Eventually, they managed to finish their presented meals, and were both quite satisfied with the results: Full stomachs and clear heads.

Now, there was still one thing left to check off the list.

"So, as you were saying?" Judy pressed.

"Hmm?" Nick questioned as he wiped the right side of his muzzle with his jacket sleeve.

The bunny rolled her eyes. "Oh, _Nick_! Don't just go wiping your grimy face on your suit like that!" She sighed and giggled while rubbing her temples. "Dumb fox..."

" _Whoops_... Sorry 'bout that!" Nick stifled a half-hearted chuckle before realizing that Judy _had_ asked him a question.

"Oh right! The new lead, gotcha... So anyways: Sector-A found a _phantom-profit_."

The fox paused for emphasis, but it was quite clear that Judy had no clue what he was talking about.

"A what?" She mumbled curiously.

"A _phantom-profit_!" Nick repeated, his expression beaming with pride. "It's basically a document that means someone took money unofficially, and hid it elsewhere."

"Really now?" Judy asked, scooting forward and closer to Nick, who replied with a simple;

"Yep."

Judy's ears suddenly perked up in realization and she began thumping her foot rapidly against the surface of the seat in excitement.

" _Oh_! That matches the case accusations! T-that someone's been removing cash from Jack's financial flows! A, _uh_... A _hedge-fund_ , chief called it!" She called out excitedly.

The fox nodded and made a pair of clicking noises beneath his tongue, causing Judy to smile even wider.

" _Yes_ , Nick! We got a _new lead_! New _evidence_! This is _great_!" She nearly shouted.

"Mmm-hmm." Nick confirmed. "As soon as Dyvim and the others find where the money went, we'll be able to track it down and recover it... Along with whoever took it!"

At the mention of capturing whoever had taken it, Judy couldn't help but think of Shahaz the Stinger, and ponder if perhaps he was behind this whole thing... Perhaps working alongside Jack to funnel money back and forth illegally and without the bank's notice.

"Ahh..." Judy sighed with relief, leaning back in their chair and staring dreamily at Nick. "We did it Nick... _You_ did it."

Nick shrugged nonchalantly before responding.

"Oh, don't give me all the credit, Hopps! We got your cousin, good ol' Dyvim to thank too! Besides, we don't wanna get too comfortable just yet... We still gotta figure this thing out, don't we?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right on that one..." She sat up and took his paw in her own. "But we'll figure it out: _Together_."

The fox smiled and kissed the top of her wrist, causing her to slightly blush, but her ears stayed high and tall.

"Wise words from a dumb bunny, wouldn't ya think?" He asked jokingly, earning himself a slight elbow to the forehead.

Judy smiled to herself and stood up, helping Nick to his feet as she did. She spoke out to him;

"Alright, slick... Let's get you back to Jack's tower... You still got four hours left on your afternoon shift!"

She gave his paw another reassuring squeeze before pulling the flustered bunny along with him as he made his way back to Jack's tower.

* * *

Much time had passed since she and Nick had gone out for lunch that afternoon, and with it, many things had gone through the bunny's head.

After walking back to the base of Jack's tower, Nick promptly gave Judy a hug of reassurance before excusing himself back to work, thus leaving Judy all to herself... at least, until 7:00, that is.

The bunny soon realized that she had a lot of free time: Roughly six hours until she was scheduled to meet up with Jack here at the base of his building. She spent much of that time exploring the sky-scraper, even snooping around in places that she shouldn't have been exploring, all in an effort to obtain more evidence.

Sure, she could have simply walked back to the hotel and flopped into bed, but instead she chose to make herself useful toward the mission objective. She was feeling quite energetic and productive, a trait that was perhaps influenced by Nick's recent and important discovery of the phantom-profit. She thought of Nick many times during her exploring, and hoped that he and Dyvim had managed to figure out something useful involving this mysterious transaction.

The bunny herself didn't exactly find very much during her time exploring, but did manage to mentally map out a large chunk of the building, which itself was helpful to an extent. She'd also struck up quite a few conversations with other employees and workers around the building, ranging from small-talk to full blown debates over fiddle topics. She'd gathered more insight as to how the company's employees thought of Jack and his business practices, and learned quite a lot about the building's history and other little tidbits that weren't exactly very important, but still very much taken into consideration by the ever so curious bunny.

Eventually, the time had at last come for Judy to meet Jack outside the lobby.

7:00

As much as she wanted to just relax with Nick back at the hotel, watching movies, exchanging stories, and maybe even indulging in some heated late night mating, she took into consideration the fact that this dinner with Jack may prove to be as insightful as Nick's recent discovery: If she wove her words just right (and perhaps with the help of a little booze), she could end up walking away from this dinner with a heap of new information.

That thought, at the very least, made her excited about this dinner... But alongside this, she took it as an opportunity to get to know the male rabbit better. For as long as she'd worked under him, there had been little _truly_ personal exchange, with the only real conversations that weren't about work being for the few short minutes after she was excused from her duties that day, where her and Jack would talk idly about minor things. Sure, she had learned about Jack's past, and his hobbies and interests and whatnot, but those were staple in comparison to more in depth ideas and exchanges, which she hoped to achieve with him tonight.

While she waited, she took to texting Nick, who was just about done with his shift, asking about his current situation. She was unfortunately met with utter silence, which she hoped was a good thing. Thinking positive as always, she just assumed that it must've been because Nick was so busy cracking their case that he simply didn't have the time to answer his texts.

That thought made Judy even more excited about the coming revelation, whatever it may be.

Eventually, time dragged on and on...

7:00 turned to 7:15, and that in turn transformed to 7:30.

After nearly half an hour of waiting in the ever receding daylight, Judy grew both angry and suspicious: Jack hadn't shown up...

He even had her _number_ , yet he still didn't call or even text her of any changes in schedule or occasion... He just simply didn't show up... That thought made her mad.

And suspicious...

Tired of standing around and waiting for some false miracle, she decided to see if Jack was in his office, so she marched into the lobby and took the elevator up to his floor. There, she hurriedly paced down the hall, once again ignoring the dark and looming doors of that one mysterious elevator, before nearly slamming into Jack's office doors, flinging them open as she marched inside.

It was dark: The only source of light being the glow of the moon outside as it shined off the nearby sky-scrapers, and a single lamp that stood next to Jack's desk.

She was about to shout out and call his name, but she saw him lounging on one of the four couches that stood in the center of the room. He appeared to be asleep at first glance, but after a few steps forward, she came to realize that he was, in fact, _nearly_ passed out: A close second, but one she still didn't appreciate as it was.

He lay chest-down on the surface of the couch, his head turned to the side and facing out, staring blankly at the other couch on the opposing side of the coffee table. His eyes were droopy and hazy, and he looked like he'd been hitting the bottle.

Scratch that, he _had_ been hitting the bottle.

One of his paws hung carelessly off the side of the couch, scarping against the carpet floor. Knocked over and empty, an entire bottle of scotch was lying by his paw.

Judy's mouth hung agape: She really hoped that he hadn't drank the entire bottle, but she couldn't make herself believe anything but.

His suit-top and button up shirt were apparently stripped off, as they were cast haphazardly and to the sides of the sofa, littering the floor in a mess of cloth. The only thing he was wearing was his midnight-black slacks, which were wrinkled and stained with drops of scotch.

Judy stared down at his bare back, eyeing it with curiosity and confusion. This wasn't the first time she'd seen him without his formal business suit draped over his shoulders, but it certainly _was_ the first time that she'd seen him shirtless. His upper-body was surprisingly athletic and accentuated with lean muscles that rippled through the fur on his back. Although Judy could safely admit that he was good-looking, it wasn't his physique that had caught her attention.

Lining the back of his torso were rows of long and thick slash marks, many of which extended from the top of his shoulder-blades all the way down to the small of his back. Each leftover cicatrix mark was pink and slightly raw looking, with the fur surrounding the indentions being less in number and density.

It was obvious that the scars were old: At _least_ a few months of age, but that didn't stop Judy from wondering who could have possibly done this to him...

Judy refocused her attention on his head when she heard him groan slightly, and follow up with a small murmur that consisted of half-slurred words and chokes.

But even still... Behind the grumbling she _did_ manage to pick out a few choice words: _Burger, Deal, Fail..._

And _Alaina_...

He wasn't asleep, but he wasn't really awake either: Seeming caught in a trance-like state, no doubt induced by his previous drinking.

Judy glanced over at the coffee table, where the papers that she had completed earlier that day had been strewn across the table. Some of them had red stamps on them, which read _DENIED._

It became clear to Judy that Jack must've failed his business deal with Bugga-Burger... And it was also apparent that he had tried to drink his problems away.

Judy felt sad for him... The sight almost brought her to tears, as it was such a hard truth for her to accept: That Jack had horrible issues, and needed help.

He wasn't even that much older than _her_ : Jack was 35, and she was 28... only 7 years older, yet he had this horrible drinking problem that left him like... like _this_...

Sighing, Judy picked up his scotch bottle and placed in on the coffee table, far away from his paws, even though it was empty.

She made herself a promise: Tomorrow at work, she wouldn't be mad at Jack for forgetting about their dinner. Instead, she would try to help him with this problem of his.

Judy saw him shiver and curl up slightly; scrunching his shoulders closer to his body and letting out a small groan of discomfort: It hurt Judy's heart.

She looked around, and after a few short minutes of searching, managed to find a blanket stashed away in the corner of the room. She placed it over him, but not before hesitating as she took one last look at the brutal cuts and scars across his back. She covered him in the blanket and folded the messy clothes that were littered around the office.

The female bunny looked down at the male bunny with pity and with worry. She was concerned about his health, and his well-being.

Whether or not he really was a crook, like everyone else wanted to believe, Judy considered him a nice person, and even a dependable friend.

That thought made her smile, and she then leaned down, placing a small kiss on the side of Jack's head, right below his ears. She felt him twitch slightly at the contact of her lips, and mumble her name softly in his drunken, half-asleep state.

" _Alaina_..."

Judy backed away at the mention of her falsetto name, but soon relaxed, taking in the sight of her boss one last time before gathering her things and leaving for the night, home-bound for the hotel. She kept her promise in mind, but also planned on questioning Jack about those strange scars that he had on his back.

Her conscious was blank the entire journey back through the depths of Jack's building, but as she walked home in the dark of the night, she couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like going out to dinner with Jack... Also wondering if there were any missed clues that she could have obtained if she had actually gone.

The thought of more clues gave her a sudden realization, and she reached into her phone, trying to turn it on only to be met with a blank screen: Out of power.

She bit back a curse, and then picked up her pace, power-walking back to her hotel room, intent on meeting up with Nick so that she could learn about his discoveries, if any.

Deep down, she personally hoped that Jack wasn't guilty of his criminal accusations...

She also hoped that perhaps some day soon, she'd be able to get to know him better... Maybe over a nice candle-lit dinner...

She shook her head, reinstating the though of Nick back into her mind. As she walked back to the hotel, she thought about all the great moments that she had shared with her dumb fox that day, relishing each one for the treasure that it truly was.

Judy also knew that as much as she would have liked to get to know Jack better, she would have much preferred eating that dinner with Nick.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Thank you so much for reading the latest chapter of my story! Do feel free to favorite, follow, or drop a review if you'd like: I would be most appreciative! :D**

 **Be sure to tell me whatcha think of this latest chapter, especially with how I did on the Nick/Judy banter and whatnot! I personally think no relationship can possibly live without conversation, for it is the lifeblood of all things interesting and relevant. I see it as a very important part of Nick/Judy's relationship with one another, so I certainly hope that you think I did a good job on attempting to capture some more of that feeling! I know I sure did! :)**

 **Anyhow, thanks for your time once again! Stay tuned for chapter 35 (can you believe it?), coming your way soon!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	33. Panacea

**Hey Everyone!**

 **I just want to quickly take the time to say that I'm sorry for the lack of updates the past few days... I just got busy with other things, but it matters not! I'm back!**

 **Anyhow, this new chapter is a bit shorter than most others, but it does reveal some answers to those burning questions you guys have had... Along with opening up a few new questions, too! You're in for an insightful chapter, folks!**

 **I hope you enjoy chapter 35 of When Instinct Falls!**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it." - Adolf Hitler

* * *

The end product of anything, that is success, does not come out of nowhere.

It's a result of something... Whether it be hours, days, or months of hard work and dedication.

Nick wasn't hoping for a miracle: Just enough to throw that bastard Jack Savage behind bars. The past few weeks hadn't been very fulfilling when it came to evidence against the titular rabbit businessman, but Nick was certain that this time around, he'd be able to get enough to convince Chief Bogo that Jack was guilty of his accusations after all.

The fox stared blankly at the computer monitor below him, his brain blocking out the sound of Dyvim's fingers as they typed away at the keyboard: The only thing that mattered was what was about to show up on that screen.

For the past few hours, he and Dyvim, along with nearly the rest of Sector-A, had been searching hard for anything suspicious in the company's database. Upon the discovery of the mysterious phantom-profit earlier that day, there still had yet to be any revelations that could link the stolen money to where it went. It was an aggravating process, but one that Nick took patiently and with ease: As he always said, he didn't want anyone to see that this situation was getting to him.

Now, Nick stood watching Dyvim as he put the finishing touches on the latest account check: Which consisted of scanning over an account's financial history and seeing if any of the numbers didn't add up. The fox figured that if the stolen money was transferred using their system, then they should be able to retrace exactly where the money went be seeing if any other accounts had any suspicious add-ons. It was a time-consuming and irritating process, but Nick tried not to let his discomfort show.

Clearing his throat before-hand, he took to questioning Dyvim on the state of this new account, which was labeled as Kendrick Lebough.

"So, anything look out of place on this guy's account?" The fox asked, patting the rabbit's shoulder in a sign of reassurance.

Dyvim shook his head and exited out of the account page before selecting another. The rabbit raised his paws and wiped at his eyes, turning around to face Nick as he did.

" _Nothing_... Natalia says that we've been through _thousands_ of accounts, and yet not a _single_ one has anything out of the ordinary..."

Nick looked down at his watch, which currently read as 7:35. He wondered what Judy was up to at the moment... She had previously claimed that she was going to do some over-time up at Jack's level, but why so late? He admitted that it bugged him, but decided not to linger on the thought any longer than he had to.

"Alright..." The fox sighed. "Next account, then... Let's sort through a few more, and if we don't find anything, we'll call it quits for now, okay buddy?"

The rabbit nodded at the notion of being able to head home for the night, and then went back to typing away at the computer's keyboard, soon selecting another account.

Interestingly enough, this one wasn't a single person, but appeared to be some sort of company, or small-business... It wasn't one that Nick had heard of before, though...

" _Sahara-Square Sundries_?" Nick said aloud, breaking the silence of the cubicle. "And may I ask who _they_ are?"

Dyvim's long ears twitched at the previous statement: He took a moment to reply.

"Eh, not too sure... I would guess that they work with sundries... and are situated in the Sahara-Square."

"Gee, ya don't say?"

"Hey, I just read the numbers okay? Mr. Savage doesn't expect me to know _squat_ about who the numbers correspond to!" Dyvim replied back, almost angrily.

The fox took that thought into consideration: Despite the fact that most of these office-worker grunts are the ones who work the bank's numbers, it seemed that few of them _really_ knew who they were transacting to, apparently... A situation like that could have made it _very_ easy for anyone to shift around a few million dollars, like what they were dealing with now.

Dyvim's voice derailed Nick's train of thought.

"Felix, Felix! Look at this!" He cried out excitedly. "Down here!" The rabbit pointed to a set of numbers at the bottom of the screen.

At first glance, they didn't appear any different than everything _else_ that they'd come across for the past five hours, but after closer examination, it became apparent to the fox that something wasn't right with _these_ ones: The total sum of the account's financial history didn't add up correctly to the rows of numbers that followed it. But perhaps most noticeable was the number-set in the corner of the screen that read: UNMARKED DEPOSIT.

The number that followed read as 37,875,421 dollars, with a transaction from the previous month that stood as eighteen million.

"Tell me Dyvim..." Nick began as he leaned down to Dyvim's height, eyes still trained on the screen.

"Would you expect a small-time _seed_ _warehouse_ to be making _eighteen million_ big-ones practically _overnight_?"

The rabbit's mouth was hanging agape as he stared down the screen. Nick reached over and with a flick of his paw, closed the rabbit's jaws. Dyvim swallowed before responding with the bitter truth.

"I think we found where the money went, sir..."

* * *

 _One Hour Later..._

Judy had just arrived back at her hotel room. The walk back had been one of silent solitude, with the only exception being her own tired thoughts and the whirls of the evening winds.

Her phone was dead, and she hadn't a clue of what the time was. The bunny also was unsure whether her husband was already at the hotel or not. He'd claimed that he was going to work until around seven, and now, it was almost nine, yet she was still in the dark about her dumb fox's whereabouts. It didn't worry her, but being the ever-so curious mammal that she was, it was just a fact that wouldn't stop pestering her.

Eventually, she managed to make it back to her hotel room, where she promptly plugged in her phone in an effort to get it recharged: She had a feeling that Nick had figured something out... Something important...

While she waited for her phone to reboot she took to changing out of her purple under-cover issued dress, choosing instead to equip her favorite outfit, which consisted of a blue-ish gray T-shirt and a pair of spandex leggings, of which clung tight around her waist. She collapsed onto the bed and decided to watch some television while waiting for her phone to charge. Turning on the small flat-screen TV monitor, she was at first met with nothing more than another black screen, as the TV too, needed to power on for a few seconds.

She lept of bed and skipped over to the tiny dining-room table, where she poured herself a small glass of water, which she quickly gulped down. As soon as she set the empty glass back onto the table-top, her ears shot up in detection as the television spewed it's first few words.

" _-And It's no small matter, Peter... The ZPD has yet to release an official statement regarding the grisly murder of ex-assistant Mayor Dawn Bellwether, who was imprisoned roughly 4 years ago on accounts of attempted murder and political corruption-"_

Judy slowly turned around eyed the TV, which now shined bright with the faces of news anchor Peter MooseBridge and his partner, the snow leopard Fabienne Growley.

" _-And was recently, just under an hour ago, found dead; Her body floating 3 miles down the nearby river that borders the Zootopian Country Maximum Security Prison. Officials are still speculating on how the ex-assistant Mayor managed to escape the prison in the first place, only to be subject to the likes of this gruesome homicide..."_

The bunny's mouth dropped.

"Bellwether was... _Murdered_?" She stifled.

Judy wasn't sure whether or not that was good news or bad news...

" _The sheep's body was found dead at the scene, and recent reports from officials claim that she was approximately 4 hours postmortem. With that exception, the current state of the body has yet to be revealed by the ZPD. This case currently stands as the latest officially-documented murder, the last being the infamous Sleet-Street murder of nearly two-months ago, where the body of a ZPD-Investigator was discovered, the corpse covered in slash marks and drained of its blood. That case has since been officially concluded by the ZPD's own, officer Judy Hopps, who led the raid against the murderer's home in the Nocturnal-District._

Judy knew that the news was just using the information of her previous case as filler for the moment, since there wasn't anything to talk about as of yet involving Bellwether's death: But the bunny still listened with intent, also hoping that new information would come in soon regarding Bellwether.

 _The perpetrator behind the murder, identified as Vladzotz Fangpyre, was reported killed, his home burned to the ground in the resulting firefight. His body was never found. We'll be going on break here in just a few minutes, and when we return, join us as Chief Bogo of the ZPD gives an official report regarding the homicide of Dawn Bellwether._

Soon enough, the bunny detected a slight buzzing sound from a few feet away. Turning around, she saw her phone's screen light up as it's power was restored. She walked over to the mobile-device and tenderly picked it up, staring down at the screen in her paws. On it, there was a claim that she had received over two dozen unanswered texts and four missed calls.

Opening up the texting app, she noticed that most of the messages she had received were from various other ZPD officers, many of which were informing her about the Bellwether case, and a few even asking where she was. The remainder of the messages were from her husband, Nick, who claimed that he had managed to retrace where the stolen money had ended up, and the most recent text said that he was currently heading back to their apartment.

Nodding her head, she took a closer look at Nick's most recent text, and saw that it was sent almost twenty five minutes ago... He should be nearly here by now...

Walking over to the door, she opened it before sticking her head outside and looking down both sides of the hotel hall-way. On her left, she saw Nick trudging down the hall-way with his phone in hand, not exactly paying attention to where he was headed.

" _Nick_!" She called out, causing the fox to look up from his phone and eye her with his favorite grin. "You need to come in here and see this!"

He picked up his pace and soon entered their hotel room. Closing the door after him, Judy then ran over to the TV and pressed the rewind button, effectively causing the channel to wind back in time. Meanwhile, Nick had taken off the top layer of his suit and had taken to unbuttoning his under-shirt. After a few seconds of rewinding, Judy settled the TV on the same spot that she had listened to earlier, starting from where Peter Moosebridge announced Bellwether's death.

Judy took to watching Nick's face throughout the ordeal. He didn't say a single word the entire time, as he was thoroughly invested into the news program. When he'd finally gotten up to speed on everything, he turned to Judy with a blank look on his face.

"Smellwether... _Murdered_?" He asked in a bewildered tone, to which Judy simply nodded her head.

The fox suddenly burst into a fit of laughter, doubling over and placing his paws on his knees as he wheezed out his next few words.

"T-that's _amazing_!" He stifled. "About time that psychopath got what she deserved!"

After a few more seconds of wheezing, Nick glanced up and locked eyes with his wife, who was staring him down harshly.

"Uh, I mean... _Oh_ , the mammality!" He cried out, placing one paw above his chest and another above his forehead.

Despite the apparent seriousness of the situation, Judy couldn't help but crack even the slightest of smiles at her husband's goofiness.

"Is that _really_ necessary, dummy?" She asked with her paws placed on her hips.

"Oh, the _horror_!" Nick fanned his face and pretended to faint, falling over onto the nearby mattress.

Rolling her eyes and smiling, Judy paced over to Nick and tugged twice on his tail.

"You done yet?"

"I'll be done when the funeral is over." He muttered, earning himself a slightly harder yank against his tail, causing him to cringe and sit up quickly.

"Alright, alright, I'm done!" He claimed, stroking the fur on his tail.

"Good, because I need you to tell me all about what you've found out back at Sector-A, right?" Judy said.

"Oh, right! Yes, totally forgot about that! You'd think all this jazz about Smellwether gettin' diced would make a change of topic, eh? Glad you have your priorities, fluff-butt."

"Just tell me what you found out, you dumb fox."

"Gotcha, I gotcha. Okay... So we managed to find out where the stolen money was transferred to. Apparently, all eighteen million bucks got deposited into the account of some small-time business: A place called _Sahara-Square Sundries._ "

Nick emphasized those last three words with finger quotations. He then stood up from the bed and walked over to his mate.

"Now, we sent a few emails to them, saying that some money had been unofficially deposited into their account, but they have yet to respond. So then we all called it a night, and I started walkin' home, and as I was walking back, I got to thinking... This account probably isn't even a company _at all_!"

"Then what does that make it?" The bunny interrupted.

" _Well,_ I was doing some research on my phone, and there are these things called _shell-corporations,_ which is basically a fake bank account set up by someone, where said someone deposits withdrawn money from other accounts, and then over-time, can then deposit the money _from_ the _fake_ account, to their _own_ personal account, completely under the bank's noses! They're really hard to trace, but we managed to track this one down!"

"So you're saying that this, uh..." Judy gestured toward Nick's phone. "- _Sahara-Square Sundries_ is a shell-corporation?"

" _Bingo_!" Nick said with a triumphant smirk as he shot the bunny with a finger gun.

"Yes, Nick, _yes_! You did it!" She shouted out loud and leaned over, grasping him in a hug. The fox wrapped his arms around the bunny and rubbed reassuringly at her back and shoulders, enticing a small groan of pleasure from her as he did.

"Now don't get _too_ off-the-hook excited now, carrots. We _still_ gotta track this shell-corporation down _and_ find out just exactly who's behind all this; Both the person who deposited the money, _and_ the person who received it... Well, assuming that they're not the same person..."

Judy gave him a quick peck of a kiss on the nose before responding.

"This is _perfect_ , Nick! We _need_ to tell Bogo as soon as possible!"

"And we _will_ , Carrots... But not right now. I'm tired, and I'm sure that chief's got _a lot_ of paper-work on his hoofs right now involving Smellwether's murder and whatnot."

The bunny nodded her head in agreement.

"Right... Perhaps in the morning..."

"Nah, I say _afternoon_... We've both got work with Jack in the morning, but we both get off at three-ish, so we can tell Bogo around then! Sound good?" Nick retorted.

"Oh, right." Judy muttered. "Yeah, it's fine by me..."

"Whaddya say we catch up on some shut-eye, eh Whiskers?" Nick inquired with a yawn.

"But it's only nine o' clock! Let's do something!" Judy said excitedly.

"Ah, I'm tired, fluff." The fox claimed. " _Long_ day at work, and I've been lookin' forward to a _long_ night of rest!"

He then promptly fell over and face-planted into the mattress. Judy giggled at his action before rolling her eyes and pulling off his button-up shirt, tossing it onto a nearby chair. Nick squirmed and scooted up to the pillows at the crown of the bed. Judy soon joined him, but not after stripping herself of all her own clothes and turning off the lights, darkening the room to near pitch-blackness.

The bunny couldn't see the fox very well, but she snuggled up close to him and wrapped her arms around his torso. She draped her right leg over his lower body and clutched him tighter before closing her eyes, listening to Nick's snores as he dozed off into well-earned sleep. Eventually, she too found refuge within her own dreams, and was soon fast-asleep against the form of her husband, whose gentle breaths soothed her into tranquil dormancy.

* * *

" _Guh_..."

The rabbit rolled off the couch and fell onto the floor, the contact of which instantly woke him from his daze.

Jack looked around his office, sitting up drearily and wiping the gunk from his eye-lids.

It was dark, and his prey-based eyes could only see so far, but he _did_ manage to see the empty bottle of scotch across the table-top, standing upright and shining in the dim light of the moon, which beamed softly through the nearby windows. He leaned back and reclined against the legs of the coffee-table, sighing loudly as he stared at the empty bottle. He turned his head slightly to the right, catching sight of the stamped papers from his previously failed deal with Bugga-Burger.

The bold red letters of the word DENIED were about as impossible to miss as anything.

"Bloody buggers.. Denying _my_ offer. They don't even know what they're missin' out on." He mumbled, wiping at his mouth with the fur on his wrist.

He sighed deeply, his ears lowering and his eye-lids closing. He almost drifted off into sleep once again, but soon rose to his feet, albeit unsteadily, and walked over to his desk. He traced his finger-tips along the wooden surface before letting his arm droop loose at his side. He trudged over to the nearby window, placing his paw upon it's glassy surface as he did. He eyed the tiny scratch marks that dotted the bottom of the frame.

Jack had failed the deal with Bugga-Burger. Miserably.

He _knew_ that his most private associates _weren't_ going to be happy with that... They were coming tomorrow evening, like they did every month...

If he didn't have what they demanded, he would be punished once again...

At that thought, Jack placed one of his paws against his back, rubbing tenderly at the gnashes that traced their way down his spine.

He continued to stare out at the night-time horizon of the Zootopian skyline; The many lights almost blinding to his hung-over and sensitive eyes. He continued to stare until his eyes began watering from the pain. Eventually, he growled and wiped away at his eyes, turning around and making his way back to the couches in the center of the room. When his eyes had readjusted to the dark, he noticed for the first time that his scotch-bottle wasn't where he had left it last night: He vaguely remembered collapsing onto the couch, bottle in hand, where he dropped it to the floor before passing out.

But now, it was sitting atop the table in the very center of his office. His clothes were placed nearby too; Neatly folded and smoothed out as if he'd never gotten drunk in the first place.

" _Alaina_... Did _you_ do this?" He mumbled aloud as he flopped back onto the same couch that he had woken atop. He rubbed at the back of his neck before laying down and closing his eyes.

" _Thank you_."

Sleep soon came back to claim him, but with it, came horrid nightmares... Terrors of knives and claws, all finding their mark upon his own back.

Soon enough, the terror subsided, and his dreams enveloped him in a _different_ reality: One where his wounds were tended by the gentle hands of his secretary, Alaina Ryder.

Jack smiled in his sleep, his nose twitching at the prospect of such a pleasant dream.

Before his conscious drifted into the _deepest_ of depths, it gave him one last image to behold: A glistening black scorpion, rising from the desert sands of the Sahara-Square...

He shuddered once before at last drifting off into dreamless sleep, where his mind could plague him no more.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter as much as I did! Feel free to leave a review telling me your thoughts on all the latest revelations, and maybe even the _new_ questions, too! I'd _adore_ knowing your thoughts about my work! **

**Alongside this, do please follow and favorite this story of mine: All are _greatly_ appreciated! :D**

 **Anyways, next chapter is coming your own soon (Hopefully sooner than what it took to get _this_ chapter)! Stay tuned for chapter 36, everyone!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	34. Ouroborus

"Sort of a repeat performance, wouldn't you say?" - D.B Conerly

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." - Muhammad Ali

* * *

There has always been the classic saying; that if one doesn't learn from history, that they are doomed to repeat it...

Wise words distinguishing a very bitter truth: History has always had a knack for repeating itself, one way or another.

Some things seem to complete their cycle of reappearance much faster than others, though...

* * *

10:30 A.M

The fox and bunny entered the lobby-floor of Jack's building, much like they did every day...

This day, however, both were intent on overcoming their own obstacles.

Nick was bent on doing more research into his shell-corporation, the Sahara-Square Sundries, but Judy had her _own_ plans in store for that morning shift...

Ever since she discovered Jack the previous night; Cold and hung-over in his office, Judy couldn't break the idea of trying to assist him in his problems. In her eyes, Jack needed serious help: His drinking problem, at the ripe age of thirty-five, at that, could very well cut his life short a few decades if he continued it at this rate. She was no doctor, but she would do all she could to lend her assistance to him if it meant helping him to break that terrible habit.

So like every other work day the past month, she ascended the elevator up along with Nick, bidding him farewell until the afternoon, when the two would meet once again and discuss their findings with Chief Bogo. Judy had already told Nick that she also intended to do some extra snooping around later on that evening: This however, was no lie, as she truly did seek to gather more evidence surrounding the case.

Though, perhaps she wasn't doing it to prove Jack guilt of his accusations, but to prove him innocent.

Judy could safely admit that she felt sorry for Jack, one way or another at least. She'd grown to warm up to him beyond the facade smile of her falsetto personality, Alaina Ryder, and begun to accept him as a dependable friend, almost. Now that they had confirmed the fact that Jack's company had been subject to hedge-funding and other financial ailments, Judy wanted to try and see if there was any way possible to prove that it _wasn't_ Jack who was behind it.

It was a hard thing to believe though, as being the head of the company, Jack would _easily_ be able to accomplish such awful crimes, and get away scott-free.

The bunny shook her head from side to side and breathed in deep, mentally preparing herself for her reunion with Jack that morning. She stepped out of the elevator, and as always, tried to ignore the opposing one, which still stood as dark and vacant as ever before.

She knocked a single time upon the hard-wooden surface of Jack's office doors before letting herself in, carefully shutting the door behind her so as to make as little noise as possible. Judy looked around the room in search of any signs of activity, and was met with the sight of Jack sitting atop the same sofa that he had passed out upon the previous night.

He held a book in his paws, and Judy could see that it was ' _The Art of the Deal_ ', written by Donald Trunk; An elephant who Judy remembered was one of the nominees from the last election for the mayor's office at city-hall.

The female bunny cleared her throat audibly, because Jack still seemed to be engrossed in his book. Upon reaching for his attention, Judy saw the male bunny's ears twitch at the sound of her cough, and he turned his head in her direction, his piercing blue eyes locking with her soft purple ones.

"Ah, good to see you this morning, Alaina." He stated.

The male bunny then shook his head and closed his book, not even bothering to place the bookmark in to mark his spot. He rose from his chair and dusted off the cuffs of his suit before walking over to Judy, stopping a about a foot in front of her.

"Alaina... I-I am _so_ , _so_ sincerely sorry that I couldn't make it to our da-" He stopped himself and swallowed before finishing. "Our _dinner_..."

Judy pursued her lips and eyed him with pity. She felt her ears lower and flatten out against the back of her neck. She was mentally debating whether or not to tell him that she had in fact, seen his drunken-state the previous night.

" _Jack_ ," She started with a reassuring smile. "It's okay. I forgive you. _I_..." She hesitated. "I saw what happened to you last night, and I understand why you couldn't make it."

Jack's face hardened, and his features were emotionless for a few seconds before his eye-lids drooped and his expression slacked. He sighed before responding.

"So... You saw that?" He asked flatly, to which Judy nodded in an affirmative response.

The rabbit trudged back over to his ring of sofas and collapsed into the cushions of the same one where he was sitting earlier. He cupped his paws to his face and planted his elbows against his knee-caps, holding up his head as he wiped away at his eyes. Jack then leaned back against the couch and stared listlessly into the distance in front of him.

"Ugh... You weren't _supposed_ to see that..." He stifled a humorless laugh and raised his right paw, swiping it slowly across the space above his head as she looked to the sky.

"Zootopia's greatest businessman..." Jack started before dropping his arm and sinking into the couch. "A _hopeless_ alcoholic... I'm _pathetic_..." He spat.

Judy shook her head slightly and paced over to Jack before sitting down directly beside him. She gripped his paw in a reassuring gesture before she spoke her own mind.

" _No_ , Jack! You are _not_ pathetic! You're a brilliant, intelligent, and caring mammal... Don't let this problem of yours make you forget that, Jack." Judy stated.

Her words were nothing but the truth: This was no laughing matter, and she wanted Jack to know that she would help him overcome this problem of his.

"I also think that you're a great guy, and that you're funny, and smart, and strong-willed." She stuttered. "You are anything _but_ pathetic."

Judy stared deep into Jack's eyes and saw a strange sense of acceptance and longing. His nose twitched a single time as he continued to stare blankly at Judy, mouth agape.

Suddenly and without warning, Jack leaned forward, and captured Judy's lips against his own, his eyes closed and ears lowered back in indulgence. Judy was shocked at his swift and abrupt action, her eye-lids shooting open and her ears sticking up in apprehension. She felt an inviting pleasure course up her spine: One that caused her eyes to close and her ears to lower in acceptance. A peculiar biological ticking in her head was encouraging her to continue with the kiss, but she soon regained her sense of reason, and opened her eyes: Jack must have thought that she was giving in, because Judy saw him move his paws closer forward in an effort to touch her, no doubt.

She wouldn't let him get that far...

Judy pushed Jack away with her arms, severing the kiss and causing the male rabbit to fall onto his back against the soft cushions of the couch. She stood up and backed away from the scene, eyeing him precariously. The female bunny then turned tail and quickly walked away and towards the exit, not bothering to look back.

" _Wait!_ Alaina!" She heard Jack's voice call out from behind. "I- _I'm sorry_ , please! Just hear me out, _please_!"

But Judy didn't want to hear him out. Jack had used her sympathy as a gate-way to express his _own_ desires. She was disgusted at the lack of consideration and empathy.

Her ears detected Jack standing up quickly from the sofa, only to hear a soft _thud_ as he no doubt tripped over and fell to the ground, all in an effort to try and apologize.

She didn't say anything on her way out: She didn't know if there was anything to be said, even.

Judy went to the nearest and only place that Jack couldn't try to follow her: The women's wash-room.

She slipped into the restroom and quickly closed the door behind her. She would have tried locking it if there was one, but since there wasn't, she settled for the closed door and made her way to the deeper corner, as far away from the door as she could get. After a few minutes of simply breathing and listening closely to the hall-way outside, trying to hear if perhaps Jack was trying to follow her, she walked over to the sink and washed her paws before cupping them and bringing the water to her muzzle, which she thoroughly washed.

 _This whole mission was a horrible idea... I shouldn't have accepted it... What would Nick think if he found out about_ _that_?... She thought vividly to herself.

The thought of Nick nearly brought her to tears: Here she was, a married and mated bunny, that had allowed another male to kiss her.

 _No... It wasn't my fault..._ She mentally reminded herself.

Judy sniffled and wiped at her eyes, successfully resisting the urge to cry.

Judy had her moment, and after a few minutes of quiet and peaceful thinking, she washed her face one final time, cleaning it of all her tears before she exited the restroom and entered the hall. She didn't see or hear Jack, but didn't stick around to do so either: She immediately made her way to the elevator, where she took it all the way back down to the lobby. Once she set foot out of the elevator cartridge, she left the building and made her way back to the hotel where her and Nick had been assigned to stay.

As she walked back, she took out her phone and texted Nick, telling him that she was going to the ZPD alone so as to inform Chief Bogo of their recent discovery, like the two of them had planned out earlier. Thankfully, Nick didn't press for details, as his responses consisted of situated agreements and a single farewell. Smiling at his texts, the bunny almost passed up a nearby taxi. She raised her left paw and hailed it, stepping in and informing the driver that she needed to head to the ZPD head-quarters.

Soon enough, she was cruising on her way towards her destination, trying not to think about the past half-hour's events the entire way back.

* * *

11:34 A.M

The past hour had been one of dutiful research on the behalf of one Nicholas Wilde.

He, along with Dyvim Whitetail and Natalia Blackthorne, had been delving into the science behind the art of shell-corporations and phantom-profits, all three mammals trying to assimilate as much information as they could, and for varying reasons.

The two multi-colored bunnies were under the impression that they were doing this simply for the good of the company, and they had intentions to soon report the situation to the higher-up's, so as to inform Jack of their predicament.

Nick, on the other paw, was doing this for more than just the good of the company: But for the ZPD and the people of Zootopia as well. Whoever was handling these transactions, whether it was Jack Savage, or Shahaz the Stinger, or even both; Needed to be shut down, and their reign of criminal injustice put to a stop.

Alongside this, Nick was trying to keep the information about the phantom-profit and the discovery of the shell-corporation hushed down and quiet, so as to keep Jack from finding out sooner rather than later: The last thing he wanted was for a potential suspect to realize that their work had been unearthed.

So now, the fox was busying himself in Dyvim's cubicle while the titular rabbit faxed out a few sheets of information regarding the shell-corporation, Sahara-Square Sundries.

Nick fiddled with the computer, staring at the screen blankly as he read up some more on the science behind hedge-funds and other financial nuisances. Most of the work behind it was pretty complicated looking stuff, but Nick assumed that once people managed to get over the learning-curve, that it must've been quite easy to manipulate.

 _Dang... Why didn't I try to get into the fraudulence business?_ The fox mentally questioned, of which he gave himself a good chuckle soon after.

While he waited for Dyvim to return, he considered writing up a preliminary report for Bogo; A little document with all the evidence that they've gathered so far, but he soon ruled out at idea, as it was too risky to do in public, and they weren't even finished with the mission yet.

Soon enough, Nick heard a knock on the cubicle wall, and turned around to see Dyvim, in his paws a few sheets of paper.

"Hey! You got all the info on this shell-corporation, Divvy?" The fox inquired, rising from his chair and walking over to the rabbit as he did.

"Uh-huh... Not much on the internet surrounding these guys, which isn't surprising, since they only exist as an account and a name... I dunno if they even have a physical location, Felix. Regardless, this is all I could find about the Sahara-Square Sundries, or whatever they are. _That_ might come in handy if you give it to the ZPD, ya know..."

He handed the papers to Nick, whom took them all carefully and examined them, briefly skimming over the lines of information before nodding his head and shaking the rabbit's paw.

"Good work, Div! I'll get this whole thing sorted out, I promise." Nick claimed. "Excuse me, while I take care of this evidence."

After he let go of Dyvim's hand and walked away, Nick mentally chided himself for referring to the papers as _evidence_ , but soon trashed those thoughts, as he figured Dyvim really didn't care what he called them.

The fox then checked the current time.

12:03 P.M

 _Bummer... Still got another two hours until I'm off for the day. I hope carrots is doing alright... I wonder what edged her to leave so early today..._ He thought to himself.

Truly, he _did_ ponder the possible reasons for his mate's sudden retreat. It worried him slightly, but he was quite sure that Judy could take care of herself effectively: She was a strong-willed and smart girl, and those were some of the many reasons that Nick loved her for. He did manage to catch her little text though; Saying that she was 'taking the day off' as she put it, and was heading back to the ZPD head-quarters to fill in Bogo by herself. Nick appreciated that act, as he was unable to do so himself for the rest of the afternoon.

The fox wasn't watching where he was going, and as he reared a corner around one of the office's many cubicles, he slammed head-first into Natalia Blackthorne, Sector-A's only female bunny. Their heads collided, and Nick instinctively recoiled; accidentally throwing his papers into the air as he did. Meanwhile, Natalia stumble back, clutching her paw to her fore-head as she shut her eyes and groaned in discomfort.

The female bunny soon opened her eyes to the sight of her boss, with all of his papers strewn across the ground, littering the carpet floor of the office.

" _Oh my_..." She squeaked. "I am _so_ sorry, Mr Leyfur! I-I didn't see you coming, sir!"

Nick fashioned himself his favorite smirk before locking eyes with the flustered bunny.

"Don't worry, Nat... It's _my_ fault; I wasn't looking where I was going. No need to apologize."

The two of them helped the other as they retrieved and reorganized the paper sheets that had fallen across the floor. Once they were all picked up and rearranged into their respective stacks, Nick looked up and thought for a moment as he eyed the black-furred bunny.

 _Hmm. Maybe I could try and speed things along with Dyvim and her. It's obvious that he really seems to like her, so maybe I could be of assistance!_ Nick thought to himself.

"Thank you for helping me pick that mess up!" He began with a smile. The fox then cleared his throatbefore continuing.

"And again, so sorry I wasn't looking where I was going: I was just checkin' out these new documents that I had Dyvim print for me. He's a very good worker, wouldn't you agree?"

The female bunny nodded her head in agreement, her green eyes darting back and forth between Nick, the papers, and the direction that Nick had came from.

"Yes, he's a very productive employee, sir... I admire that about him." She claimed.

 _Ah, so you admire his productivity hmm? That's a start!_ The fox's mind blurted to himself.

"Indeed he is. Eh, tell me Miss Blackthorne; do you have a _significant other_ , least to say?" He questioned with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, no sir... I've always put work ahead of any form of relationship..."

 _Reminds me of a very certain dumb bunny that I know..._

Nick shook his head and smiled before replying.

"You know, that philosophy reminds me of my own... Girlfriend." He stammered.

Nick had almost said _wife_ , but everyone here thought that his undercover persona wasn't married yet, so he was glad that he'd managed to catch himself before spilling out.

"Yeah, she's a real head-strong kinda gal..." The fox continued non-nonchalantly. "Always striving hard for what she's shootin' for... Reminds me of both you _and_ Dyvim!"

Nick began walking past and headed towards his office, and as he passed by her side, he quickly muttered;

"I think you two would get along _great_ , ya know."

Smiling to himself the whole way back, Nick placed the stack of papers atop the smooth wooden surface of his desk and shut the door behind him, isolating himself in the tiny room of his own office. He let out a groan of relief as he flopped into his chair and kicked his legs up and onto the desk, training his eyes out through the windows and across the Zootopian sky-line.

He gave himself a mental pat on the back from his little run-in with Natalia, and he hoped that he'd subtly managed to get the message across. Or not so subtly.

Whatever worked best.

"Mister Leyfur, you are one _smooth_ fox, aren't you?" He asked himself with a triumphant smirk.

The fox stifled a satisfied chuckle before leaning back in his chair. He still had a few hours before he was let off for the day, and he intended on reading over those documentations involving that shell-corporation soon enough, but that didn't stop him from taking a break and enjoying the moment.

"Life is good... Life is good." Nick mumbled, taking a sip from a nearby glass of water as he watched the clouds soar by from his little spot in this big, huge world.

* * *

12:10 P.M

"A shell- _what_?!" Bogo repeated.

"A shell-corporation, chief..." Judy said as she rested her paws on her hips. "Do I need to explain it again, sir?" She grumbled irritably.

"No no, you've done well enough, officer Hopps... Though I'm _very_ pleased that you and Wilde managed to recover this, I have to wonder why you showed up without him."

The bunny raised her right paw and rubbed at her lips, as though there were some foul residual taste lingering from the previous few hours. The taxi ride had taken long enough, as Jack's building was clear across town in comparison to the ZPD head-quarters (all of the mid-afternoon traffic in the Downtown area certainly didn't help, either), but after a good half-hour of driving, she'd finally made it back to one of her favorite places in the world... Even if it was without one of her favorite mammals in the world.

She'd promptly paid the taxi-driver and entered the building upon arrival, heading straight past Clawhauser and right up to chief Bogo's office, where she knocked before being given permission to enter. From there, she'd spent the past half-hour explaining to chief Bogo about all of her and Nick's findings and discoveries since their _last_ clock-in with the ZPD. And just now, she'd concluded explaining to Bogo exactly what a phantom-profit and a shell-corporation was, if only to get him up to date on the situation.

"Well, to answer your question chief; I got off for the remainder of the day, even though Nick is still working. I decided to come in and file-in with you myself, to save time."

She felt awful lying to the chief, but she would have felt even more awful trying to explain to him that she had, in fact, completely walked out on Jack after he had made that considerably uncalled-for advancement. The water-buffalo stroked his muzzle with one of his hoofs while he looked over the newly developed case-file for the officially dubbed Savage-Case. He seemed to buy in to the information that Judy had shared with him, and appeared to be in deep-thought as he stared down at the papers within his hooves.

"Yes. This is good, Hopps. I'll let you know when we manage to figure out what needs to be done with this _Sahara-Square Sundries_ place of yours. Until then, you're dismissed."

Judy gave him the standard salute before excusing herself to the commons area, where she relaxed for some time before she set out for lunch, picking out a small soup-kitchen on Savannah-Central. She'd heard that the place had good reviews and even greater food, and since she didn't plan on returning to Jack's building for a _long_ time, she decided that some lunch wouldn't hurt. Judy wondered what Nick himself was up to at this moment in time: Hopefully not playing cards when he should be out working.

That thought caused the bunny to smile and stifle a slight laugh.

As she ate, she couldn't help but think over her plans involving Jack himself:

Eventually, she had to come to terms with the fact that she would have to see Jack again tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, all the way until this case of hers was solved. She didn't want to be around that disgraceful businessman any more than she had to: She had originally planned on doing some overtime later on this evening, and hopefully learning a few more things along the way, but _now_... Now she wanted this case to be over and done with as fast as possible, so her and Nick could go back to chasing bad-guys on the streets instead of doing all of this under-cover white-collar nonsense.

So that evening, instead of going in to work on even more papers for Jack, she'd go in with the intention on trying to find out even more about the meaning behind all of these strange events: Jack's previous mentioning of Shahaz the Stinger, the phantom-profit, the shell-corporation, and even those mysterious scratches by the window: Judy knew that they all had to be connected, somehow. The rabbit officer knew that something strange was afoot in that financial building, and knew that it could spell out trouble.

And she had every intent on finding out just what.

* * *

10:45 P.M

It had been many hours since she had left that restaurant and headed back to her and Nick's hotel room. Once there, she slept for the next five hours; dutifully catching up on her sleeping, because she wouldn't be doing very much of it tonight: She had every intention of finding out everything that she could while she was snooping around Jack's building that night, and would even pull an 'all-nighter' if she had to.

She had briefly woken up to Nick's entrance at around 4:30, where he had at last returned from a long day of work at Sector-A. He too was tired, but didn't relent from listening to Judy as she quickly explained what had happened with her that day, and what she had planned for the rest of the night.

Of course, Judy did leave out one minor part: She figured that Nick didn't need to know about Jack's surprise-smooch, and that it'd be better if even _she tried to_ forget about it.

After she had finished explaining her plans, Nick immediately demanded that he joined in on her mission to uncover more clues. Judy promptly accepted his offer, and the two then decided that while Judy was exploring Jack's office and the other rooms on his floor, Nick would be doing some snooping of his own around on Sector-A.

Because neither of them really knew how long they would be staying there, they decided to catch up on a few more hours of sleep before their big mission.

Now, the time read as three-quarters past ten, and the two of them had just arrived at the building.

For a more convenient outcome, Judy had taken the time to change out of her silky purple dress and into an identically colored sweat-shirt and blue-jeans. She brought her tranquilizer gun with her, along with her police badge and a pair of tweezers and a few zip-lick bags for collecting evidence, assuming she even found any in the first place.

Using their specially-assigned key-cards that they had gotten on their first day working for Jack, they easily managed to enter the higher floors and other more 'off-limits' areas that would otherwise be secluded to the public at this hour of night.

Judy bid farewell to Nick for the second time that day as he was dropped off at his floor. Judy watched him pace quickly down the hall-way and into the depths of Sector-A all the way until the doors closed shut. She felt the familiar pulling sensation in her feet and lower body as the elevator cartridge rose up and dropped her off at Jack's floor.

It was a dark and quiet atmosphere: One that Judy didn't like.

She crept down the hall-way and entered Jack's office, carefully sliding the doors open and closing them behind her as she did. She locked the doors just to be safe, and then proceeded to scan her head around the office. As she did, she tried not to think too much about that blasted elevator: It was driving her crazy enough on it's own. It had been exactly one month since she had first seen those mysterious doors slid open, but she still had yet to find out who had been inside in the first place.

The female bunny didn't see any sign of activity whatsoever: There were no lights, and the only amount of illumination came from the dim glow of the moon, which beamed steadily through the shades covering the various windows.

It was obvious that Jack wasn't home, and that he hadn't been for some time. The papers from his failed business deal with Bugga-Burger were still stacked atop the coffee-table in the center of the room, and the book that he had been reading earlier that day when Judy first saw him was still lying on the sofa, in the exact same spot as it had been when she saw him initially place it down, all those hours ago.

She looked around for some time; Sifting through the shelves, flipping through old documentations that he had tucked away in filing cabinets, and even scavenging through his desk in an attempt to find anything of usefulness to her objective.

After exploring all of his desk drawers and not finding anything interesting, Judy straightened herself out and eyed the surface of the desk. She didn't think that there would be anything useful there, but she felt a sensation urging her to do so. Sighing, she began sorting through the various things that were littered across his desk, consistently careful to place them back in the exact same spots that she found them, so as not to arouse suspicion.

Eventually, she moved over to his key-board pad. She honestly thought that it would be the _last_ place where _anything_ suspicious or important would be stored.

Thankfully for her and the entire mission objective: She was wrong.

Judy slid his key-board out of the way and lifted up the pad that it was resting upon. She didn't see anything in particular at first, due to the shadows bending around the raised form of the pad, but upon closer examination, she noticed the strangely shaped outline of something smooth and flat-shaped, placed in the center of the space beneath the pad.

She pulled out her pair of tweezers and retracted the item from beneath the keyboard, which she placed back down and straightened out. Focusing her attention back to the newly discovered object, she noticed that the shape of the thing looked almost like a shield: It was smooth on the surface, but it's pointed tip was surprisingly sharp and acute. The item was roughly the size of a ZPD arm patch, and would have fit in the palm of the rabbit's paw with ease.

With her prey-based eyesight, she couldn't see it very well in the dreary moonlight, so she chose to quickly flick the switch of the nearby lamp; turning it on and illuminating the object that she held between the tongs of her tweezers.

It was a scale: Colored the hue of wet-sand, with tiny, delicate marks and symbols engraved around the sharpened edges.

 _What on Earth?_ Her mind mused to itself.

Suddenly, her ears shot up in detection: Someone was walking down the hall-way just beyond the door that she had locked. She quickly reached over and turned off the light of the lamp, instantly causing the room to darken. It took her eyes a brief amount of time to readjust to the immediate change in lighting, but her ears still functioned properly and effectively: She heard the mammal outside try their own against the door; fumbling against the handle in an attempt to open it.

"What the heck?" She heard the voice mutter out loud.

It was Jack, unsurprisingly: Judy had half expected him to show up in the middle of the night, whether it was to quickly complete some paperwork or to engage in another alcohol-laced drinking session. She hoped that he would just get what he wanted and leave, so that she could get back to her investigating. But now, she needed to hide.

Knowing that she only had a few seconds until the male rabbit managed to unlock the door himself and enter the office, Judy quickly slipped the scale into a zip-lock bag, which she in turn stuffed into one of her pockets before darting out from behind the desk and hiding behind one of the large, draping curtains that covered the farthest corner of the wall of glass windows at the very back of the office..

She wrapped herself in the thick material and began to breath in steadily in an attempt to calm herself: She had _no_ intention on being discovered.

Realizing that she could very well be missing out on valuable Intel if she didn't see what Jack was doing, she quickly took her pair of tweezers and made a small puncture in the fabric of the curtain: Large enough for her to peep out of with one eye, but small enough so that it wouldn't be noticed by anyone else in the room without inspection.

Judy also realized and took into consideration the significant opportunity that this situation had: Jack had no idea that she was here, and with him thinking that no one else was around to see him, he might act differently or do things that she could use against him as evidence for her under-cover mission. He could finally reveal his true colors.

Also seizing the chance to film him in this current state, Judy took out her phone and selected the film app. So as to get two different perspectives, she made another small hole in the fabric for the phone to look out of from a different angle, while she looked out from her own perspective.

She mentally patted herself on the back: She had an ingenuous strategy! With a little luck, Jack might reveal something useful to her, and she could catch it on camera.

Meanwhile, Jack had just managed to unlock the door and enter the office. He closed the door behind him, but didn't bother locking it: That was a reassuring sign to the female bunny, because she assumed that it meant that Jack planned on leaving soon enough.

The male rabbit immediately trudged over to his private alcohol compartment that he had set up in the corner of the room. Judy wasn't very surprised, and continued to film him as he poured himself a light glass of scotch. He took a small sip before hesitating, seemingly choking on the tough liquid: He let loose a few rigid coughs before growling deeply and hardening his grip on the glass.

Much to Judy's surprise, Jack then angrily threw the scotch glass across the room, where it shattered upon impact with the bookshelves of one of the office's walls. The glass shards pattered to the floor and littered themselves across the shelves and rows of books, and the amber-colored liquid was strewn along the wall. She then heard Jack let out a slew of colorful curses as he paced back and fourth across the length of his office. Judy watched in awe and wonder as the male rabbit clutched the entire bottle of scotch that he had stored in his compartment, pulling it out before screaming and throwing it against another wall, causing the bottle to explode in a shower of yellow shards.

Judy wasn't sure what to make of this whole scene. On the bright side, he wasn't drinking, at least.

Jack cursed again and clutched his paws to his head, mumbling softly to himself. Judy, even with her enhanced hearing, could only make out a few choice words from his seemingly incoherent rambling; _Tonight, month, cut, burger, crap_

The female bunny's ears twitched in detection as she heard another sound emanate from the depths of the hallway just outside the office;

 _Ding!_

It was then that Judy realized that someone had taken an elevator up to their floor. She had a sinking suspicion that it wasn't the one that she had used to get here.

Apparently, Jack had heard the elevator's sound as well, because he cursed loudly enough for Judy to hear.

" _Bugger_!" He hissed. "Damnable twat is here already?"

Judy watched as he shuffled over to the door and waited directly in front of it. She couldn't tell whether or not he was waiting for something, or looking out of the peephole: He just stood there in hushed anticipation, waiting anxiously beside the door like some attendant making way for his boss. He checked his watched fitfully every few seconds.

The female bunny sensed an audible thumping sound coming from outside: _Footsteps_ , she concluded... Making their way down the hall-way just outside. They sounded strong, but light in nature, and gradually grew louder and more potent until they stopped directly behind the door that separated Jack from whatever was standing outside.

Three knocks, each one louder and harsher than the last.

Jack breathed in deeply and composed himself, closing his eyes as he seemingly gathered his bearings for whatever was to come.

Then, he opened the door.

Judy couldn't see whoever was outside from her hiding place, but she noticed that Jack was looking slightly upwards: Whoever he spoke with was taller than him, apparently. Accepting the fact that she couldn't manage to see the other mammal at the moment, she instead focused on watching and listening to Jack as he stood in his spot.

"Welcome once again, old frien-" Jack began, but was interrupted when the voice of the other mammal hissed aloud in rebuttal;

"I'm _not_ your friend, _rabbit_."

Judy shuddered horribly.

That voice was perhaps the most horrible thing she had ever heard: It was deep, but hoarse and raspy, and sounded like whoever owned it had tried to inhale fire and drink acid.

Jack stepped back slightly and wrung his wrists, fiddling with his thumbs as he continued talking. Judy noticed that he still kept his confident tone of voice as he spoke aloud;

"Well, that's not very nice! I figured we were, since you've been doing good business with me for all this time. You'd _think_ we'd be friends, since you visit every month, yes?"

That horrible voice responded once more, causing shivers to slither their way down Judy's spine with each word.

"Need I remind you, that this is not _good business_ ," The voice hissed in a mocking tone. "But _repayment_ , rabbit?"

"Yes, yes, of course! I understand, completely!" The male rabbit claimed almost joyously. "And, ah, as for that repayment of yours, I'm afraid that we have much to discuss."

"Then discuss we will, Savage. Now, if you would, please be a hospitable gentlemammal and let me in? Those cameras can't be blanked out forever, you know."

Judy was excited: Whoever this mammal was, it was apparent that it was _they_ that had somehow tampered with the security cameras!

And apparently, they visited Jack every month. She wondered if it had anything to do with this supposed _repayment_ of his.

She shook her head and brought her attention briefly to her phone, which she checked to make sure was still recording: She wanted _every_ second of this.

" _Yes_ , of course! _Please_ , come in, come in, my old acquaintance!" Jack stepped out of the door-frame and swept his hand in an arc as he presented his office to his visitor.

The creature stepped out of the shadows, through the door-frame and into the view of Judy, who nearly gasped when she saw him.

His face was adorned with a pair of ruined eyes: The left eye was completely gone, with only a gaping hole of scar tissue and scabs in it's place, with a single scar stretching across the length of his muzzle, crossing over his obliterated eye-socket and ending atop his forehead. His good eye was such a horrible combination of blood red and milky white that Judy couldn't believe that he was able to see out of it. The fur around his muzzle and face was thin, but wiry and black, and his large ears were peppered with holes and minuscule scratches. He breathed in deep through his mouth, wheezing so badly that it made Judy's own chest ache in sympathy.

Judy forced her eyes to trace the form of the mammal's body. His torso was clad in a fresh, clean looking pure-black vest, with a blood-red bow-tie placed right below his throat. His legs were complete with backwards knees and midnight-black slacks, identically colored with his shiny vest, which itself had no sleeves. Emerging from the holes where they should have been, long and thin arms held up the weight of his hunched over upper-body. He walked on all fours, and the skin upon his long arms was stretched tight across long rows of bony fingers that emerged from his hands, which themselves sprouted sets of lengthy black talons. Unfortunately, she recognized this new mammal.

 _No... That's... T-That's not possible..._ Judy's mind told itself.

But it _was_ possible: It was happening right in front of her.

Despite her desperate desire to stay hidden, Judy's mouth seemed to open and speak on it's own; A single word emitted at an impossibly quiet volume...

" _Vladzotz_."

It should've been impossible: No one could survive a house-fire like the one that _she_ had witnessed all those months ago. She saw his mansion burn to the ground with her very own eyes, and saw _him_ buried along with it. Yet here he was, smiling as cruelly as ever. Despite his ruined appearance, his massive fangs were still sharp and shining wickedly, and Judy still could see that same flickering flame of insanity and anger burning behind the milky liquid floating in his single red eye. He may have been a mess compared to his former self, but it was clear that whatever injuries he had sustained in the fire accident at Castle Fangpyre had healed quite well, over the past few months. He looked almost identical to the very bat that Judy had gotten to know and hate so well down in the Nocturnal-District, save for his missing left eye and slightly patchy wings.

The bunny watched with hushed anticipation as the scene unfolded before her.

Vladzotz spread his arms, stretching the fibrous membrane of flesh spread between his long fingers. Judy noticed that most of the flesh that made up the flap on his left wing had been almost burned away, and what little was left over was riddled with holes. His right wing seemed almost untouched, save for a few more small, painful-looking holes.

Jack's smooth and silver-worded voice broke the ensuing silence

"Do make yourself comfortable, chap... I've got _quite_ a lot of explaining to do, yes sir!" He mumbled in a cheerful manner.

"You have such nice manners..." The vampire bat crooned with that raspy and ruined voice of his. "For a _thief_ , and a _liar_!"

"Now, now, there's no need to be making rude comments!" The rabbit smiled wide. "And what can I say? I am who I am."

Vladzotz snarled beneath his wheezing breaths.

"Don't tempt me, rabbit! You and your ilk are annoying enough as it is..." He trailed off momentarily before resuming. "You know why I've come."

"Yes, I _know_ , Vlad. I haven't forgotten, and I won't... Ever. Don't underestimate me."

The bat growled once more and took a step forward, closing the distance between himself and the rabbit in front of him.

" _You haven't_ forgotten, have you now?" Vladzotz repeated mockingly, letting out a rasping wheeze before continuing;

"Then tell me, _wretch_... Why have you been so careless as to allow _your own_ employees to stumble upon our operations?"

Judy wasn't sure what he was talking about at first, but it soon dawned on her that Vlad was referring of the phantom-profit that Nick had unearthed in the company's system. The female bunny reasoned that Jack must have been careless in his efforts to clean up his tracks when he was transacting money from Bugga-Burger, and placing it into the account of that shell-corporation.

At that thought, she checked her phone once again, so as to make sure that it was continuing to record all of what was unfolding in front of her: Thankfully, it still was.

" _Well_ , I-I... ah..." Jack stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wasn't, um..." He swallowed. "Wasn't thinking straight?"

Vladzotz took another step closer to Jack, positioning himself directly in front of him, and causing Jack to back up against the back of one of his sofas.

"You were drunk, weren't you?" Vladzotz asked, his lone eye staring down the rabbit intensely.

"Maybe?" Jack squeaked.

"Your knavery has cost us much, Jack. _Too much_."

"Uh, let's not jump to conclusions here, my old-"

"Our little depot in the Sahara-Square has received _multiple_ Zmails from _YOUR OWN COMPANY-_ " Vlad raised his voice before breaking into a harsh fit of wheezing coughs.

He soon recomposed himself before continuing, clearing his throat audibly and clutching at his chest.

"- _All_ saying that they had detected _unregistered_ transactions deposited into _OUR_ account! _Are you TRYING to ruin us_?!" He wheezed.

Jack swallowed and shrugged nervously, his long ears flopping to the side.

"I wouldn't say so _myself_ , good sir! I can assure you that this matter wasn't of my own accord. I'll promptly look into it on the morrow. And uh, also, I'm sure by now you've heard of how I failed my latest deal with Bugga-Burger, so I _won't_ be able to give you your demands this month. Sorry."

Judy saw Vladzotz single red and eye narrow in apprehension and disgust before the bat leaned forward, positioning his muzzle directly in front of Jack's.

"Make no mistake, rabbit... You are still in debt to us... Still in debt to _me_! I'll give you _one_ more month to collect the remainder of your repayments. _B_ _ut if you don't_..."

Vladzotz raised one of his wings, and with a flick of his wrist, swiped his massive talons just inches from Jack's face.

"I will personally punish you again." Vladzotz vowed, his voice dangerously soft.

Jack timidly nodded his head up and down in nervous agreement. Satisfied with his answer, the bat stepped away from Jack and began pacing over towards the window in the far left corner of the room. Stopping right in front of it, Vladzotz slowly craned his head around and stared down Jack with his one good eye.

"Be a dear and open this for me, would you? A _true_ gentleman always bids his guests a _proper_ farewell, wouldn't you agree?"

The male rabbit nodded his head and hurried over to the window panel, which he unhatched and swung open. The evening gales swirled through the open space and around the room, causing a few papers around the room to fly through the air and haphazardly land in new locations.

Meanwhile, Vladzotz lept up and onto the thick glass window panel, gripping the glass with the claws on his feet. Judy saw a new slew of scratch marks accompany the action as it happened. It was then that she realized what had been missing from before: The security footage never disconnected on the way out because Vlad didn't take the elevator _or_ the stairs back down...

He flew out from the window...

Alongside this, Judy realized that the claws on Vlad's feet must be the source of those tiny scratch marks, since he was gripping the panel of glass with his toes.

"I'll be back in thirty days, Jack." He said as he spread his wings. "Until then, I _suggest_ that you acquire what you owe us, because if not, well... You know what will happen."

And at that, he laughed madly and jumped forward; spreading his wings to their full extent and taking to the night sky.

Jack instantly slammed the window shut, but not before another gust of wind blew more sheets of paper across his office. As soon as the window was closed and locked tight once more, he fell to his knees and gasped aloud. He shook his head from side to side before hauling himself to his feet and exiting the office.

For good measure, Judy waited another five minutes in her hiding place just to be sure that he wasn't coming back. When he didn't return, she pushed away the curtains and looked down at her phone: She had recorded the _entire_ conversation between Vladzotz and Jack.

Judy jumped up and pumped her arms into the air in excitement: Not only had she gotten the video recording, but she also had that strange scale that she had found. Tallying that thought off for later consideration, she bolted towards the exit, intent on leaving this place before anything else happened.

She had a thousand thoughts racing through her mind in that exact moment, but _one_ stood out above the rest: She _had_ to tell Nick.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Nothing really much to say regarding this latest chapter, despite the fact that it's perhaps one of the most pivotal ones yet in the entirety of the fourth arc. Vladzotz is back, and soon, you'll be learning about how he survived the fire at his old home, and also why I brought him back, too. Stay tuned!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	35. Mandate

"You cannot speak on behalf of others when you have no mandate to do so." - Jean Marie Le pen

* * *

11:00 P.M

As soon as the elevator doors closed behind him, Nick's mind lept into the prospects of a thousand different scenarios.

While his mate, Judy, was intent on exploring the upper floors and rooms on Jack's level, Nick had decided to play his own part by busying himself with the lower floors of the building, Sector-A included. The fox honestly didn't expect to find anything very big or insightful, but since he had had those exact same thoughts running through his head the minute he discovered the phantom-profit, he chose to keep an optimistic attitude as he picked his way across the many cubicles and offices of his jurisdiction at Sector-A.

Time dragged on, and as it did, Nick found himself pondering about very trivial and unimportant things. He could safely admit to himself that he was bored at the moment, because ever since he'd first stepped foot into Sector-A, he'd seen nearly every inch of the entire floor since day one: He deduced it to be free of most incriminating evidence.

And so, if he was going to play his part in the case even more, he's have to do some exploring of his own.

So what was a fox to do? Easy answer: To go where no fox had gone before.

Nick reared the northern-most corner of his current sector, and was met with the sight of a long, straight hallway, at the end of which stood a set of doors labeled Sector-B.

In all his time working under Jack's management, he'd never set foot behind the doors that separated Sector-A from Sector-B: It was an understandable situation, since his job had never called for it as of yet, and he himself had never gotten around to it, simply.

But now, nothing stood his way except his own determination. He jogged down the length of the hall, ignoring the snores of one unfortunate bunny who must've fallen asleep doing overtime. When he reached the set of doors, he pushed upon them and set foot inside Sector-B.

So what was it like in there?

Well... Exactly like Sector-A. It was nearly indistinguishable, with the only real difference being a slightly different layout and structure in regards to the many cubicles.

Nick didn't know what compelled him to explore this new area: He _still_ didn't expect to find anything useful or interesting. Honestly, what were the chances of him coming across something in this entire building that would prove Jack as guilty of his accusations? That didn't stop him from continuing his snooping though, as he immediately entered the new quadrant and began looking around. For what, exactly, he did not know, but he kept his eyes peeled out for anything that he might be able gather insight from.

There weren't very many workers around at this time of night, and that fact allowed Nick to creep around with relative ease, as he didn't have to worry about anyone interrupting his efforts. As expected, he didn't come across very much at first. He edged along the cubicles, stealing glances inside the offices and occasionally looking at the various stacks of papers piled haphazardly around the whole sector.

 _Ah, what am I even doing? I ain't gonna find squat if I just keep skulking around like this. I need to look in a place of higher ranking..._ He mentally chided himself.

The fox did a full one-eighty; Scanning the environment around him and searching for anything of significance. His gaze eventually settled upon a larger office on the other side of the room. He jogged over to doorway and analyzed the bale that was embedded in the wall just to the right of the entrance. Reading it to himself, it read out as;

Office Coordinator: Keane Thompson

 _This must be the office of Sector-B's coordinator! I doubt they're as talented and insightful as me, but I'll give them the benefit for now! After all, I am breaking into their office!_

He chuckled to himself as he tried against the door, pushing the handle down and pressing his weight into the door. Unfortunately, and not very surprisingly, it was locked.

"Great." He mumbled aloud.

All of a sudden, Nick felt a reverberating and repeating vibration in the right pocket of his undercover-issued suit pants. He tucked his hand inside and pulled out his phone, which displayed a picture of Judy, with her number just below it. He mashed the accept button and brought the device up to his ear.

"What's up, Carrots?" He near-whispered.

" _Nick_ , get out of the building. _Now_. Meet me back at the hotel as _soon_ as you can!" Judy's voice responded.

" _What_? What's wrong, Whiskers? Did something happen?" He asked, his voice rising slightly in volume.

"Yes, and I'll explain as soon as we're out of here and back at the hotel! Besides, I t-think that I just got all the evidence we'll ever need... We can't discuss it here!"

"Ah, okay." Nick stammered briefly. "I'll see you soon then." He hung up and promptly stuffed his phone back into his trouser pocket before making his way back to the exit.

 _I wonder what got Carrots all riled up... She sounded pretty worried. I should probably pick up the pace._ His thoughts pressed.

As he made his way back through Sector's B and A, eventually reaching the very same elevator that he had used to come up to the floor with, he contemplated with the idea of Judy having found something important to the likes of their investigation. Granted, she _did_ mention something about having all the evidence that they would ever need, whatever _that_ meant. He chose not to dwell on the thought for very long though, since he knew that Judy would explain all of her findings with him soon enough.

When his elevator reached ground level, he immediately set out towards the street. Conveniently enough, he spotted Judy hurriedly pacing down the length of the street on the opposite side of the road. He saw her with a single paw raised, waving down a taxi as it approached her.

The fox sprinted over to her, nearly getting himself run over in the process. He heard Judy's voice pierce his eardrums as she spoke aloud to the taxi driver;

"Yes, I need to go to the, uh, the Hotel Alexandria, please." She requested to the grizzly bear driving the cab.

Nick nearly laughed out loud at the notion of Judy, _tiny_ as she is, attempting (and thankfully, _succeeding_ ) to wave down a taxi as large as this one. He didn't see any other small-mammal taxis though, so he figured that she must have been desperate to as try and hail this one.

"What, are there no _bunny_ sized cabs 'round here?" Nick heard the bear ask gruffly just as he placed his paw on Judy's shoulder.

 _Gees, this is like Jumbeoux's Cafe all over again!_ Nick mentally concluded.

The bunny glanced apprehensively in his direction before her face melted into a look akin to that of relief.

" _Well_ , you got a _fox_ tagging along too, so I think you can spare the extra weight and just drive us to our destination... Isn't that right, _Alaina_?" Nick stated, turning towards Judy.

The bear donned a confused look before he grumbled audibly. " _Fine_... Get in the back, you two."

"N-er, _Felix,_ " The bunny corrected herself swiftly. "Oh, you have _no idea_ how good it is to see you." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him in an embraceful hug.

After a few seconds the bear spoke out again, his patience obviously wearing thin.

" _Come on_ now... I don't got _all_ night, you know."

And at that, the fox and bunny hauled themselves into the too-large backseat of the taxi, and were then on their way back to the Hotel Alexandria.

* * *

As the taxi glided down the surprisingly (and conveniently) sparsely-populated streets, Nick took to pressing Judy about her findings.

"So fluff, what's the big idea with uh..." He stole a tenacious glance at the taxi-driver, choosing his next few words carefully (and rather simply) so as to not arouse suspicion.

"All _this_?" He concluded, lightly waving his paws around in the air for emphasis.

"Just hang-tight for now, fox... I'd rather not discuss it here.." She said before sparing a glance out of the taxi window and into the night sky.

Nick stroked the hair on the end of his chair with his paw, pondering about his mate's choice of words and rather peculiar actions. Eventually settling on holding his tongue for the moment, he leaned back in his seat and gazed out the window for some time, directing his thoughts elsewhere for the majority of the journey back to the hotel.

Soon enough, the taxi-driver began to pull in to the curb of their hotel, bringing the vehicle to a stop at their new destination. He swiveled his head around and spoke aloud;

"That'll be 18.75, ma'am..." He began flatly. "You two look _awfully_ familiar..." He said with a look of distrust. "Were you both ever in the news at some point, or somthin'?"

Judy hurriedly pulled out a twenty dollar bill and tossed it up front as she opened the door.

"Keep the change, thanks for the ride, never been in the news before, _bye_!" She replied very quickly before stepping outside and hurriedly walking to the hotel entrance.

Meanwhile, Nick just chuckled and shot the driver with a lone finger gun before exiting the cab and following his mate back into the hotel lobby.

* * *

When the two of them had finally reached their room, and Nick shut the door with finalizing effect, the fox immediately walked up to Judy and scooped her up, bridal-style.

"Alright dumb-bunny, show me whatcha found before I give ya a full-body search myself!" He said whilst wiggling his eyebrows and donning his favored half-lidded smirk.

The bunny squirmed in his grasp and dropped to the floor, landing on her feet before whirling around and facing the fox.

"Nick, this is _serious_! T-this is not good, not good at _all_! We need to show chief _right away_!" She said while she felt around her waistline for what Nick presumed was her phone.

"Come _on_ fluff-butt, do we really have to go to buffalo-butt right now? I mean we _just_ got back, anyways!" Nick complained as he undid his tie and threw it on a nearby table.

Judy, instead of retrieving her mobile-device from her pockets, instead brought out one of her zip-lock bags, and using a pair of tweezers, pulled out a strangely shaped object.

"Nick, tell me what this is." She said as she jabbed a finger directly at it, hovering it directly in front of the fox's face.

"Uh, a century-old potato chip?" He responded innocently.

"No!" The bunny nearly shouted. "It's a _scale_ , Nick! A _pangolin_ scale!"

The fox gazed in sudden realization at the shield-shaped item that Judy carefully held between the tongs of her tweezers.

"I found it in Jack's office, hidden beneath his keyboard. It didn't just fall off Shahaz's _back_ for me to find it on the floor... Jack was keeping this for a reason!" Judy continued.

"Whoa whoa, hang on a second... How do we know that this even belongs to Shahaz? I'm _pretty_ sure he's not the only pangolin running around out there." Nick retorted.

"Come on, Nick! _Don't tease_! And I mean _seriously_ , how many _pangolins_ do you know, huh?" Judy took a deep breath before resuming her explanation.

"This here," She said shaking the scale. " _Confirms_ that Jack knows Shahaz one way or another... As if the evidence that we _already_ gathered wasn't enough, _this_ should be!"

"Okay, this is great and all, and I'm proud of you carrots, but surely this _one thing_ can't be what made you bring us _all_ the way back here to the hotel, right?" The fox inquired.

The bunny swallowed, her response being nothing but silence.

"Right?" Nick asked again, a slight undertone of concern lacing the roots of his voice.

"You're right... This isn't it." She murmured softly as she carefully tucked the scale back into the zip-lock bag and placed it on the nearby table.

Judy then pulled out her phone, and took some time to scroll through it. There was no communication between fox and bunny throughout the ordeal, short as it was, but it was more than enough to make Nick realize that whatever Judy was going to show him was important.

Eventually, she turned the screen towards him and dropped the device into his paws. On it, a paused video was awaiting it's awakening. Nick promptly pressed the play button, and watched eagerly with hushed trepidation and wonder as the recorded scene played out before him.

In truth, there was nothing to be said. He didn't utter a single word throughout the entire video recording, and when it finally ended with Vladzotz leaping from the window in Jack's office, he carelessly tossed the phone to his left, where it landed atop the nearby bed mattress, bouncing a few times before resting near the base of the pillows.

"Th-that can't be real..." He muttered flatly, his eyes glazed over and staring into the distance behind Judy. "He's d- _dead_ , Judy... We saw him die.."

The bunny winced when she heard Nick refer to her with her true name.

"Nick, what you saw was _real_ : It happened right in front of me. It's clear now that Jack isn't _just_ working with Shahaz... He's got Vladzotz on his tail for some _other_ reason, too."

"How did he survive? That shouldn't have been _possible_!" He nearly shouted. "Gosh, little _cliche_ , don't ya think?"

Judy sighed and pressed her fingertips to the bridge of her nose, where she kneaded carefully and rubbed away at her soreness.

"I don't know, Nick... But _you_ survived too! You were buried right along with him when the roof collapsed. It isn't that hard to believe that _he_ survived as well."

"But I thought that bats had _hollow_ bones! Shouldn't he have just been smashed flat under all that rubble?" Nick asked with a scowl.

"It might have _looked_ like a lot from _your_ perspective when the roof came down, but from what _I_ saw, just a portion of it fell, and it was only enough to _bury_ you both."

" _Gees_ , why didn't you tell me that earlier?"

"I didn't think it _mattered_ earlier!"

Nick let out a dry laugh, nearly humorless as it was. He whirled around and sat down on the mattress before leaning back and lying down across it.

"Well, even if it didn't kill him, I'm glad to see that he didn't manage to escape without a few scratches, amiright? Gees, and I thought he was ugly _before_!"

At that comment, Judy stifled her own laugh before collapsing adjacent to Nick, lying down right next to him and staring at the ceiling. After a few seconds of tranquil silence, the bunny turned her head in Nick's direction and stared him down with intent.

"At least he doesn't seem to be after _you_ , though... It looks like he's working with Jack over something... I'm not sure _what_ , though." Judy added.

"Yeah, I wouldn't call that _working with_ though: Flappy-Bat threatened to _kill him_ , it sounded like!" His eyes narrowed seconds later, and he sat up in the bed while eyeing Judy.

" _Wait_... Vladzotz said that he would punish Jack _again_... What does _that_ mean?" He asked suspiciously, watching Judy as she sat up and continued to explain.

"Well, I didn't get around to telling you because I didn't think it was important at the time, but when I went to meet up with Jack for our date a few days ago, I found him passed out in his office. He had all these big scratches on his back, and I guess Vladzotz was the one who gave him them, I suppose."

When she finished speaking, she turned and glanced at Nick, and was surprised to see his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Hold on, did you say... _Date_?" He questioned with narrowed eyes.

At that, the bunny swallowed hard and began darting her eyes around the room. One of her paws found its place on the back of her neck, where she rubbed nervously.

"I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

"You sure did, Fluff. Explain, please." Nick urged with crossed arms.

Judy studied his expression momentarily before formulating her response. He didn't seem upset or shocked in any way, but his brooding stare made her chest ache with regret. He had a stony poker-face, so it was very difficult to tell what his emotions were, at that moment. Since she had no way out, she decided to come clean.

"A while back, Jack asked me out on a date... It wasn't _his_ fault, since he only knows me as my fake identity, Alaina Ryder." She began, pausing with a quick sniffle.

The fox noticed that her purple eyes were starting to become rather shiny.

"I-I figured that it would be a good chance t-to get more information out of him, and to learn more about h-him..." She looked Nick in the eyes. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you."

She placed her paw on the mattress and leaned closer to Nick, bringing her face closer until her nose was just inches away from his chin.

"Is that all?" Nick inquired, his words lined with a slight sense of sympathy.

The bunny breathed in a heaving breath and brought her paws up to her eyes, her ears drooping against her cheeks as she wiped away at her face.

" _No_..." She replied steadily, with tears beginning to stream down the sides of her face. "Just yesterday morning, he-he-" Her voice cracked as she forced herself to swallow hard.

"He _kissed_ me, a-and I _let him_!"

The tears were now falling in rapid succession, dripping onto the fabric of the sheets as she stifled heaving breaths in between her regretful sobs. The bunny's conscious was replaying that fateful scene over and over again in her mind. It reminded her of how unfaithful she felt afterwords, and how regretful she was over what had happened.

Meanwhile, Nick's ears had lowered, and his eyes had widened. He wrapped his arm around Judy's shoulder, massaging her opposing arm with his paw in a reassuring gesture.

"A _very_ dumb _and_ emotional bunny once told me that everyone makes mistakes, Judy." He said with a smile.

At the mention of her true name, the weeping bunny glanced upwards and locked eyes with Nick once again.

"Please don't cry, Whiskers." He said as he used his thumb to wipe away at her tear-stained muzzle. "Hey now, it's alright. Oh, you bunnies... _Always_ so emotional."

"You're not-" Judy sniffed loudly. "Mad at me?"

"Naw, of course not!" Nick claimed. "I got nothin' to be mad about, carrots. Now please stop crying, it hurts me seeing those gorgeous eyes of yours filled with tears."

" _Oh Nick.._." Was all that the bunny murmured in response.

She then promptly took one of her ears and blew her nose with it before letting it flop back against her head. As it did, the mucus-covered fur rubbed against Nick's arm. Careful not to arouse offense, Nick carefully pushed her ear away from his shirt, biting his lower lip all the while. There were a few more seconds of solemn silence before the bunny leaned even closer and grasped the fox in a hug, her paws gripping tight against his suit-jacket.

"Thank you, Nick." She sniffed again. "I'm so sorry that you had to see me like this."

"Nah, it's alright fluff. Besides, I'm pretty much used to it by now." He said with a coy grin plastered across his muzzle.

" _Jerk_!" Judy mumbled, though she was smiling the entire time.

She then leaned back, taking Nick with her until the two mammals reclined horizontal across the mattress. The both of them just lay there for some time, absorbed in the peaceful silence of the room, the only source of light being the dim glow of the moon, which shined luminously through the nearby window. After some time of simple rest and recovery, Nick decided to continue with their original conversation, since it's topic _was_ of the utmost importance.

"Sooo..." He started off slowly, clearing his throat right after. "I know this might not be the best time, but why do you think Vlad is working with Jack?"

Judy sighed deeply and closed her eyes before responding.

"I'm not sure Nick. Your guess is as good as mine, honestly. It likely has something to do with this _repayment_ of his, and I bet it involves Shahaz one way or another, too."

"Ya think so?" The fox questioned once again.

"I _know_ so." She smiled with shut eye-lids. "Now I think we should get some rest for the night... We got a long day ahead of us tomorrow, and we'll be needing our energy."

"Needing our energy for what, fluff? Another _grueling_ day at the office?" He asked sarcastically.

"Something like that, yeah." Judy confirmed.

Nick nodded his head in seeming agreement and understanding.

"Yeah, I see what you're gettin' at, carrots." He shifted his weight against the bed. "So tomorrow, we'll tell Bogo what we found... But don't be surprised if he sends us back in undercover for a few more days... You know how long it takes him and the comity to organize arrest warrants, and all that jazz, so he'll probably want us goin' in again to make sure that Jack doesn't try anything shifty."

Judy blew air out of her mouth. "Sounds good to me, my sly fox. Now let's get some rest... I'm so tired right now" She said whilst wiping at her still moistened eye-lids.

"Agreed." Nick consented.

And at that, the two of them began preparing for a good night's rest. Despite the eventful day that they both had experienced, fox and bunny alike were both very keen on at last being able to sleep away their problems...

Until tomorrow, of course.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I certainly hope that you all enjoyed the latest chapter, and if you did, be sure to leave a review telling me your thoughts, and to drop a favorite and follow if you haven't already: I'd _greatly_ appreciate that! :D**

 **That being said, I'd also like to bring up one more thing before I bid you adieu: As some of you may or may not recall at this point, Jack Savage was apparently doing business with the mayor, remember? I brought that up all the way back in chapter 26, and haven't acknowledged it since. I assure you, that plight will soon be revealed! I haven't forgotten about her, and soon enough you will all learn about Jack's mysterious meetings with the mayor...**

 **Or lack thereof...**

 **Thank for reading, as always! Stay tuned and alert for chapter 39 of When Instinct Falls, 'Tomorrow's Hereafter.'**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	36. Tomorrow's Hereafter

"The evening sings in a voice of amber, and the dawn is surely coming." - Al Stewart

* * *

7:00

The first few steps may not always be the hardest, but they will always be the most pivotal.

For Nick and Judy's case, it was just another day on the job, as usual. There was nothing difficult whatsoever about making a quick run to the ZPD, of course.

Yet this new day held hidden pivotal repercussions to the likes of their entire undercover mission: The evidence that they (Judy) had gathered over the course of the previous twenty-four hours was far from unimportant. Now, they believed that they both at last had enough evidence to prove to chief Bogo that Jack was guilty of his accusations.

Neither had any intentions on going in to their fake undercover-work jobs that day: They were so confident in their efforts, that they believed they wouldn't have to return to Jack's tower again. Or at least, they certainly hoped such. Nick was more pessimistic, and he took the whole situation with a grain of salt: Knowing how fickle and unproductive the ZPD committee could be even when it came to making the simplest of decisions, he had a feeling that Bogo would send them back into Jack's company so as to put the finalizing touches on their mission before the ZPD kicked down the doors and dragged Jack to prison.

As he gathered his remaining under-cover issued clothes; Finishing with his tie, which he promptly wrapped around his graphite-colored neck. All the dye in his fur was still as good as ever, for the case. Meanwhile, Judy was taking the time to call a cab that was actually sized for them, since the previous night's taxi experience had been less than pleasant. The fox was just about to go and join his mate outside in the hotel hallway - Walking out the door with a smug smile on his face - When he realized that he had, in fact, completely forgotten about the only real piece of physical evidence that they had gathered. Turning back around and reentering their assigned hotel room, Nick searched frantically for the pangolin scale that Judy had brought with her from Jack's office the previous night. After a few frantic seconds of haphazard searching, he located the item still placed in the exact spot as it was when he had set it down: Lying atop the tiny table in the corner of the room, still tucked away inside the plastic zip-lock bag's interior.

When he left the hotel room and stepped into the hall-way, making sure to lock the door behind him as he did, he immediately spotted Judy, whom was positioned near the staircase at the far corner of the hall-way. Together, the two of them exited the building and met with their taxi at the rendezvous point that had been arranged during Judy's previous phone-call.

During the ride to the ZPD head-quarters, which in of itself took nearly a half-hour of driving through morning-traffic clogged streets, Nick spent his time idly chatting with both Judy and the taxi-driver, who happened to be a _much_ friendlier mammal than what drove the _last_ taxi that they had taken. While that one had been a gruff old bear, _this_ driver was a female armadillo, so the size comparisons between all three mammals didn't result in any too uncomfortable scenarios... _Or_ conversations.

Soon enough, the jokes grew stale and the banter subsided, as the ZPD was at last in sight for all to see: After paying their respective fees and bidding their driver farewell, they began their journey across the vast parking lot and to the entrance of the ZPD head-quarters.

As Judy skipped by thoughtlessly and excitedly, Nick eyed her and kept to his own thoughts, casually putting one foot in front of the other with his arms placed formally and peacefully against his lower back, just above the root of his bushy tail.

The sun was shining quite bright that morning, which wasn't very surprising, as it _was_ the season of summer. Since Savanna-Central and the Down-Town area were situated above what used to be a grassy and sweltering Savanna, the sun still bore down mercilessly over that particular region. During _this_ time of year, Tundra-Town was an able place to visit, as the frigid snow and chilling winds balanced out quite well with the heated beams of the sun, blending together and creating a nice temperate zone.

Nick considered the idea of perhaps taking Judy on a date to some of the more unique locations in Tundra-Town, that is, once this whole fiasco with Jack Savage was over and done with, of course. The fox took the time to recall some old locations in the titular Tundra-Town that he had and had not visited before during his many years abode on the Zootopian streets: He remembered one place up in the northernmost part of the district called the Morzh Ice-block, which was essentially just a giant iceberg floating in the middle of the Polar Strait; The largest body of water that bordered Tundra-Town. Nick also remembered how many years ago, city-hall had wanted to have the iceberg destroyed, because it blocked off a large portion of the strait, and was admittedly inconvenient and even hazardous for shipping vessels to try and maneuver around, as not only was it massive in size, but adorned with thick, sharpened pillars of solid ice that jutted out and had the potential to tear and poke at passing ships.

That story was concluded with a happy ending for the ice-block, as the fox remembered that the residence of Tundra-Town had waged protests against the decision, mostly because they viewed it as a cultural and natural landmark. Alongside that, it would have taken quite a lot of dynamite to blow that berg to bits; Dynamite that could have been used for more useful things, like clearing out mines in the Nocturnal-District for mineral resource gathering. Besides, it was often viewed as more convenient for goods to be traded around the districts by truck, anyways, so the project to crush the cube had been scrapped.

Alongside the prospect of seeing new places, Nick figured that maybe he and Judy could get a kick out of meeting a few old friends: He new a girl who owned a bar... He hadn't came into contact with either in ages, so being able to reunite with Madge Honey once again might've been a fairly interesting add-on to an innocent enough date.

Nick wondered if Judy would like being taken there for a special date, or something. the two of them could go sightseeing in the Arctic Fields, visit the Glacial Wastes, take a nice stop at the Morzh Ice-block, and top it all off with a quick visit to Honey's pub. The fox was so wrapped up in his own thoughts and mind, that he accidentally walked muzzle-first into the sliding glass-doors of the ZPD head-quarters. Rubbing tenderly at his aching nose, he turned around and glared at Judy, who was still laughing as she approached him.

"Here, lemme show you how it's done!" She said as she skipped over and pushed on the door, opening it for Nick. "After you, dumb fox!" She offered with a snicker.

"Mind _you_ , I was busy doing some _very_ important thinking!" Nick retorted with a smirk and half-lidded eyes as he stepped through the door and entered the building's lobby.

"I'm sure you were, Nick..." The bunny teased, blissfully unaware that Nick's aforementioned important thinking was actually about her: That idea put a smile on Nick's muzzle.

Both mammals continued their leisurely stroll directly to Bogo's office on the second floor. Judy had shot the chief a quick text saying that they needed to talk, and although he didn't respond, she figured that he would be plenty willing to spare a few minutes for their cause. While they trudged up the stair-case, a thought suddenly found it's place in Judy's conscious.

"Hey Nick, I have an idea." She claimed formally. "Take the scale to the forensics lab downstairs... Give it to them, so that they can figure out if it belongs to Shahaz or not."

The fox pulled the packaged scale out from his pocket and eyed it precariously as he spoke to Judy.

"What's the matter, officer fluff? You were so sure that it belonged to him _last_ night..." He locked eyes with her. "Why the sudden change in thought?"

"I'm not so sure. Better safe than sorry?" She asked halfheartedly before shaking her head and crossing her arms. "Just give the scale to forensics and meet me at Bogo's room."

Nick donned his favored smirk and gave the bunny a flimsy salute before responding.

"You got it, captain! And, uh, I've never been to forensics... Where is it again?" The fox asked, to which the bunny rolled her eyes.

"Over there!" She claimed while aiming one of her fingers at a small hall-way tucked back in one of the corners of the first floor lobby. Nick bid her farewell with a quick peck atop the forehead before turning around and descending back down the stair-case. Before he reached the bottom of the stair-well, he turned around, looking back at the direction that Judy had walked off in: He watched her turn around the corner that led to Bogo's office.

Sighing, he finished walking down the stairs, jumping off of the last one and causing his feet to make a light, padding echo of a sound. Nick chuckled to himself: Truthfully, he actually _did_ know where the forensics room was situated, as he'd remembered it's respective location ever since the tour that he had received on his first day.

So why did he lie about it? Simple answer: He just liked messing with Judy.

Noticing the copious amounts of morning sunlight streaming through the large glass-panels that adorned the front of the building and the transparent domes that sprouted from the roof, the fox smirked and took the chance to equip himself with his favorite pair of shades. He may not have been in uniform, as they _were_ still technically undercover, but he had a good feeling that his appearance was satisfactory with the glasses topping his look.

He momentarily locked eyes with Clawhauser, whom waved as the fox shot him with a finger-gun before turning his attention back to the space in front of him. He was careful not to run into anyone (or get stepped on), as the lobby was filled with a surprising amount of morning activity, ranging from intelligence-archivists piling in new research, to officers dragging in their ruffian catches from their nightly patrols.

Nick ignored most of them, and as he walked, decided to further examine this scale of his: Despite being introduced to him via Judy, he had yet to truly get a good glimpse at the titular item. After opening the bag, he used the tiny pair of tweezers that were also stashed inside the bag to delicately pluck the scale from it's hiding place. Despite knowing that pangolins had immensely strong scales that even _lion_ teeth couldn't puncture, Nick was careful as could be when handling the scale. He treated it like a bomb that might go off, and for good reason too: If forensics had any intentions on effectively extracting information out of this thing, then they wouldn't appreciate it if Nick gooed it up with his padded fingers, or accidentally scratched it with his claws.

He lightly twisted his wrist, effectively twisting the tweezers and the scale along with it so as to get an in-depth look at the scale. It's duller outer coating was colored the hue of wet-sand, with a sort of muddy-yellow tint against the tiny fibrous lines that made up the scale. Lining the unnaturally sharpened edges, Nick took to note the strange markings and tiny symbols that were engraved around the edges, some of the etches being painted over with varying colors.

The fox ran a finger down it's perimeter, and accidentally poked himself with the sharpened end. Shaking his finger before putting it into his mouth, he wondered why the scale was _so_ sharp: Nick knew that pangolins had not only tough, but sharp scales to begin with, but it was quite clear that _this_ scale had been modified; Sharpened no doubt... Perhaps to make the crime-lord in question look more intimidating. Flipping the item over, he noticed the almost flesh-like pattern of the scale's backside, with whitened flakes of skin and molecular threads of severed tissue that once must've held the scale to the back of it's previous owner.

But now, it belonged to the ZPD: And Nick was gonna do everything he could to try and figure out who this belonged to... Although he had a _pretty_ good feeling on just who...

Waltzing up to the entrance of the forensics lab, Nick rapped his knuckles on the steel-plated door several times before eyeing it as it opened, presenting him with the face of a towering female leopard. Her entire body was covered in a lab-coat, and her face was adorned with a pair of glasses.

"Need something, officer Wilde?' She asked cheerily, opening the door even wider and beckoning the fox to enter: Seeing as he had no other choice, really, he obliged.

"You see through the disguise, huh?" Nick intervened with his own question.

"Yeah, pretty much. News spreads around quickly here at the ZPD." She put a single finger to her lips. "But don't worry, we're not telling anyone."

The fox cleared his throat and showed her his zip-lock bag.

"Anyways, I got this thing for you: It's a pangolin scale, and Judy recovered it from Jack Savage's office. She wants you lot to figure out information about it, or something."

Nick mentally face-palmed: He had worded that sentence _horribly_! Thankfully, the leopard seemed to understand what he wanted, and in turn, handed the scale to what looked like a coyote, but he quickly took the scale and ran off deeper into the lab before Nick could get a good look at him.

"No worries! Doctor Howlerton and I will give you a full genotype rerun scan on the scale once we've finished analyzing it. Then, we'll run the data through our criminal database, and we'll see if any names pop up! It shouldn't take more than ten minutes, at most. You can stick around here, and we'll give you your results here shortly."

"Alright, sounds good to me... I'll just be outside." Nick said before excusing himself from the laboratory.

He wasn't sure what had gotten him so shaken up back there: Perhaps it was just the delicate environment, of which Nick practically knew _nothing_ about.

Whatever it was, the fox didn't relish on it for very long, as he soon diverted his attention to the environment around him; Watching other mammals walk by, Clawhauser attending citizens and officers alike at his receptions desk, and everyone just going about their regular day. Nick leaned his back against a nearby wall and fiddled with his phone, relaying texts back and fourth between friends and associates. Eventually, he noticed one single contact in particular: One that he hadn't opened up and spoken through in years.

For no specific reason, Nick almost found himself pressing the call button on Honey's contact, but was stopped mid-way when the nearby steel-plated door opened, and the leopard stepped out, presenting him with the scale.

"Come in here, you might want to see some of this!" She said whilst beckoning him forward once again. He obliged once again, and stepped inside the laboratory.

Nick paced over to the counter where the scale was placed; Delicately placed atop a toweled sheet of metal, which itself was placed beneath some sort of lamp-looking device. Meanwhile, the leopard analyst sat down in a wheel-chair and rolled over to Nick's left. She typed away at a nearby key-board, eventually bringing up a screen-full of data and other information.

"You're right, Mr. Wilde..." She said as she leaned back in her chair, eyeing the screen. "It _is_ a pangolin scale. Us here at the forensics labs get given all sorts of neat evidence to toy around with. This isn't the first time we've gotten a pangolin scale, and believe it or not, isn't the first time we've gotten a scale from the same suspect."

As she said that, the leopard reached over to another compartment and started digging through, standing up in her chair and pushing it out of the way. Soon enough, she pulled out another scale, colored identically to the one that Nick had brought it. She placed it next to the old one, and Nick could clearly see the comparison: They were both identical in color, both sharpened at the point, and both adorned with tiny markings and symbols around the edges. The only visible difference was the fact that one was slightly smaller than the other.

"I take it that you _can_ see the similarities, officer... These two scales _both_ come from the same mammal: Shahaz Pholmok, or more commonly known as Shahaz the Stinger."

While she spoke, she pulled up a page on the ZPD's criminal database on her computer. Filling the monitor, a slew of pictures found their way into Nick's line of sight. He found himself staring down with a backside shot of a bulky-looking mammal, his face and chest facing away from the camera. The only thing you could see were the many sharp and rigid scales that ran down his back, each one finely sharpened and engraved with minute symbols. His tail swung almost horizontal to the picture, and was thick and flat; Beaver-like, with many sharpened and long scales flicking out from the tip.

"As you can see, the scales that we have _here_ ," She said pointing to the two on the table. "Are identical to the ones that sprout from this mammal's back."

"So that's the big guy himself?" Nick found himself asking as he stared at the creature's rippling and scaly back.

"That's right... He's pretty elusive, being that he's among the ZPD's most wanted criminals, so it's rare that we manage to capture shots of him doing his dirty work in the public eye. This photograph was taken by a detective who stumbled across one of his meetings in the Sahara Square... It's one of the only photos we have of him, and it's the clearest of them all."

She pointed her claw-tipped finger to his back, where she pressed against the screen and traced outlines against it.

"Look here. You see all these symbols engraved on his scales? Well, believe it or not, but they actually mean something! Most _punk_ armadillos, or whatever you want to call them, only get scale engravings to look cool, as I'm sure you know by now. Shahaz's symbols are different than that: They tell a story! Look here at the one you brought to us today, and look at these tiny marks here!"

Nick took a closer examination, squinting and looking at the lines etched into the hard surface of the scale. Now that he thought about it, one of those spiraling circles with squiggly lines coming out of it sorta _did_ look like the sun...

"Hey, you're right! T-This one here, it looks like the sun!" Nick claimed excitedly as he pointed to the tiny markings.

"Indeed. And this one here," The leopard said pointing to the smaller scale. "This symbol looks almost like an eye!"

"So, this is really neat and all, but what does this have to do with anything, really?" Nick found himself asking.

"Oh, I just thought you should know, really. You asked for information on the scale, so I'm giving you exactly that, officer. Take another look at this picture... The markings tell a story, but no one is so sure as to what they really mean. We only know that they mean _something_ because they match up with the old hieroglyphic writings in those old caves in the Sahara-Square! They're the same form of writing, so it raises some interesting questions..."

" _Okay_ , well I'm _so_ glad that you could tell me that, but is there anything that I should _really_ know before I leave and go to Bogo? He _really_ needs to know about all this."

The leopard shook her head.

"Not exactly. Just tell him what you found, really." She responded.

"Which _is_?" Nick asked in clarification.

"That both of the scales belongs to Shahaz the Stinger, and that the symbols on them _aren't_ completely meaningless, of course. Oh, and do keep in mind, darling: Those scales were sharpened by the paws of a mammal, so they're not completely natural."

"Why did Shahaz have them sharpened?"

"I'm not so sure. Probably for intimidation factors, mostly, but I have a feeling that they may come in handy for other, and more conventional things, whatever those may be."

"Well, I had a ball, but I'm gonna bid you adieu now, doctor! Ciao for now!" The fox stated quickly, and promptly left the room, leaving the doctors to their forensic work.

"Hrmmph." Nick snorted. "Geeks." He joked with a smirk as he adjusted his tie. _Now to find Bogo and meet up with Judy again!_ His mind told him.

He looked to the second floor and eyed the hall-way that led to Bogo's office, hoping that Judy had managed to accomplish something alongside the chief...

* * *

" _DAMMIT_ _HOPPS_ , I THOUGHT THAT YOU _KILLED_ THIS CREEP JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO!"

The chief shouted as he slammed his right hoof onto the hard wooden surface of his desk, almost hitting Judy's phone as he did.

"Great, just _great_!" The buffalo ranted on. "Not only is this slimeball still crawling around out there, but now he's working with Jack Savage _too_ , apparently!"

"Um, chief Bogo?" Judy asked timidly while she reached over and recollected her mobile-device: She earned the buffalo's attention with a rock-hard glare.

"We have reason to believe that Vladzotz had actually been working with Jack even _before_ he abducted Nick that one time. He's still a criminal businessman after all, and he had to make his money _some_ how. What better way to do so than by scheming with another criminal businessman? That would explain both his work alongside Jack, and Shahaz!"

The water-buffalo had seemed to calm down immensely while he listened to Judy speak. That was _certainly_ a good thing for Judy, who'd rather not accidentally get trampled as she tried to do her job, here.

"You're right, Hopps... That does make _some_ sense, but it still doesn't explain exactly why Jack was working with him in the first place! Both individuals mentioned the words _debt_ and _repayment_ multiple times throughout this recording of yours, so I have reason to believe that there's a lot more to this situation than what meets the eye. The rabbit's running a Ponzi-Scheme, I believe... Partnering himself with Vladzotz to pay off some sort of debt using the money that he's been leeching from Bugga-Burger."

The water-buffalo nodded his head in a gesture of seeming approval, as if the whole situation impressed even _him_.

"You've done good work here, officer, and I think that it's finally enough to accuse Jack of his financial schemes, _and_ of his alleged partnerships with the criminal underworld. We'll be able to bring him to court, but not before assigning him an arrest warrant, which as you know, might take a few more days to cook up. Until then, I wa-"

Chief Bogo's long monologue was interrupted with the sudden sound of knocking against the door, of which Chief Bogo promptly opened. He looked down and locked eyes with Nick, who was casually standing outside as he twirled a tooth-pick between his fingers. Chief Bogo grunted in acknowledgement and beckoned the gray-colored fox inside.

"Glad that you could join us, Wilde." The chief smirked. "I can't say that having you walk in on us was the highest thing on my list of priorities-"

"Oh, now you're just being _rude_ , Buffalo-Butt!" Nick retorted quickly seconds before Judy cleared her throat audibly, earning both mammal's attentions.

"Chief Bogo, if you would continue, that would be lovely _._ "

She said with a smile, but flashed a sneer at Nick after the chief had looked away, but only caused the fox's smile to widen even further as she did. The chief himself cleared his own throat and kneaded at his sinuses before concluding his previous statement.

"As I was _saying_ , you both have certainly gathered enough evidence this time around. While we print out and register some arrest warrants for Mr. Savage, you two will be going back in, undercover, to make sure that when we get there, Jack isn't in the middle of some new meeting, or something. You get the idea. We should have the warrant within two days, at least, so be prepared for just a few more days of work. Soon, we'll have that bastard Savage behind bars, and this whole scheme of his will unravel."

The buffalo had been slowly turning around towards the window in the back of his office as he spoke, but when he finished with that last statement, he looked over his shoulder and eyed fox and bunny alike with a look akin to pride.

"But until then, you two could prove yourselves even more useful, you know." He began

"What do you mean, sir?" The bunny questioned, her interests clearly piqued.

"What I mean, is that I might have an additional, yet completely optional assignment for you two while we here at HQ put the final touches on that warrant of yours."

The buffalo turned towards Nick.

"You remember that 'phantom-profit', and the 'shell corporation' that you uncovered?" He said with finger gestures. "The Sahara-Square Sundries?"

Nick simply nodded in response, not bothering to give a vocal reply. Chief Bogo took it as a yes, and his smile grew larger as he went on. The buffalo turned around and stepped up to his bulletin board, which still had a large map of Zootopia, but was adorned with many tiny thumb-tacks, pictures, and overlapping strings: A classic criminal activity chart.

"We found their warehouse, which is tucked away in some back-water neighborhood on the far corner of the district." Bogo stated, tapping the map of Sahara-Square.

"We've sent people to investigate around the area, and they've obviously seen shipment trucks leaving back and fourth, but they have reason to suspect that it might be _more_ than just seeds that they're transporting. I believe that Shahaz the Stinger,"

The chief tapped a blurry photograph of what must've been a pangolin, before tracing his hoof along the length of the yellow string until it reached a sticky-note with a question mark drawn on it.

"Working in _direct_ conjunction with Vladzotz Fangpyre," He hesitated slightly.

Judy remembered what Nick had told her once, about how the ZPD hadn't managed to get a single photograph of Vladzotz, since he was just so elusive and secretive involving his work; Never leaving the Nocturnal-District, and always working in the darkness of the underground.

Meanwhile, Nick seized the opportunity to be helpful, and quickly grabbed a nearby sticky-note and pen before he scribbled away at the tiny sheet of paper.

Leaning over his shoulder, Judy took a glimpse at what he was drawing and burst out with a laugh. "Is _that_ thing supposed to be a _bat_?" The bunny teased the fox.

" _Yes_!" Nick cried out, trying to cover his drawing from Judy's prying eyes. Seconds later, he finished, and handed it to Bogo, who pinned the fox's masterpiece on the board.

Nick boxed in the picture with his fingers and closed one eye, as if imagining it in an art gallery. "Perfect! Looks _just_ like him, don't ya think so, Carrots?"Nick joked.

To Judy, it looked like it had been drawn by a kit, and was quite sloppy: The words _Flappy Bat_ had been written across the paper, cutting through the actual drawing.

Bogo sighed deeply before shooing Nick away and continuing his lecture.

"So as I was saying, Shahaz and Vladzotz are using _this_ warehouse as a secret beach-head in the Sahara-Square for them to transport weapons, drugs, and other illegal commodities across district borders."

Chief Bogo then traced his finger along the length of a white string, ending at a photograph of Jack Savage's smiling face.

"Alongside this, Jack Savage _also_ plays a part, as he allows _his_ banks to host _their_ finances!" Bogo finished strongly, pointing to the blurry photograph of Shahaz, and the messy drawing that Nick had made of Vladzotz.

"So that's the entire connection between these three mammals." Bogo added before frowning; Crossing his arms and furrowing his brow. He continued angrily;

"The only thing that we _don't_ have anything on is Jack's specific relationship with Vladzotz, and what is has to do with this whole debt thing of theirs. I doubt that it matters very much in the short term, which is why we aren't going to focus on it as of now. Once we get all three of these mammals behind bars, we can question them about their incentives with one another, and how they even banded together in the first place."

"So, where would _we_ feature, chief?" Nick asked curiously.

"Easy: I want you two, my best officers, to help Precinct One on its raid against the warehouse. Forget the undercover mission, forget Jack, and focus on this for _one_ day."

"Are you sure you just want us to abandon our positions at the office so soon?" Judy inquired.

"Oh _please_ , Hopps... Jack has _hundreds_ of employees under his belt, and I doubt that having two of them ' _take a day off'_ for one night would be that big of deal. Besides, I figured you two could use a break from all the paperwork, and could perhaps get your hands a little dirty, eh?"

Judy's ears shot up, her nose twitched, and her foot thumped rapidly against the ground in excitement.

" _Yes_! This is it! This is what _weeks_ of boring desk work has led up to!" She turned to the fox. "We _have_ to do this, Nick!"

"Don't worry, Whiskers: I'm up for it if you are." He replied casually and with ease, causing Judy to jump in her seat and pump her fists into the air.

Chief Bogo then grumbled;

"Calm down, Hopps. This is no laughing matter: It could be very dangerous... Operations _this_ big aren't typically run by the grunts, exclusively. Shahaz himself, or one of his top-ranking lieutenants will be controlling the entire thing, so be on a look out for any of them. _Especially_ Shahaz. We've been tracking him for years now, and this is the farthest we've _ever_ gotten into putting that scaly criminal behind bars!"

"Don't worry, chief. We _won't_ disappoint!" Judy claimed vigorously. "So when do we need to meet up?

Eventually, chief Bogo assigned them to meet at the ZPD armory at 9:45 for a quick gear-up and briefing before they head out and raided the warehouse. As the door closed behind them while they exited chief Bogo's office, Judy couldn't help but fail to contain her excitement. She bounded around the lobby and skipped alongside Nick as they made their way to the front doors, considering the notion of breakfast.

"Don't get _too_ excited now, fluff... This is dangerous stuff." Nick warned, but his face still bore a smile. Judy looked up at him and returned it before responding.

"I know, Nick, I know... I'm just excited right now, that's all! Nothing wrong with being excited, right?" She asked innocently, to which Nick responded.

"Nothing at all..." He snorted. "Unless it gets you killed in a bloody fire-fight."

"Nick!" Judy hissed, although even _she_ was grinning at the fox's inappropriate humor. _Just_ as they passed the receptionist desk, they heard Clawhauser call out from behind;

"Oh, Nick! Judy! C'mere _real_ quick, I got something I was meaning to tell you!" The cheetah stated through a mouthful of donuts.

The fox and bunny casually waltzed over to his desk, where they looked up at him as he finished chewing his latest bite. He offered the two of them donuts as he did, which they both gladly accepted, as neither had yet to eat any real breakfast.

"Alright Benji, whaddya wanna tell us, huh?" Nick grilled. "It doesn't have something to do with Gazelle, does it?"

"Oh, I _wish_!" Clawhauser swooned before his smile melted and he shook his head from side to side. "I'm afraid not. Something _much_ more serious, actually."

"What is it?" Judy squeaked out.

"Since you both were gone for so long doing your undercover mission, you probably didn't get around to hearing the details about Bellwether's death, did you?" He questioned.

"No, not really. We both saw it on the news, but nothing much more than that, honestly." Nick responded, causing the cheetah to chuckle

"It's _always_ the news. Anywho, I thought I should be the one to tell you: Bellwether was _bribed out_. Can you believe it? Someone bribed her out, only to have her killed! "

"Actually, I _can_ believe it, since half the predators in Zootopia wouldn't mind seeing her thrown into a meat grinder and turned into Bugga-Burger." Nick replied sardonically.

"Nick!" Judy nearly shouted. " _Not_ the right place for that kinda stuff!"

"Oh, come on, Carrots, you know it's true!" Nick edged, lightly pushing Judy's shoulder with one of his paws. "So yeah, easy to imagine why. But _who_?"

" _That's_ the spooky part!" Clawhauser claimed. "Nobody knows, really! The guards claimed it was a reindeer that came to the front desk with the money to bail her out, but they also admitted to being bribed into not saying anything when the press came calling. Whoever did this had a _lot_ of money lying around!"

"Yeah, no kidding... Thanks for the update though, Clawhauser! See ya around!" Nick called out as he and Judy began walking outside.

They were both excused from the ZPD _and_ Jack's business for the day, so the question arose on what they should do to occupy themselves until 10:00, when they were to report back to the ZPD armory to prepare for the raid on the Sahara-Square Sundries warehouse.

* * *

10:00

Fox and bunny alike had at last peeled away their under-cover issued suits, and re-donned their original police uniforms. Although Nick could safely admit that he'd miss that lovely suit jacket of his, he was _more_ than pleased to be back in blue. Judy, meanwhile, was stretching her long legs as she tested out her old bodysuit, which still wrapped snug around her body and tight across her fur. The bunny's chest armor was clamped across her upper body, protecting her vital organs from hazardous blows and minor damage.

The two of them were currently in their cruiser, and had just pulled in to their rendezvous point, where they were scheduled to meet with the other officers. Their discussion at the armory had been quick and simple, with Bogo quickly going over what their plan was, and how they intended on infiltrating the warehouse. Nick and Judy were assigned to enter through the main entrance, along with Bogo himself, Grizzoli, Rhinowitz, and Fangmeyer.

The warehouse itself was in a _pretty_ bad part of town: The perfect cesspool for criminal activity of _this_ scale. It was positioned in one of the farthest corners of the district, nearly right up against one of the massive air-conditioned walls that separated the city's districts. Towering sand dunes and palm trees surrounded the perimeter, making it seem like a very elusive place... _Also_ perfect for criminal activity on this scale. There were a few large, commercial-sized trucks dotting the nearby parking lot, but other than that, it looked nearly deserted. A desert sandstorm had started brewing; filling the air with hot, stinging particles of dust and everyone had arrived, they wasted no time whatsoever.

Everyone positioned themselves in their respective spots, and the raid began on Bogo's call.

He practically kicked down the front door, opening it and allowing all the following officers, including Nick and Judy, to enter the receptions lobby. Nobody was manning the front desk, but they all could hear the sound of commotion farther in the warehouse. They all traveled deeper inside until they found a large pair of double-doors, integrated with steel plates. They didn't have handles or knobs on them whatsoever, so the mammals just simply pushed on the doors and entered the next room.

The new room that they had set foot in was massive, and undoubtedly made up the majority of the warehouse and its space. There was lots of empty space in the room, but tall and towering shelves were stocked high with seeds, dried plants, and other consumables ranging from food to cinder-blocks. There were many workers running about, loading boxes and filing sheets of paper in the office desks that were crammed off to the sides of the room. There was no immediate hostile reaction, with the exception being one camel that had pulled out a pistol and aimed it at officer McHorn. He was quickly downed with a tranquilizer dart to his long and easy-to-target neck.

After a few short minutes of dealing with the workers on this side of the warehouse, a sudden hail of gunfire erupted from the other side, and Judy could hear the sounds of mammals falling to the ground both in an effort to protect themselves from the firing bullets, and _because_ of the bullets, which had found their marks on their targets.

"THE REST OF YOU, GET DOWN, _NOW_!" The words from the lion officer Delgado were loud and demanding, causing every pair of ears in the warehouse to perk up and listen.

Quickly sprinting over to analyze the commotion, Judy and Nick both spotted the bodies of several armadillos lying motionless on the ground, and a number of other mobsters who were lying on the ground with their paws above their heads, gritting their teeth and snarling at the police officers.

There may have been action, but Nick was surprised at just how few workers were present at the time. Better for them, he supposed, since it meant less work for them in bringing this place to the ground and dragging it into the light.

"UP THERE!" The voice of Bogo suddenly shouted out, causing all the mammals to look in the direction that his raised arm was pointing.

Standing atop a catwalk that was linked together high above the ground, a fox-sized animal had it's claws hooked over the edges and was eyeing the commotion going on below. Judy couldn't make out much from her location, but she knew without thinking that it had to be Shahaz the Stinger: That mammal was no doubt a pangolin, as Judy could see the large scales jutting out from his back, tail, head, and virtually everywhere except the underside of his body.

The figure didn't say anything, but as soon as the officers all targeted their darts and pistols towards him, he immediately bolted for a large metal door at the end of the catwalk, which he opened and entered, leading himself even deeper into the depths of the warehouse. The room he had entered had several, large, black-tinted windows on it, and appeared to be an office of some sort.

A few officers had tried shooting at him, but to no avail, as he was a surprisingly fast target, and actually, quite small: Shahaz didn't look any bigger than Nick, for that matter.

" _Hopps, Wilde_! You two are the only ones here who can fit through that door!" Bogo shouted out. " _Go_! Don't let him get away! We'll take care of these guys, now _go_!"

The water-buffalo's shouts shook the bunny from her thought process, and she instantaneously spotted a ladder that led up to the catwalk. She motioned Nick forward and followed behind him as he clambered up to the catwalk. The two of them ran as fast as they could to the metal door, with Nick practically slamming into it shoulder-first, only for him to fall back and land flat on his tail, clutching at his shoulder and hissing in pain.

" _Gah_! Stupid door!" He muttered as he hauled himself to his feet and tried on the handle, but it didn't budge.

"Can't you pick the lock, or something?" Judy found herself asking.

"I could _try_ , but I was never very good at it in the first place, ya know! Besides, I'd need a pair of tweezers and a paper-clip, _neither_ of which I have right now!"

The bunny threw her head back and cursed, and while doing so, caught a glimpse of the black-tinted windows: They didn't look very thick...

" _Nick_! The window!" She gasped as she continued down the length of the catwalk until she reached the glass-panels. Using the butt of her tranquilizer, she slammed it against the glass, causing it to shatter and create a hole plenty big enough for even a wolf to fit through. Fox and bunny alike carefully picked their way past the glass and stepped inside the new room.

The first thing that both of them noticed was the lighting: It was dark, but the room was lit with dozens of candles, all of which were positioned and placed in random spots around the room. They all ranged in color, size, and intensity, but it was their dull lighting that gave Judy the pleasure she needed to be able to see past the shadows. Judy spotted Nick, who was reloading his tranquilizer, and she also noticed that aside from the many candles, dozens of tiny pillows were dotted across the floor of the room.

Judy aimed her tranquilizer in front of her and scanned her environment; She spotted a shape moving in the darkness, and almost fired on instinct alone, but soon found herself telling the figure to halt and put his arms in the air.

" _STOP_ , YOU! Put your paws where I can see them, and get on the ground, _now_!"

After yelling, the bunny looked over the the fox, who gave her a reassuring nod before training his own dart gun on the thing in the dark, which gave a raspy and gleeful chuckle upon hearing Judy's words.

"They sent you _alone_? Without guns? That's hilarious!" The voice hissed. Shahaz had a very flaky sounding voice, as if he spent his free-time gargling sand granules for fun.

"You better stop talking, or I _will_ dart you, Shahaz!" Judy snarled. The notion of the his true name briefly seemed to falter the pangolin, but he soon continued speaking.

"Oh no, _go ahead_. Shoot. Don't worry, I _completely_ trust you!" The shadow hissed once again, and made a strange slurping sound that caused Judy's head to tilt to the side.

"Nick, turn on the lights: I wanna see this creep." Judy commanded the fox, who quickly turned around and flicked on a nearby switch, illuminating the room fully.

In the corner, a bipedal creature was hunched over, with it's scaly paws rubbing together as if it were cold. It didn't appear to have a fully-functioning jaw, as it's mouth seemed to mostly comprise of a large hole just below it's nose. Its mouth was small, and the creature could still talk fine, but Judy was shocked when the pangolin stuck out his tongue and licked at his own face, making a weird slurping noise as the tongue retracted back into his long and narrow muzzle. Shahaz had an armadillo-like face, and didn't look that much bigger than Nick, really.

He wore no shirt, and his bare upper-body was exposed. Judy noticed that his chest and abdomen were also covered in scales, but just in far less quantity and size. Thankfully, he did wear pants though: Thick-padded and billowing beige-colored cargo shorts, with each pocket stuffed full and almost to the point of bursting with things like pebbles and chunks of rock. Draping in tatters around his shoulders and back were literal rags wrapped around his biceps, lumbar, and even his thick tail.

The majority of his body was lined with rigid rows of sharpened scales, each one colored the hue of wet-sand. Most of them had strange etchings carved into their surfaces, and Judy watched with strange fascination as the pointed plates shifted around in response to his movement. Tracing her eyes down to his long and flat tail, Judy saw that it too was covered in bony plates, with the extra long ones on the tip of his tail sharpened nearly to the point of making acute angles.

Overall, with his hunched over appearance, disgusting face, and thick, spiny tail, Judy thought that Shahaz the Stinger almost looked like a scorpion himself!

"Wait, _you're_ Shahaz the Stinger?" Judy found herself mumbling.

Shahaz did a full body shiver, which caused a cloud of dust and sand to rise off of his body and thicken the air around him.

"What, were you expecting _the_ crime-lord of the Sahara-Square to be more... _F_ _ormal_ , I suppose?" The pangolin crooned.

"Well, yeah! You're one of the _richest mobsters_ in all of Zootopia! W-why are you dressed like... _That_?"

The bunny knew that she was kind of going against protocol; Having a direct conversation with the mammal she came here to arrest in the first place, but that didn't stop her from doing so: She had honestly expected this pangolin to be decked out with a shiny monocle, a vest, and slacks, not too different from how Vladzotz himself had been.

"Trust me, rabbit... Trust me when I say that _I_ am a humble creature. If you were looking for someone with big fancy suits, I'm afraid you'll have to talk to my associates, Vladzotz Fangpyre, and Al Catpone! That's more _their_ style! Besides, with my scales being the way they are, I can't wear most clothing items without tearing them to shreds."

"Are you two _seriously_ having a conversation about how criminals should _dress_ right now?!" Nick interrupted. "Just _shoot_ him already, fluff!"

"Oh no, go ahead, seriously. _Shoot me_ , you _filthy_ rabbit!" Shahaz snarled, positioning himself in a defensive stance.

Judy, seeing that they had nothing to lose, pulled her trigger, aiming directly for Shahaz's neck. Instead of opening her eyes to a pangolin lying passed out across the floor, the bunny's jaw dropped as she saw Shahaz still standing, with the tranquilizer dart lying harmlessly on the floor, right next to one of his stumpy and gnarled toes. Chuckling to himself, the pangolin bent down and picked up the dart, the actual needle part of which was bent in multiple angles.

"Unfortunate." The pangolin smiled darkly. "You didn't come prepared for this fight, did you?" He knocked on his armored chest. "I'm no armadillo! My scales are a _part_ of me!"

Shahaz tossed the broken dart aside before cracking his neck and taking a step forward.

"And unfortunately for _you_ , my scales can't be pierced by your pathetic little blow-darts, so why don't you put them aside, hmm?"

He took another step closer, but was stopped in his tracks when Nick jammed his tranquilizer forward and unloaded his entire clip into Shahaz, who quickly turned around, causing all the darts to ricochet off of his spiny back. The pangolin shoved his way past Nick; pushing the fox out of the way and sending him crashing into a nearby table, his shirt catching aflame from all the candles.

Meanwhile, Judy acted before thinking: She jumped onto Shahaz's back, like she did with most criminals when she tried to take them down using brute-force. Instead, as soon as her paws gripped down on his back, Shahaz simply shook her around, causing her to slice her right paw as she too was thrown to the side and slammed against a wall.

Chuckling to himself, the pangolin stroked the sharpened scales on one of his wrists as he spoke aloud;

"It's a _shame_ , really... _So_ young, yet subject to such a painful death." Shahaz said as he lumbered over and picked up Judy in his claws.

He slammed her into the ground and pressed one of his sharpened claw tips against her throat, and Judy could feel her heartbeat increase in pressure against the tip of his claw.

"Feel that, bunny? That's your jugular right there... It pumps around three liters of blood a minute. How long would it take for _you_ to bleed to death?"

Judy choked and sputtered against his grip, but tried her best to remain as still as possible: Since Shahaz was hovering over her, with most of his sharpened scales positioned directly above her internal organs, if she writhed around to much, she'd end up cutting the rest of her body even worse than her paw.

"You've been _quite_ the thorn in my side for a while now, what with you exposing my secret account... _Curse_ Jack Savage for being _so careless_! I'll be sure to make him pay for his misdeeds at a later date. That stupid rabbit... No matter, though, for I've been itching to show you that I have some _thorns of my own_!"

There was a knocking noise nearby which caused the pangolin to raise his head and direct his attention towards the door, which then burst open, with another small-mammal officer - a coyote, likely from Precinct Three's unit - throwing themselves into the room with a roll. He then jabbed a tranquilizer gun in Shahaz's direction.

" _Crap_!" Was all the pangolin said before he curled himself into a ball and rolled towards one of the windows, which he tried climbing out of. After momentarily stumbling, he flopped onto the catwalk; His body dotted with many tranquilizer darts, yet he still showed no sign of slowing down. He scrambled to his feet and faced the group of officers.

"Your darts got nothin _'_ on _me_!" He shouted before curling into a ball and rolling past the coyote officer, who tried to grab him, but to no avail.

"Grizzoli, Fangmeyer, see if officers Hopps and Wilde are alright!" Chief Bogo's booming voice shouted from somewhere down below.

The water-buffalo then pointed towards Shahaz, who was still rolling down the far side of the metal catwalk.

"Everyone else; _get him_!"

A black-bear and wolf officer immediately lept into action; Charging through the now opened door and attending to the fallen officers. Nick had already pulled himself to his feet, and was insisting that he was fine. The fox picked his way across the wreckage of the room and reunited with Judy, who was still lying on the ground, clutching at her paw. Nick grabbed her arm and pulled it forward, forcing her fingers open to examine the cut: It was a little deep, but it thankfully didn't take any fingers with it.

"Judy, talk to us, are you hurt _anywhere_ else?" Nick asked, nearly shouting as he did.

"No no, I-I'm fine, Nick..." She grimaced. " _Mostly_..."

Nick helped her to her feet, and took her outside with him, carefully lowering her down using the strength of the wolf and polar bear officer to get her to the ground level. When they finally exited the warehouse, they noticed that all the other officers that weren't guarding the other criminals back inside the warehouse had surrounded a central point, and had their guns trained on whatever was in it's center.

Taking a closer look, Nick noticed that the officers had somehow managed to surround Shahaz, but the titular pangolin had curled up in a defensive ball, and was sitting there unmoving as the officers tried to figure out what they wanted to do with him: They dared not try to touch him in fear of getting sliced. Eventually, one of the officers, a jackal sporting a thick pair of oven mitts, walked up to Shahaz. The jackal fearlessly picked up the pangolin and carried him back to his cruiser before throwing the spiky ball in the back-seat and slamming the door shut. Everyone was cheering, even Judy, with her wounded paw. Thankfully, an ambulance has already been called, and they had immediately taken to Judy's wound while the other officers rounded up the captured mobsters and other workers.

Now, as they watched the others pick up the carnage, Nick and Judy sat together in the back of the ambulance, with the fox's arm wrapped around the bunny's shoulder in a reassuring gesture of trust and acceptance. Judy snuggled up closer against Nick, trying to ignore the stinging pain that radiated from her sliced paw, which was now lined with stitches and bandaged tight with thick wraps of white cloth, with blended well with her snow-colored fur.

"Thank you for helping me out, Nick..." She started with a sniff. "I can't believe that I-I was so close to being _killed_!"

"Oh, don't talk like that, Whiskers. You weren't. That's what matters. Even if you _did_ get away with a little scratch." The fox replied easily.

"I wouldn't call this _little_ , Nick. You see how big this cut is?" She said while lifting her paw in the air. Nick lifted his, but only to push hers back down.

"Yeah, I saw it... Don't worry, fluff. You'll be fine." The fox leaned his muzzle down and planted a drawn-out kiss across her lips, of which caused the bunny to completely forget about the pain in her paw for the rest of the night. She gladly returned the kiss, adding more pressure to her end of the spectrum.

The two mammals spent the rest of their time sitting by one another's side, nuzzling and talking idly while the other officers rounded up the remaining suspects and piled them into their cruisers before driving off and into the night, no doubt headed back to the police station.

Eventually, they too had to leave the site of the scene, and promptly hopped into their cruiser, this time with Nick manning the while, while Judy relaxed in the passengers seat.

As they drove off, following the line of cars and cruisers back to the police station, both mammals were blissfully unaware that from the roof-tops of the nearby buildings, a single and bitter entity was watching with one burning red eye, his gaze keeping track of the mammals ever since they first left the warehouse and settled in the ambulance.

His suspicions were true: The fox and rabbit had _also_ survived the fire... But their fur was colored differently...

 _Aahhh... Undercover, I see..._ The bat's mind developed. A smile spread across his face, parting his charred lips and exposing his gleaming incisors.

"You live for now Nicholas Wilde... I have more important business to attend to than chasing old dreams." He said to himself despite the pain it caused to grow in his chest.

"But _mark my words_ , as soon as I finish with that _upstart_ Jack Savage... _You_ will be the _first_ to feel my wrath!"

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Not much to say here, you know the usual stuff, of course: Just be sure to tell me whatcha think of Shahaz, now that he has _finally_ been revealed!**

 **More chapters are coming soon, and with them; More answers to your many questions. You'll even learn how Vlad survived the fire, soon! Stay tuned!**

 **Regardless, chapter 40 will be coming out soon!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	37. Incubus

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Quick author's note here for a music suggestion for a very particular scene near the end of the chapter, when Nick meets back up with Judy in Jack's office.**

 **Here is the suggestion: Ao no Exorcist - Technology ORCH**

 **I think it's a very fitting thing to try out. Feel free to do so! Enjoy the chapter. :)**

* * *

"There are demons in all of us. Sometimes, you have to confront them and let them loose to find your place." - Peter Mullan

* * *

1:07 A.M

It had been roughly three hours since the ZPD's Precinct One had infiltrated the warehouse of the Sahara-Square's topmost ranking criminal leader, Shahaz the Stinger.

Upon arriving back at the ZPD head-quarters, chief Bogo and officer Mchorn (wearing Anhur's oven mitts) dragged the struggling pangolin straight to the interrogation room: There were answers to be had, and the chief had already ordered both Nick and Judy to be the ones who would try to get them. Meanwhile, the fox and bunny alike were preparing for their interrogation session: The two of them stood outside the lone door that separated them from the pangolin, and were pondering about the questions that they would inquire him of.

All the while, Nick himself couldn't help but notice Judy's twitching and cloth-banded paw. It was pretty clear to the fox that she was trying hard not to thing about the pain that she was feeling, but he knew that she was a tough bunny: If anyone could handle a scratch like that, it would be her.

But still, that did not stop the fox from inquiring the bunny of her current state.

"Hey Carrots, how's the paw holdin' up, huh?"

The bunny glanced over with a pair of raised ears and a single twitching nose. Despite their rather serious situation, she had a victorious smirk plastered on her muzzle.

"It'll take more than a few sharpened shingles and a pair of claws to bring down _this_ bunny, mind you!"

The bunny's bandaged paw had been stitched up by medical officials at the scene of the raid, but admittedly, it still itched with a slight stinging sensation whenever she tried to use it effectively. She didn't let Nick see that much, though.

Soon enough, the chief leaned around a nearby corner and called out to the two tiny officers.

"Hopps! Wilde!" The buffalo grunted, knocking his knuckles on the wall in an effort to get their attention. "He's ready for you."

Both fox and bunny looked to one another instantaneously, and an agreeable nod surfaced, along with a few smiles. Nick flicked open his favorite pair of shades before resting them atop his muzzle, opening the iron-barred door for Judy and stepping inside soon after.

* * *

After stepping inside, the fox took to examining his new environment, even though he knew what to expect: One metal-plated table in the center of the small room, with a total of two chairs on opposing sides of the table. The table's surface was bare and free of clutter, with the its only connection being the pair of cuffed paws that rested upon it's surface.

Shahaz sat down in the chair on the opposing side of the table, slouching glumly over the edge and staring with anger at the two officers who had just entered. His claws had been dulled, and were cuffed together so as to restrict movement.

Since practically his entire body was a hazard, the officers that had cuffed and placed him in the security room had taken to going as far to as cuff his legs and even his tail to the chair and table, with specially designed hand-cuffs that could wrap around pretty much any sized width.

Nick did notice one thing in particular, though: One thing that should not have been necessary.

The pangolin's snout was tightly clamped shut with a barbed muzzle: The kind that they used on the most aggressive predator criminals and suspects. As far as Nick recalled, pangolins didn't even have teeth, despite the fact that were still predatory by qualification; so the muzzle was completely unnecessary. The fox could easily tell that the muzzle must've been both tight and uncomfortable, since Shahaz scratched at it with his own shoulder scales, and even used his long tongue in an attempt to readjust it. Upon closer inspection, the fox noticed that the muzzle's barbs were being pushed beneath the scales on Shahaz's neck, face, and shoulders, where they poked at the sensitive flesh beneath them.

Staring in bewilderment at the sloppiness of the way that the muzzle was put on, Nick came to a sudden realization that made his stomach churn with disgust...

This was purposeful abuse.

Nick locked eyes with Shahaz as he strutted over to the pangolin and undid his muzzle, which was slipped off of his head and tossed into the corner of the room. Nick then looked into the blackened one-way window, glaring harshly at whoever was inside. His expression was that of disgust and anger, for he knew that someone had ordered this.

Soon enough, the intercom-announcer up in one of the corners of the roof buzzed to life;

"WILDE! PUT THE MUZZLE BACK ON HIM, NOW!" Bogo's voice rang out.

The fox stared into the blackness of the one-way window, knowing that Bogo was in there somewhere, watching his every move. He shouted out loudly in retaliation;

"With all do respect sir, that muzzle was not only completely unnecessary, but was purposefully equipped in a way to cause pain and discomfort to the individual in question!"

There was a deafening silence at a count of ten seconds, and then without warning, Chief Bogo resurfaced on the intercom.

"Proceed." Was all that he said before the buzzing subsided and the silence returned.

"Thank you. That was very... Considerate of you to do, officer." A flaky voice muttered from behind.

Turning himself around and facing it's source, Nick saw Shahaz, still sitting in his chair like he was before; With the only difference this time being that his muzzle had been removed. The fox calmed himself down and took a few deep breaths before walking up to the secondary chair, and turning it's seat away from the table. He sat down and rested his arms on the top of the chair's metal back, and faced Shahaz once again. While doing so, he caught a quick glance at Judy, who had positioned herself right behind Shahaz, though still out of reach of his barbed tail, which slowly swung from left to right just a few short inches off of the floor.

Nick didn't know what to expect, really: Some interrogations could take hours on end. For all he knew, they could be here until noon of tomorrow.

He started with the very basest question that he had on him;

"Alright Sharp-Stuff," Nick began, causing the pangolin to let out a small chuckle. "Spill for us: What's your deal with Jack Savage, and Vladzotz?"

The question seemed to take Shahaz by surprise, but he soon recomposed himself and answered calmly;

"Ah, now how do you know about Fangpyre? As far as I recall, he's been hiding out as of late... Apparently, everyone thinks he's dead. Again. How did you find out?"

The pangolin leaned back in the chair and placed his cuffed paws on his lap, clearly pleased with himself judging by his gloating expression.

"That's none of your concern." Judy piped up from behind the pangolin. "All you need to know is that _we_ know you've been working with both him _and_ Jack Savage. Explain."

Shahaz sighed heavily and slumped even further into his seat.

"Fine. I got nothing left to lose, anyways... For starters, well, I've been doing business with Vladzotz for years, at this point: My work with him is nothing new..."

He smiled slightly and stifled himself a hearty chuckle.

"Then, well... A few years back, we came into contact with this young and prideful rabbit. Mr. Savage had only just recently inherited his bank business, and was, to be frank, quite inexperienced. Naive. Ill-prepared for such a high-ranking position. We started small... Investors, fake accounts with messages in them. Eventually, we managed to meet with him, and from there, it was easy: We all struck a nice three-way deal. Jack allowed us to set up a shelled account to transport our profits through. That account eventually evolved into the Sahara-Square Sundries."

He tapped his dulled claws against the metal surface of the table for a few seconds, breathing in deep before exhaling and continuing his explanation;

"Savage must've gotten cocky, after some time. He became greedy and overconfident. He came to Vladzotz with a new proposition: Savage wanted a loan from him to sponsor and patronize a new emerging business. I forget what it was, but it flopped. Horribly. All of Vladzotz's money went down the drain, and Jack found himself backed into a corner. Jack, instead of telling Vlad, tried to execute a Ponzi-Scheme on him, and took money from the shelled account, thinking he wouldn't notice. He did. If there's one thing I know for certain about Vladzotz, it's that he doesn't like being played or cheated: He hunted down Jack, and punished him for his lies. Vlad threatened to finish the job unless Jack payed back the money that he had lost. And ever since, Jack has been scrambling to repay the money that he owes to Vlad on a monthly basis."

"What about now? How'd that work out for him, huh?" Nick added hastily before Shahaz could continue.

"Well..." He hesitated momentarily. "Jack is irresponsible. He's been slow to act, but has still managed to pay back a good portion of what he lost."

"And what of Vladzotz?" Judy found herself asking, at which the notion of which caused the pangolin to snort.

"For some time, he disappeared... And when he came back, something horrible had happened to him. His voice was a bit hoarser, one of his eyes was missing, his fur had been singed away, and his skin burned. He told me his story, but refused to explain everything in precise detail: All he said was that his house had caught fire, and burned to the ground with him in it..."

Judy looked up and locked eyes briefly with Nick. The both of them knew the answer to that, but they need not let Shahaz know. The pangolin's voice spoke aloud more;

"He escaped though... His wings were badly burned, but he managed to flap away from the scene by hiding in the cloud of smoke that rose from the ruins... That was his claim. His voice was effected when he breathed in the flames, and the smoke that he hid in to escape certainly didn't help, either. He also lost an eye on the journey, too. Since then, his burns have healed, fur has grown back, and his voice is getting better, but I can tell that it was more than just his appearance that was altered in the fire."

Nick had been listening with intent ever since Shahaz had first opened his mouth: Shahaz was being incredibly cooperative, giving out all this helpful information.

It seemed a little too good to be true, but Nick didn't question the pangolin's motives. He listened in as the crime-lord continued;

"At the time, though, Vlad needed refuge, a safe haven, and some medical help. When I found him, he was half-dead on the spot. He'd flown all the way to our compound back at that old warehouse, and we took him in. His injuries weren't that bad, with the exception of his eye and some of the burns that he had received. We took him to a medical hospital, but spared the details. As soon as he was able to leave, Vladzotz assimilated himself into my mob, since his was no more. He recovered very quickly, and once he was able to fly again, the first thing he did was revisit Mr. Savage for their monthly business meeting. And from there, business has been business. That is all I have to tell you."

The fox had removed his sunglasses from his muzzle, and now dangled them loosely in his fingers as he stared at Judy from across the room. He noticed that the rabbit was staring at the pangolin's back with a look of confusion. Since Shahaz had basically told them everything they needed to know for the moment, Nick took to asking one personal question of his own.

"Shahaz," He started softly, the pangolin then raised his head and eyeing Nick suspiciously "What do those markings on your back stand for? Do they have a hidden meaning?"

The pangolin chuckled deeply and shifted his weight in the chair before answering.

"You know... After all these years, you're the first mammal to ever ask me about them." He shrugged. "I see no problem in telling you, honestly."

Nick shook his head in approval, and momentarily spared a sideways glance at the black-tinted window to his left before training his gaze back on Shahaz, who was now talking;

"The symbols tell a story... An old story from the before times, when Zootopia had yet to erect it's gleaming skyscrapers."

He hesitated briefly and flexed his back muscles, causing the rows of scales to ripple and shift around like tectonic plates.

"It's a common fable among pangolin culture, and tells the tale of an unnamed pangolin who was lost in the desert, but using the positions of the sun and stars, was able to find his way back home. Our species is so few in number, so I decided to forever have the story immortalized upon my scales."

Judy had repositioned herself aside Nick, who was now standing up. The two of them were at awe at the amount of information that they had learned: This was truly it. Now, all that was left was to get the arrest warrant for Jack printed out so that they could throw him behind bars.

"Thank you for your time, Shahaz." The bunny started before turning to Nick and whispering. "Let's go."

At that notion, Nick looked at the window and made a slit across his throat gesture in an attempt to symbolize that they were done here. Thankfully, they got the message, as the door soon unhatched and the fox and bunny pushed their way back into the hallway. There, Bogo was already waiting; Leaning up against a nearby wall with his meaty arms crossed and his muzzle brooding low.

Judy honestly thought that chief Bogo was going to tell off Nick for removing Shahaz's muzzle, but instead, he simply sighed, pinching the bridge that connected his nose to his forehead. Soon after, he leaned down and said aloud to the fox and bunny;

"You two did good work in there: That will be all for now. You've had a long night, so why don't you go back home and get some rest... You'll be needing it for tomorrow."

Nick and Judy looked to each-other and then back to the water-buffalo, who had begun walking away, but was stopped when Judy piped out for his attention.

"Chief Bogo! Um, do you want us to go back to Jack's building tomorrow, sir?" She asked with concern lacing her words.

"Don't worry Hopps... I'm sure you've just about had enough of him as I have, but just stick through it for one more day: By tomorrow morning, we should have the arrest warrant ready, and the two of you can drag him back to the station before noon. But be warned: We have reason to believe that Vladzotz might be there as well. Stay alert."

He was beginning to turn around again, but stopped mid-way and faced the bunny cop below him, singling her out before speaking.

"I recommend that you go in extra early, just to make sure that Jack doesn't try anything funny. It's only a matter of time before he finds out that one of his largest investors just got taken into police custody."

Judy gave a steadfast salute to the chief before he lumbered off in the direction of his office, disappearing behind a nearby wall.

After that, the fox and bunny did what they were told to: They went home. Gladly.

The drive back to their apartment complex had been a short one, as there were barely any cars on the streets at this time of night. Upon arriving back at their hotel, they promptly crashed, and became one with the folds of the mattress. Much to the great relief of both mammals, they had only one day left before they could finally move out of this hotel and back into their apartment, as crappy as it was.

Sleep came easy, as their minds were very much ready for well earned rest.

* * *

7:00

It wasn't often that she awoke this early to conduct business with Jack Savage. Her job hours were quite lenient, but she considered chief Bogo's idea of her going in extra early so as to keep Jack in line for when Nick came with the arrest warrant later that morning.

It was a good plan, and after preparing herself for her final day working under Jack Savage, she promptly set out for his building, intent on meeting with him one final time before he was ultimately sentenced to a near-lifetime of imprisonment at the Zootopian County Jailhouse.

She figured the least he deserved was a little bit of company and comfort beforehand... What could go wrong?

After leaving Nick with a smooch on his sleeping forehead, Judy immediately set out in search of a cab. Soon enough, she hailed one and off to Jack's building.

Eventually, she arrived at the foot of the complex. Stepping out after paying the cab-driver their respective fees, she promptly entered the lobby and did her usual take of the scene around her before beginning to make her way towards the elevator section at the far end of the lobby. The lobby was nearly completely deserted, and the only other mammals in the vicinity were the ones walking outside on the street, and the desk receptionist, of course, who Judy had just distanced herself from quite considerably.

Surprisingly enough, she spotted Jack rear around a nearby corner and set out towards the very same elevator that she was planning on taking. He didn't appear to notice her, as he kept his eyes trained forward as he talked audibly on his phone. His other paw was stuffed into one of his suit jacket's pockets, with a newspaper clutched in the space between his arm and his side.

Judy was about to call out to him, though she wasn't sure just why, exactly, as he did appear to be rather busy, and she didn't want to end up interrupting his call. However, a few choice words, along with Jack's seemingly agitated body language, caused her to hone in on his conversation. Seizing the chance to gather one last bit of evidence, she quickly pulled out her carrot-pen recorder and aimed it at Jack while thumbing down the button. She crept a good distance behind him: Without being seen, of course.

"You're joking... No. Are you sure?" He asked seriously, a period of silence following his question. Then, he spoke out once again, his voice dangerously rigid, but incredibly soft.

"Captured?" He hissed before quickly stammering his next few lines. "We need to lay low... They'll be after all three of us now, especially the bat."

Another brief period of silence in which Judy took the time to check to make sure her carrot-pen was still recording: Thankfully for her, it was. Jack's voice spoke out again;

"No, you should be fine... Those tossers at the ZPD shouldn't be able to retrace your part in all this: Not through our system, of course. And you doremember your part in all this, yes? I wouldn't want you to not uphold your end of the deal, Ratsputin. Just keep fiddling with the mayor for now... I'll talk to you when this whole thing blows off. Cheers."

The male rabbit finished his final sentence the exact second that the elevator doors closed shut, carrying him to his respective floor. Judy, who had been tailing and recording him all the way until he entered and left via elevator, was beyond ecstatic at the new information that she had just required. Smiling from ear-to-ear, she stared down at the recorder in her paw, twirling it between her fingers before tucking it away back into the folds of her dress's chest cavity.

As she waited for another elevator to return to the main lobby floor, she occupied her time by pondering back at the conversation that she had just recorded. Jack had mentioned a name: Ratsputin, he had said. It didn't ring any bells in Judy's head, but she made a mental note to ask Nick about it later on, given the fact that he knew many mammals just by their names alone.

Eventually, she managed to catch an elevator and hitch a ride to Jack's floor, which upon stepping foot inside, she immediately felt a peculiar sense of solitude: Sure, his floor was nearly isolated in comparison to the rest of the building, allowing Jack frivolous amounts of privacy. But this time, she felt as though this floor and it's hallowed rooms were the only world she'd ever known.

Shaking her head from side to side and ridding herself of those menacing thoughts, the female bunny began her approach to Jack's large office, which was positioned near the end of the hall-way that she was currently walking down. Upon reaching it's large and glossy wooden doors, she knocked twice and allowed herself to enter, closing the door cautiously behind her as she did. The whole room was dark, and she saw Jack standing by his alcohol compartment, which had been replaced with brand new bottles, since his temper-tantrum on the night that Vladzotz came had left him without any glasses to store his favorite drinks.

"Glad that you were considerate enough to come in early this morning, Alaina... I was actually hoping that you would, believe it or not..." He muttered without facing her.

Jack lifted a glass of hard-scotch and downed the entire thing rather quickly before setting it back down against the compartment, taking a few brief seconds to breath and recompose himself.

"You know..." He mumbled, wiping at his mouth with the cuffs of his jacket. "I really appreciate all the good business that you and I have conducted over all this time, Alaina..."

Surely enough, after he had gathered his bearings, he poured himself a second glass, which was drank just as quickly as the first one. He set the glass down and let out a wheezing spasm of coughs. Judy was about to edge closer, but noticed that he had his hand raised in a gesture of reassurance.

"I-I'm fine, just a little hard on the throat, that's all..." He coughed again. "And to think, I still have yet to truly repay you for all the work that you've done for me... with me..."

"Oh... Well, it's my job, sir. I'm just doing it according to your whims." Judy claimed with a warm smile, of which caused Jack to return in favor.

"See it as you like, my dear... But there is no denying the fact that you have done me a great service," He took her paws in his own. "Which is why it pains me to-"

He stuttered and came to a stop as he noticed the female bunny wince in discomfort and retract her paws from his. Judy looked down at her own paws and then back up at Jack's narrowing eyes. She suddenly realized that she had pulled away because Jack had touched her stitches, effectively causing her to retract on instinctual reaction.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that, sir. I-I just cut my hand the other day... It's nothing, really." She stammered quickly, watching with intent as Jack took a step closer.

He was now personally a little too close for comfort to Judy, who didn't exactly have anywhere to go, as she was near-backed up against a wall. With pursed lips, Jack looked her up and down with his piercing blue eyes, eventually setting them upon her own purple ones.

"May I see, Alaina?" He requested calmly, his muzzle adorned with a slight smile. "I'd at least like to know how my favorite secretary got herself hurt!"

Judy hesitated at first, but she admittedly didn't see any harm in letting Jack take a look at her wound. She raised her injured paw and presented it to him; Opening her fingers wide so that he could easily see the scratch mark. Jack took her paw and examined it, looking over the cicatrix and gently sliding his own fingers down it's length.

"So, how did you get this, exactly?" The male rabbit inquired, his crystal-like eyes shining with concern.

"Well, It's nothing really... My paw just slipped when I was doing some cooking..." Judy responded untruthfully.

Jack seemed to buy it, as he raised his eyebrows and nodded his head in understanding.

"Ah, well that's unfortunate. Does it hurt very much?"

"It was fine earlier, until you grabbed it, and well... I mean no, it's fine! Well, it hurts a little, but... Ugh. You get the idea." She quickly muttered.

The male rabbit seemed to take amusement in Judy's flustered demeanor, and smiled to himself as she stumbled over her own words in an attempt to formulate an answer.

"Don't worry Alaina, I completely understand. But still, I do suppose I owe you something for accidentally gripping it a bit too hard..." Jack reassured her.

From there, he lifted her paw to his lips and gave the back of her hand a soft kiss, of which left a lingering and tingly feeling.

"My apologies." The male rabbit stated after removing his lips from her paw.

Meanwhile, Judy's long and floppy ears had lowered themselves to her cheeks, where they failed to hide the growing blush that was beginning to show through her snow-white fur. Jack took note of this, and with a raised eyebrow accompanied by a triumphant smirk, he teasingly asked her;

"What, rabbit got your tongue, Alaina?"

Judy didn't quite know what to say: His gesture was innocent enough as it was, and she didn't want to give in to his affection too much...

But that didn't stop her from feeling that dreadfully familiar pulling sensation in her belly. She hadn't experienced it a single time since the last time that she had seen Jack, and that had been the time when he had tried to kiss her. Ever since he had caught her off guard that one time, she'd been telling herself again and again that when she would see him next, that she wouldn't fall for his charm the slightest bit. But now, here she was, like a deer in the headlights; With Jack still waiting for an answer, his piercing bright blue eyes staring her down with intent and a strange sense of gravitation.

Unsure of what exactly to say, her conscious instructed her to change the conversation, thus putting the ball in her side of the court: She didn't want Jack to swoon her over with any sort of charm, or leverage.

"Erm, so I saw you down in the lobby this morning..." Jack's smile immediately melted into that of apprehension. "You seemed pretty stressed... Did something happen?"

Upon finishing her entire question, Jack crossed his arms and looked to the left, turning on the balls of his feet and pacing like he did whenever he was thinking something over. She noticed Jack slowly pace over to the office's entrance, which he locked, effectively sealing the two of them inside. Judy wasn't sure exactly why he did that in the first place, but didn't linger on the thought for very long, as he had begun to explain himself.

"Yes, actually. One of my assets, a long time account that went under the guise of Sahara-Square Sundries, was just sanctioned off by police. Apparently, there was a ring of criminal activity surrounding one of the warehouse compounds, and the ZPD had to get involved. On the phone, I was talking to a shareholder of the very same business, who was informing me that I might end up being questioned by the ZPD, just to tie up any loose ends revolving around my financial connection to that business."

All while speaking, Jack had done a full lap around his rotunda of sofas in the middle of the room, and was now making his way back to his alcohol compartment when Judy asked him yet another question: She inquired him of the origin behind his apparent 'shareholder', whoever that was. She recalled the name Jack had mentioned: Ratsputin.

"So, was this shareholder of yours a very big one? If the business was shut down due to criminal involvement, wouldn't all the shareholders be informed and effected?"

"Why yes, they all would be effected one way or another, I suppose." Jack said tugging at his collar as he poured himself a third glass of scotch, effectively emptying the bottle.

"I wouldn't call him a very large investor at that, but he plays his part, just like everyone else." The male rabbit muttered as he brought the glass to his lips and began to sip.

That last statement caused a red flag to shoot up in Judy's head: He was referring to this investor of his as if he personally knew them, and as if they worked alongside him.

"Hmm." Jack muttered to himself as he downed the last few drops of his liquor. He slowly turned his head and eyed Judy suspiciously. "Say now, Alaina..." He began.

 _Uh-oh_

"You seem to know quite a good deal about the ZPD, don't you? Why is that?" He plopped onto one of his couches and kicked his long legs up on the coffee table in the center.

"Oh, well, I do have a cousin that works there, actually..." She started slowly, but soon realized that she was going to paint herself into a corner at the rate that she was going.

 _You can do this, Judy: You just have to be smooth... What would Nick do if he were in my place?_ The female bunny asked herself mentally.

"And besides, I do my research!" She said with a wink, biting her lower lip and shooting Jack with an imaginary finger gun. She placed her other paw on her hip, which she threw out to the side.

That must've done the trick, because she noticed Jack's eyes flicker with some sort of hidden light. It unsettled her, because it reminded her of Vladzotz, whom had that same sort of secret way of viewing things...

The only difference being, that Vladzotz's eyes burned with a psychotic flame of anger, and Jack's eyes seemed to let out a more soothing, dim glow of... Something else...

In the end, she wasn't sure which one was more terrifying.

"Oh do you now?" Jack's smooth voice answered in response to her previous statement. "Perhaps you would make a good police officer..."

At his last comment, Judy felt herself beginning to blush again: It was starting to unnerve her, so she decided to spark some sort of conversation to keep the fire from going out.

"Jack, you don't think those bullies at the ZPD would arrest you for simply providing that business finance, would they?" She asked, feigning naivety and curiosity.

The male rabbit seemed to ponder that over: Judy noticed his face scrunch up in concern as well, as if he had been thinking that exact same question.

"Let's just say: Hopefully not, my dear." Jack said with a coy smirk plastered over his face.

Judy saw through the veil.

Jack was actually terrified: He knew that the ZPD were going to be after him now that his Ponzi-Scheme had been uncovered and gutted. It was only a matter of time, at this point. She positioned herself right next to Jack on the same couch that he currently reclined on, spreading her arms and relaxing. Meanwhile, Jack leaned over behind his arm of the couch, and pulled out a large bottle of champagne, and two glasses right along with it. He placed the drink and the glasses on the coffee table before turning to Judy.

"As I was saying earlier, Alaina... I'm actually, well..." He hesitated and frowned before continuing. "I'm taking a rather sudden trip away from Zootopia, for some time."

So chief Bogo was right about his hypothesis: Jack must've been trying to book the first transit outta Zootopia to try and avoid capture! He was planning on fleeing the city!

The male rabbit's voice demanded her attention once more, as he asked her a rather intuitive and sudden question that took her by surprise, admittedly.

"So, since this might be the last time I see you for a while," He grinned from ear to ear. "I was wondering if you'd like to share this lovely bottle of champagne with me?"

Judy wasn't quite so sure what to say this time around either: She didn't see anything too deceitful with enjoying a little bit of alcohol, though. And she was kind of thirsty.

"Sure! I don't see why not!" She claimed before reaching out for a glass.

She watched Jack as he gripped the bottle and shook it before popping off the cork, which in turn flew across the room, causing both rabbits to laugh profusely at the action. Jack poured Judy a full glass of the dew-colored drink. Unsurprisingly, Jack downed his before Judy had even taken her first five sips. Unlike her last experience drinking alcohol with Jack, she didn't recoil at the rancid taste of this drink: She hated scotch, but actually quite liked champagne and various kinds of wine.

All the while, both mammals reveled in idle and small-talk, ranging from all sorts of diverse topics and subjects. Judy began to notice the slight but gnawing symptoms of intoxication in both her and Jack: The male rabbit started to sway more heavily, with his ears drooping and his face relaxed, but wound up and ready to laugh at any moment, and Judy began to feel an almost nauseating feeling pulling at her chest, and a sense of drowsiness that she wasn't quite used to.

They weren't that inebriated, but certainly enough to see the very basest of effects.

Throughout the ordeal, Judy failed to notice how Jack continually refilled her glass with the titular drink.

Jack, however, had actually noticed Judy rubbing profusely at her neck and shoulders, as if they were aching in some way. Rising shakily from his side of the sofa, he trudged over behind Judy and leaned against the back of the couch, staring her down with intent as he questioned her for approval of his coming actions.

"Alaina, I noticed that you seem to be a little tense in the neck and shoulders area... You wouldn't mind if I were to lend my assistance, would you?" He asked.

Before Judy could formulate a coherent and relevant response to Jack's request, the male rabbit had already placed his paws upon Judy's shoulders, and had already started to knead his thumbs against her shoulder-blades. The female bunny felt her toes curl up in a pleasurable response to his gentle touch, but still felt rather uncomfortable.

"That feel good?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, it feels... good. But I think that's enough, thank you." Judy murmured in response.

Jack continued his massage all the same, eventually raising his paws up to her nape, which he pressed his thumbs into. Judy heard her own neck vertebrae pop suddenly.

"That's enough." Judy said more sternly, this time around.

The male rabbit relented, this time, releasing his hold on her neck before calmly pacing over to the front of the coach and rejoining his female counterpart.

"Sorry about that. But hey, don't forget that us rabbits know how to please other rabbits! You wouldn't get this out of anyone else, sweetheart."

"What, do you mean like an inter-species relationship?" Questioned Judy. Now, she was getting irritated. It was almost as if Jack was making fun of her. It set off a red flag.

Jack, on the other hand, grit his teeth and mentally cursed before shaking his head and donning his facade smile.

"Not exactly, my dear... I just think that there are very certain perks to being in a relationship within the boundaries of one's species... Like us rabbits, of course!"

Jack pat her hand, but his grip became harder - almost discomforting - with each passing millisecond.

"Jack, I don't think-" She began swiftly but was interrupted when the male rabbit asked a question of his own.

"So Alaina, do tell me: Why come here, of all places? You said you're from Bunny-Burrow, yes? I've seldom heard of does as intelligent and beautiful as yourself ever leaving the Burrows to search for work opportunity... It seems that culture really does get in the way, doesn't it? Most bunnies, does especially, will most often stay in the Burrows because they're maternally-competent and all that bullocks... So what brought you here, my dear?"

This was a rather touchy subject for Judy to consider at any time, really: She'd striven so hard to break the chains of the stereotypes and negative viewing that held down the bunny species as a whole. But most of her species, her own family included, just simply refuse to branch out and make themselves into something greater than what other mammals expected. For bucks back at the burrows, there was really only one option: Being a carrot farmer. It's even worse for does, who are both naturally and culturally expected to be a literal breeding machine; Churning out litter after litter of kits until you eventually found yourself drowning in a sea of buck-teeth and cottony fur.

Oh, she had her answer.

"Don't even get me started, Savage! I-I've been through so much to make people see me as something other than some carrot farming dumb bunny... Everyone thinks us rabbits are just that... Just carrot farming dumb bunnies. It really gets to me, especially since there are rabbits out there like you! You're so successful a-and smart and great at what you do!"

As she continued her tirade, Jack had seated herself next to her, and was listening with noticeable patience and intent. When she had calmed down and stopped talking, she slumped into the soft cushions of the couch: She felt weak and rather tipsy, but what was she to expect after drinking two full glasses of champagne?

"Alaina, I'm glad that you told me all this..." Jack began. "I know how you feel, I really do: It was difficult to get to the position of where I am today, and I had to relentlessly strive to attain my goals... Even going as far as to acquire rather questionable assets..."

"Questionable?" Judy slurred. She did not like the sound of that.

"Oh, never you mind, my dear. Just relax..." The male rabbit proposed, his honeyed words flowing over Judy sweetly and soothingly, effectively causing her body to relax.

As soon as she did, she noticed Jack scoot closer and put his paw on her thigh, which he squeezed and caressed in a tender and affectionate manner. He spoke aloud;

"I myself have never really considered the prospect of trying to find a mate of my own... I was always so busy, so determined and fortified. Besides, I wouldn't say many does find alcoholism very attractive, do they now? But then again, whenever those depressing thoughts find their way to my mind, I realize that you stayed: You've been with me this entire time, and we've done great business together, Alaina. Yet after all this time, I still feel as if I haven't repaid you proper for all the help that you've offered me."

Jack shook his head, trailing off. After a brief moment of silence, he resumed his explanation;

"I want to... To reward you, but I'd still say that there's a bit more to it than just that, in of itself."

"Just what, exactly?" Judy asked.

Without warning, Jack Savage grabbed Judy by her good paw and pulled her upright until their noses nearly touched. This action effectively shook Judy from her alcohol-induced drowsiness, but the effects were still there, as her arms still felt somewhat weak. Her crystalline purple eyes stared into Jack's piercing blue ones, and once again she saw that primal flicker of... something, in his eyes, deep inside and beneath his lavender irises.

"Oh, just this." The male bunny said before wrapping his paws around Judy's head and pulling her into a heated kiss.

Being their second kiss, Judy was shocked at his sudden action, but soon found herself lazily drifting away in the river of pleasure that had been leaking from the dam of her mind since day one. Judy's ears and eyelids drooped heavily, and she pushed back against Jack, driving her tongue deeper into his mouth, and relishing in the flavorful feeling of his tongue as it wrestled with hers.

Soon enough, Jack removed his mouth from hers and repositioned himself against her jaw-line, suckling at her fur and nibbling at her flesh... _Wait_...

Jack's bite, reminding her of Nick, had reinvigorated her sense of reason and ethos, which easily overpowered even the strongest of primal urges that she had buried within her.

It made her realize that this was wrong: So wrong.

Judy tried pushing him away, telling him to let it go.

"J-Jack, stop... _Stop_ , Jack!"

Her pleads were met upon deaf ears, as Jack did not relent: In fact, he seemed to press himself even harder against Judy, backing her against the sofa and holding her legs down with his own so that she couldn't flee or even move, for that matter. He started to get aggressive, even going as far as to bite her and hold her chest and arms down with his paws, restricting movement. Jack was larger and stronger than Judy, and top of the fact that the female bunny was disoriented and weakened from one too many drinks.

Jack momentarily lifted his head up from Judy's face, which he had been disgustingly licking and kissing at her nose, eyes and neck. He looked down at Judy and smiled, soon chuckling to himself and shaking his head back and fourth in a gesture akin to disappointment. Judy felt anger swell up in her chest, and she spat out in utter frustration;

"Get off of me _right now_! This isn't funny!"

The male rabbit just grinned. There was a look behind his eyes that sent a chill down Lucy's spine.

"Oh, Alaina... Did you really think I could resist myself? You are too good to let get away."

Judy nearly gasped: The locked door, the alcohol, the massage and the subtle hints... All of this was planned from the moment she walked in.

"I'll be going away for a while, and I probably won't even be coming back, in fact... I don't want to miss out on this opportunity... This feeling."

Jack slurred that last word of his as he pushed his chest against Judy's, closing the distance between the two of them.

"You filthy, no good, son of a-" Judy began, but was cut off when Jack tutted loudly, effectively silencing her.

"Now now, no need for profanity, here."

The female rabbit huffed and exhaled strongly as she analyzed her situation. She felt a gnawing pain rise up in her chest: She had trusted Jack, and came to his defense even past all of his faults. Yet here he was, trying to take advantage of her before he fled the city and went into hiding. If he was so desperate as to attempt this, he must have been planning to hide away for a long time. It also must have meant that Vladzotz was hot on his tail. Like Jack said, he didn't want to miss out on this rare new opportunity.

"Why, Jack?" Judy stifled, trying hard to keep the anger in her from coming out hard. "I trusted you, even when everyone else didn't!"

"Just give me this, and we can forget everything..."

He mumbled off lazily as he went in for another kiss.

Judy managed to pry away one of her paws from his grab, and mustering what little strength she could, socked the male rabbit in the face, causing him to recoil, but still maintained his solid grip atop her. Judy squirmed beneath his weight, but was incapable of throwing him off of her. Jack, rubbing at his jaw tenderly, looked down at Judy with a look of loathing and lust, and perhaps even a small amount of pity.

Jack growled and raised his right paw, back-handing Judy across the face a single time, causing the female bunny to briefly fade into blackness before returning to the light.

"Know your place!" He snarled before plunging his lips against hers and groping at her chest and sides.

Judy tried biting and even spitting at him in an effort to dissuade or stop him, but all of her attempts were in vain. Her sensitive ears detected a terrifying noise: Jack undoing the zipper and button to his midnight black slacks. The female bunny rubbed her thighs together and tried to compress her haunches in an attempt to kick him off of her, but at the moment, Jack had her nearly immobilized: He was larger and stronger than her. The male bunny pushed the female's shoulders down onto the couch in submission.

"Oh no you don't! Get off me!" Judy growled before screaming Nick's name in a much louder tone of voice. "NICK!"

She didn't care if she jeopardized their undercover identities: But for as much as she wanted to see Nick bust down the door and come to her aid, she realized that not only was the door locked, but she was dozens of floors above him, and this entire level was private and sectioned off from the public: No help would be coming. Not anytime soon.

The female was about to let loose another scream when Jack clamped one of his paws across her mouth, silencing her. He leaned down and hissed into her ear;

"No need to be screaming now, Alaina... It's just you and me, so do us both a favor and save your breath."

 _Yeah, I don't think so_ , _Jack!_ Judy thought to herself.

She then bit down on one of Jack's fingers, immediately tasting blood in her mouth as he pulled away, anger marking his face. He raised his paw in an attempt to hit her again, but Judy moved her head, causing Jack to miss and swing his momentum forward, loosening the amount of weight on Judy's lower body: That was just what she needed.

The female bunny shifted her powerful legs and quickly placed her feet against Jack's chest, which she kicked as hard as she could, effectively knocking the male bunny off of her and onto the coffee-table, which collapsed beneath his weight. Judy instantly shot to her feet, kicking Jack in the face with a satisfying crunch as he tried to haul himself to his feet, only to fall back and land on the pile of glass shards and wooden table legs.

Knowing that he wouldn't be going anywhere, Judy immediately bolted for the exit and sprinted out of Jack's office, down the hall-way and to the elevator section, where she reared around a corner and came into sight with Nick, dressed in his regular undercover-issued clothing, walking down the hall alongside officer Howlerton, one of the wolves from Precinct One.

"Nick!" Was all that she bothered to say before she tackled the gray-colored fox to the ground, sliding a good 3 feet before friction stopped them in their tracks.

"Whoa, whoa, what's goin' on, carrots?" Nick asked, his reaction that of worry and confusion to his mate's distraught attitude.

He patted her head and rubbed her ears with affection, listening with intent to her harrowing cries and her cracking voice as she tried to speak, but to no avail. In the end, all she could do was raise her paw and point in the direction that she had came from. Howlerton pulled Nick and Judy to their feet before all three mammals, including the sobbing bunny, made their way down the hall-way and into Jack's room.

Officer Howlerton went inside first, stepping in and looking around cautiously for any signs of activity. Nick called out from behind, still oblivious to the event that had nearly transpired in this very room just a few minutes ago.

"Jack Savage, this is the ZPD! Show yourself!" Nick shouted, but was met with no immediate response. "Jack! Where are you?"

"Here!" The voice of the male bunny screamed from the fox's left.

There was a loud crashing sound, and the wolf immediately fell to the ground with bits of glass and drops of blood dotting the fur on his head: He had been knocked out cold.

From behind one of the doors, Jack Savage emerged with a broken bottle neck, which he dropped to the ground upon seeing the fox and rabbit. The male bunny turned tail and ran all the way over to his office desk, which he positioned himself behind in a futile effort to distance himself from the two officers.

"Felix?!" Jack cried out. "What is this?!"

"Sorry Savage, but you got the wrong guy... I'm officer Nick Wilde, and this is officer Judy Hopps," He said pulling Judy to her feet. "And _you're_ under arrest."

"What?! No! That's not possible! Y-You're the bloody office c-coordinator, on the lower floor!" Jack sputtered, his eyes widened in disbelief and denial.

"Reality hurts, Savage. I don't know what you did to scare Judy so much, but I swear I'll strangle you with these paw-cuffs if you get any bright ideas!"

Jack sunk to his knees and slowly raised his arms above his head.

Approaching him from the front, Nick cleared his throat out loud and began the usual;

"You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law!" Nick said as he approached the rabbit, but a flicker of movement in the distance made him stop in his tracks altogether. Outside the window, right behind Jack, Nick saw a dark shape growing in size. There was something oddly familiar about it.

 _Wait a minute... Didn't the chief mention that Flappy-Bat was supposed to be here?_ The fox thought to himself

He only had enough time to duck and cover when the window-panel behind the male rabbit exploded in a shower of glass shards.

After the carnage had subsided, Nick looked up from the couch that he had ducked behind, and felt himself shudder as he saw what rose from the pile of glass.

Apparently, Vladzotz decided that now was just the perfect time to crash their arrest of Jack Savage. With his fur still colored gray, Nick had a silent and pitiful hope that perhaps the bat wouldn't recognize him. Vladzotz did a full body shiver, sending bits of glass pieces flying around the vicinity. What on earth was _this_ cartoon character of a mammal doing here, especially now? Jack must have alerted Vladzotz again sometime after their last meeting, urging the bat to come here on his own terms to deal with the rabbit personally. Thankfully, he hadn't noticed Nick, as of yet. The fox's tranquilizer trembled in his paw, but he was too stunned to bother using it. Instead, he silently watched.

The bat reached down and pulled Jack's shaking form from beneath his own desk before he tossed the rabbit to the side and snarled;

"You made a promise, and I made you one as well, Savage." He began with a wheeze. "You betrayed my trust once before, but now, your knavery has cost us EVERYTHING!"

"There's no n-need to be jumping to c-conclusions, old fri-" Jack stammered, but was stopped when Vladzotz interrupted him with his own defiant shout;

"I AM _NOT_ YOUR FRIEND, _VERMIN_!" Was as far as the bat could manage before breaking down into a fit of wheezing and raspy coughs. He quickly recomposed himself.

"Your sloppiness has cost us our entire operation! It's all-your-fault!" Vlad jabbed one of his freakishly long talons into Jack's chest, emphasizing each word individually.

"N-No no! W-we can recover from this, Vlad!" Jack hastily assured, tugging at his collar. "I've got more plans, a-and this is just a minor setback and a simple operational-"

Vladzotz took a large step closer, causing Jack to whimper and halving the distance between him and the stuttering rabbit, all while growling harshly beneath his breath.

"I-I still have Ratsputin's endorsement! That c-counts for something, right?" Jack swallowed hard. "With a little bit of time, I'm sure the three of us could-"

"No more lies, no more trickery, and no hard feelings, Savage... After all, it's just _good business_." Vladzotz said as he raised his arm and prepared to strike.

"WAIT! VLADZOTZ, STOP!" Nick found himself ordering the bat to relent in his assault.

Thankfully, the bat lowered his arms and turned away from Jack, but unfortunately, now had his full attention on Nick and Judy. There was no communication between any of the mammals in the room for a few short seconds, though each tick of the clock felt like an entire century in the mind of the fox. The bat had a surprised look on his face, as though his brain was still trying to register Nick's sudden appearance. He definitely hadn't seen him when he first broke in. Closing his eyes, Nick reached into the pocket on his breast, and pulled out the one thing that he had carried with him every day since the beginning of this whole mess. Truthfully, he was amazed that he still had it with him.

Held gingerly by the chain with two of his fingers, Nick carefully took a step forward, the locket dangling like a hypnotic stopwatch. Nick saw Vladzotz's single red eye widen, and his facial expression soften to that of confusion and bewilderment. Reasoning that he wouldn't need to get close to the psychopath to give him back his locket, Nick tossed the locket with an underhand, hoping that Vlad would catch it. Instead, it plopped to the floor carelessly at the bat's feet. Nick cursed himself, forgetting that Vladzotz's eyesight was probably bad enough on it's own, but now having to deal with depth perception issues due to only having one eye probably didn't do him any favors.

But still, Vladzotz reacted the way that Nick hoped he would: He reached down and plucked the locket from the carpet floor, holding it directly in front of his single eye, and opening the pendant, in which he stared into for a solid count of ten before turning his attention back to Jack Savage, who was still sniveling pitifully on the floor at his feet.

" _You_!" The bat clamped his talons around the rabbit's throat, lifting him off the ground and to his own eye-level. "Change of plans, scum! You'll be going with _them_ now!"

At that, Vlad literally threw Jack towards the two officers like a rag-doll, causing the male rabbit to plow into the carpet floor, face-planting and sliding a good few feet before coming to a halt directly at Nick's toes.

"Hopefully, prison will be _equally_ as hellish as death for you, Savage. I've killed plenty in my day, but you will serve as a _living_ epitaph to all whose ego goes unchecked!"

Nick locked eyes with Vladzotz for a moment, and although no words were passed between the two, an infinite amount of understanding seemed to flow through them both.

Vladzotz tucked his locket into his breast pocket, which appeared to be located directly over his heart.

"Another time, fox." He sneered before turning around, leaping from the window and taking to the rising sun of the morning sky, gone from sight and mind.

Immediately, Nick raced to the broken window's edge and pointed his tranquilizer outward, hoping for a good shot on the retreating vampire bat. But he was already gone.

Nick took a few seconds to breath in deeply before whirling around, facing Judy, who had distanced herself from the stirring body of Jack, who was still writhing on the ground at Nick's feet. The male rabbit lifted his head up and eyed the scene around him, taking in the sight of the fox holding a tranquilizer dart to his head most of all.

"Stay down, rabbit. It's over: You've lost." Nick told the male bunny the bitter truth before cuffing him and dragging him away from the piles of broken glass and furniture.

The fox walked up to Judy and embraced her in a tight but brief hug, rubbing her shoulder effectively before turning his attention towards officer Howlerton, who had just begun to wake from his glass-nap; Clutching at his head and shaking the bits of bottle from the fur on his head. Nick and Judy immediately helped him to his feet, and smiled directly at one another as Howlerton made the final call back to the ZPD head-quarters, notifying them of the success of their latest mission, all after months of hard work.

"This is officer Howlerton at the arrest scene with officers Hopps and Wilde... Yeah, they're alright, Clawhauser. Can't say the same for Savage over here, though."

Chuckling, the wolf trailed off before resuming his explanation;

"We'll bring 'im back to the station. I have a feeling that he's got a _lot_ of explaining to do."

* * *

10:56 A.M

Neither fox nor bunny had returned to the ZPD HQ that afternoon.

While officer Howlerton had taken Jack in cuffs back to the station, instead, the two tiny officers immediately went home: Not to the hotel that had become their only home for all of that time... They went to their actual one, where they had first broken the boundary between species and became mates with one another.

That had been a beautiful memory, but the weight of Judy's recent experience held heavy over her heart...

She told Nick of everything, sparing no detail to the winds, and she spoke until her voice could say no more, and it cracked beneath the pressure of her guilt. Nick warmly embraced Judy and comforted her until her tears had dried and her words had smoothed out once again. For hours on end they simply clung to one another, their combined body heat drying away the bunny's tear-stained fur until nothing was left but her own hope and optimism.

They spent the rest of that day in each other's arms; Talking, sleeping, and even watching a few movies... But they did not let go a single time.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Wow... This was a surprisingly dark chapter, wasn't it? Do please tell me your thoughts on my latest chapter: It would be most appreciated! :D**

 **Hooray! Final chapter for the Savage (3rd) arc! And what a way to end it, in-deed! Fear not though, for I have concluded that a 5th arc will be on it's way, focusing around the repercussions of the 4th, and bringing to light new topics, brand new and interesting characters, and a whole new plot for your prying eyes to enjoy!**

 **And yes, I promise the next chapter(s) won't be this dark: It takes place about a week after the events of this chapter, and in fact, I have it planned to be perhaps the lightest of all the chapters I've introduced as of yet, with even more fluff than chapter 30 and chapter 7! Stay tuned for that! :D**

 **That's all I really have for now, I suppose.**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: Please, for the sake of consideration, I hope that none of you find the contents in this chapter to be offensive or targeting in any way: Assault in any way, shape, or form is serious and completely horrific. I'm not trying to bring awareness to anything, but just do keep that in mind, my friends.**

 **Lastly, I'd also like to add one more thing before I bid you all adieu: I assure you, I did not add that moment between Jack and Judy to fuel some pitiful 'drama' junk or anything like that. It is meant to serve as a very emotional and frightening scene, displaying the true darkness behind Jack's character (Hence the title of the chapter and the quote that comes along with it), and to serve as one final development point between Nick and Judy.**

 **I hope you all can see that too, and I'll see you in the 5th arc! :D**

 **PPS: Just for shits and giggles, I've decided to answer this one interesting question that a a few of you have brought up before. I have been asked multiple times as to why Shahaz was carrying rocks and pebbles in his pockets, and to that, I ave a surprisingly simple answer, actually. As I mentioned in chapter 39, pangolin don't have teeth and fully functioning jaws, as a matter of fact. Since they don't have teeth, they can't chew they're food (insects), and instead have to swallow tiny stones to help grind up whatever food they eat.**

 **I figured it would be a nice touch for Shahaz to be carrying around some rocks of his own! :)**


	38. Borealis

"Old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read." - Athenaeus

* * *

Every new day is another chance to forget what the past has wrought.

Some live by this ideology almost daily: Mindlessly moving on from one day to the next, completely oblivious to the powers that be.

It is only the few who take the time to remember their past, whether it be of grievance or joy, and reignite a sense of appreciation that can stand a chance in this world.

Nick and Judy had been through hell and high water throughout their time together, but neither has ever left the other hanging in _any_ situation without reassurance or comfort. They've supported each-other day in and day out, no matter what the cause, _or_ the effects it had. The ugly truth was that Judy would never forget what took place that morning: It was simply an unforgettable experience, but _far_ from being such in a good way.

But in the end, Nick's consistent heartening and ever-so warm embrace carried away her grievances and her sorrows, leaving nothing but new ground to tap, and new opportunities to nature and grow, until full and pleasant memories blossom up, completely blocking out the horrors of the past.

Ignorance is bliss, and for as much as Judy wished that she could forever erase those horrible nightmares, she knew deep down that they were lessons to be learnt and to be cherished. Thus, she chiseled these dark moments of hers in the stone of her mind, making them law; Forever to be remembered for the threat they posed and the lesson they taught.

After the tears had been dried and the heart had returned once again, Nick and Judy settled down for the day, intent on keeping to no one but themselves: They clung to one another for hours on end, thinking, talking, remembering, laughing, and yes, even crying.

Hours had passed since the two mammals arrived back in the first place. Eventually, a whole new evening came to be, in which they spent sleeping away their troubles, perhaps snuggling closer than ever before in a reassurance of their sympathy and understanding. Nick dreamt of Judy, and Judy dreamt of Nick; Both contexts only further strengthening their trust in themselves and one another.

More time passed, morning came and went as it always did, and now; Noontime the next day, the two tiny officers were at last ready to make the trip to the ZPD, where they will confront Bogo with the reasoning behind their temporary absence, and perhaps even learn more about what happened to Jack Savage and Shahaz.

As much as it pained her to come to terms with it, Judy knew that she'd have to face Jack again in the future, whether it be at an interrogation at head-quarters, or to provide witness testimony at his inevitable court trial.

Jack never did get away with his crimes, but his attempt would forever leave a mark on Judy that would heal in the end, but never truly be anything less than a scar.

* * *

The water-buffalo's face was nothing short of astonishment personified ever since the start of the rabbit's story.

Her words were bitter but true, and as Judy explained her predicament from the previous night, she noticed Bogo's expression change multiple times throughout the ordeal, ranging from bewilderment, anger, disgust, and empathy above all else. Nick stood right next to her the entire way through, his paw on her shoulder every step of the way.

The two mammals, after taking the time to arrive at the ZPD head-quarters, had immediately went to the chief so as to explain the reasons behind their absence and their sudden reappearance. They had entered his office and jumped up onto his guest chair, and promptly began telling their story, each from the perspectives of both mammals involved, fox and bunny alike.

When the tale had been concluded, Bogo was speechless: His muzzle hanging slightly agape in awe and trepidation, though no words came forth from within.

Finally, he gathered his bearings and spoke his mind out to Nick and Judy, who stood quiet and patient as they awaited their response.

"You're too good for us, Hopps. I truly don't understand what that must have been like, though I will give you my earnest support and condolences as needed." He muttered.

"Thank you, Chief." The bunny paused to sniff. "Thank you so much."

"That being said, I think it's safe to say that you two have certainly earned your keep," Bogo rose from his chair. "One week, paid vacation. Dismissed."

The bunny momentarily blinked her eyes a single time in apprehension. Her head stayed still and simply listened as chief Bogo made his way across the length of his office, and open the door, preparing to leave.

"W-wait, Chief Bogo!" Judy called out, causing the buffalo to turn slowly and eye her with disinterest. "What do you mean?" She asked with a quizzical expression.

"Exactly what I said, officer. _One_ week; _paid_ vacation. You both have earned it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some questioning to accomplish for our one, Jack Savage."

With an audible and breathy grunt, chief Bogo nodded to the fox and bunny before turning tail and exiting the room, his fists balled, pacing in the direction of the ZPD jailhouse.

The fox and bunny jumped down from the too-large chair that they were standing in, landing on the carpet floor with audible pattering noises. They too then exited the chief's office, both glass-eyed and wondering what they'd just gotten themselves in to.

"Did Chief Buffalo-Butt just say... _P_ _aid_ vacation?" Nick asked with arched eyebrows and a growing grin.

"That's what _I_ heard." Judy mumbled before turning to Nick with a confused look on her white-colored face. "What's a vacation?"

The fox simply rolled his eyes and huffed out of his mouth before responding.

"Yeah, and you call _me_ the joker, huh?" Nick listened to Judy's snickers as he ruffled the fur on her head. " _So_... What now, then?"

Judy seemed to take a moment to ponder the thought. After a few short seconds, she looked up to the fox with an excited sort of smile and gave him her answer.

"I don't know about you, but I'm getting kind of tired of having white fur..." She said rubbing her paws together. "Let's go get _stylized_ , shall we?"

Her last comment was laced with a flamboyant undertone to provide a sense of emphasis and color, and to which Nick donned his favored half-lidded smirk in response.

"I dunno, I'm starting to like being gray! And you don't look half-bad in white, yourself!" The fox stated teasingly.

"Save the jokes for another time, slick... After all, we've got the _entire_ week to ourselves! I say we start by getting our old fur color back!" The bunny retorted with vigor.

"Alright, alright, you got me, fluff butt." Nick claimed. "I agree with ya, because as much as I like you in white, It'll _never_ beat your old gray fur, cotton-tail."

"Great! You ready to go get _stylized_?" Judy repeated with that same sense of glamour.

"Why yes... Yes I am..." Nick said with a coyish wink.

The two mammals then made their way back to the very same room that they had started their undercover mission in, all those weeks ago. But only this time, they were intent on reverting _back_ to the past, as often as it should be done.

* * *

1:22 P.M

"Oh man, feel that Judy?" The fox asked the bunny while breathing in deeply through his nostrils. "Now _this_ is _natura_ l! No more dyes, no more contacts, no more nothin'!"

After going through a painstakingly boring and long wash of dye-remover gel in the undercover-stylist room, the efforts of fox and bunny alike concluded with their indigenous fur colors returning once again; With Nick now back to his russet orange tinge, and Judy reverting to her own gray-colored hue. It was a nostalgic experience, _especially_ after having their entire identities changed and altered over the course of their mission.

The stress had been real and unrelenting, but now; It was time for rest and rejoice, for their operation was over, and Jack Savage was rightfully behind bars.

After having their dye washed away, and all the horrors that came with their operation right along with it, both mammals excused themselves from the ZPD head-quarters, making sure to briefly stop by Clawhauser's receptions desk to say hello. While they were there, he informed the two of them about the ZPD's most recent information regarding the Savage case. Apparently, Jack was still being held somewhere in the head-quarters jail-house, and was currently awaiting trial. The Sahara-Square Sundries was overturned for what it really was, Jack's company was still running smoothly, even without it's fair leader, and Shahaz had even been offered a reduced sentence for providing an accomplice testimony, and informing the ZPD of his work and actions alongside Jack and Vladzotz. Nick was pleased to hear that last fact, as even though the titular pangolin wasn't exactly on his 'buddy list' or anything like that, he still had some shred of respect for him one way or another, and knowing that his cooperation didn't go without reward was a pleasant and reassuring fact to hear.

Upon leaving the ZPD head-quarters, (And changing into their casual attire) the two mammals found themselves pacing towards the Zootopian transit station. Judy herself had rather found memories of the place, as it was the location of her first and perhaps most awe-inspiring moment in the city, when she had rode the train all the way from Bunny-Burrow, taking in the sights along the way.

Nick wasn't a very avid or frequent traveler, despite the fact that his new career as a police officer often led him to far off and backwater places that even _he_ had never been to. His time on the streets throughout the many years of his life had led him to many places around the city and it's districts, but in truth, he only went where the money was: The down-town area, along with Savannah-Central was the highest potential host of profits, given the massive amount of foot-traffic that both areas had, thus, it was the area where he spent the most time in.

So in the end, whenever Nick traveled, it wasn't with the intent on exploration or the endeavor of learning: It was always about the money. He rarely used the monorail or transit system that the city had in place, as in the past, he had most frequently gotten around by either walking or hitching a ride in his buddy Finnick's van. He never took the time to sit back and truly appreciate the brilliant world that he lived in.

Judy's arrival changed that, along with pretty much everything else about him.

Now that he had the time, energy, and effort to do so, he gladly took to accompanying Judy as they made their way towards the transit station, both wondering what they intended on doing for the next week. Both had the idea and intent on doing at least _some_ exploring, so now the only question left was where: In a vibrant city with many unique and diverse locations, where should one go to enjoy themselves?

That was the question on both of their minds, but Nick believed that he had the answer to it.

"Oh gosh, so many things to see... Where do we wanna go, Nick?" Judy murmured before turning around and facing Nick, who was eyeing the map-board in front of him.

The fox and bunny, upon arriving at the grand central station, had decided to take the time to look over one of the large-scale maps that were posted around the area. They scanned over it, wondering what their chosen destination would be. After a brief time looking over it, Nick spotted one little spot on the far north-east corner of the map, nearly in the very vertex of the corner: The large body of water that bordered Tundra-Town, the Polar Strait, and inside of it, the large white dot that represented the Morzh-Iceblock.

Suddenly, a very expansive and intricate idea came to the fox: He knew where he wanted to go.

"Carrots, check this place out over here!" He said to her as he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her onto his shoulders.

" _Oh_!" Judy squeaked at Nick's sudden action, but soon relaxed when she had settled herself atop his shoulders.

"Alright shorty, look at this!" Nick requested, jutting his index finger out towards the Morzh-Iceblock. "We should go there... Seems like a pretty cool place to visit, no?"

The bunny squinted her eyes and leaned her head forward to get a better look at Nick's presented location.

"The... _Morzh Ice-block_?" She read aloud. "What's so special about there, huh?" She asked, looking down at the fox whom carried her.

"Well, I've never been there, so I couldn't exactly tell you, but I've heard of it before... It's this big iceberg out in the Polar Strait, and from what I hear, it's a pretty neat thing to sight-see at. Besides, I think we could spare a visit to Tundra-Town: It's the most refreshing place around in comparison to all these other summer-soaked districts. Wouldn't hurt to cool off a bit, would it?"

Judy seemed to ponder that idea for a short while. Soon enough, she looked down once more and gave him her answer.

"No..." She smirked, watching Nick's smile vanish before she finished her reply. "It certainly _wouldn't_ hurt to visit... Let's go!"

She then lept from Nick's shoulders and landed a few feet away, grabbing him by the paw and beginning to pull him away from the sign. He hesitated and called out to her;

"Hey fluff-butt, aren't you forgetting something?"

"What am I forgetting, hmm?" Judy briefly halted and almost caused Nick to plow into her from behind.

"Oh, you bunnies... _Always_ so forgetful. As if being dumb wasn't enough..."

"Hey now, don't make me change my mind about going anywhere with you, slick!" She placed her paws on her hips. "So what'd I forget, hmm?"

"First rule of Tundra-Town, Judy: _Always_ bring coats!" Nick stated.

"But we have our own _natural_ fur coats, Nick... Besides, it's summer! I doubt it'll be _too_ chilly..."

"Good point, but it doesn't matter if it's summer or not... Not if we plan on staying overnight..." The fox retorted.

"Overnight?" Judy repeated, her words laced with apprehension and curiosity.

"Yeah, overnight." Nick confirmed. "There's somethin' I wanna show you while we're there... It only happens at night, and can only be seen from Tundra-Town, really."

"Oh, that's cool! What is it you wanna show me?" The bunny questioned, her curiosity suddenly piqued. In response, the fox only shook his head in disapproval.

"Ah ah ah, whiskers! I ain't gonna tell ya just yet, and I promise that it's for your own good. Besides, you'll see when we get there! And as for the overnight part, trust me: It doesn't matter if it's summer or not, when night falls, Tundra-Town becomes even _more_ of an ice-box, and I didn't even think it was possible! So yeah, we're gonna need coats."

'Alright, fine..." The bunny grumbled, disappointed that she would have to wait to find out about the thing Nick wanted to show her. "It better be worth the wait, though..."

"Don't worry, it _really_ is, I promise!" The fox reassured her, rubbing her shoulder in a tender gesture. He thought that it was just _the_ cutest thing whenever she pouted.

"Now, I think we should have enough time to run back home and get some more winter-formal clothes... The next tram doesn't leave for another twenty minutes!" He added.

* * *

2:03 P.M

The main and centralized township in the center of the district was the frigid maw of Tundra-Town; The place where all visitors went through if they wanted to further explore the district. After barely making it back to the grand central station in time to catch their train, the bunny and fox promptly boarded and made their way to the sight-seeing deck, where passengers could stare out the domed windows as the train traveled across the city. Judy remembered her first time riding in the train, and how she had spent the entire ride to the city listening to Gazelle, watching with awe as the landscape roll by.

This ride was _much_ shorter than the one that Judy had been through all those years ago, but no less enjoyable: She and Nick stood inside the domed compartment, eyeing the ever-changing landscape as it whirred by at top speed. They pointed out structures to one another, ranging from the Natural-History Museum where they had had their first true case solved (with the help of some blueberries, of course), to the towering heights of the Sahara-Square's Grand Palm Hotel. As the giant metal tree faded into the background as the train continued onward into the Canyon-Lands, Nick watched it as it disappeared behind a sand dune. He considered the idea of perhaps taking Judy to the hotel sometime soon on their paid-vacation, and getting themselves a nice room where they could relax and indulge themselves in each-other's company.

That thought put a smile on the fox's russet-colored muzzle.

He then looked over to Judy, who was still staring outside the window, eyeing the rolling dunes and rock formations as the train whizzed past. His emerald eyes traced her form, starting from the bunny's padded feet, which connected to her cotton-Lycra wrapped legs. He smiled at the sight of her fluffy tail, which twitched slightly as the bunny continued to stare out the window. Raising his line of sight, Nick noted how her denim jacket cut off around her naval, giving it that 'too-short' sort of look. Beneath her jacket, she wore a purple and skin-tight sweater, which clung tight against her breast and stomach. Overall, the fox thought that it was a very cute look for her.

Nick looked down at his own outfit, which was virtually the same as usual, with the exception being that he had quickly thrown on an orange-checkered sweater over his floral shirt.

Eventually, the train slipped into one of the tunnels inside the giant wall of the air-conditioning unit; Darkness overtaking the train momentarily, the light at the end of the tunnel growing ever wider. Soon enough, a blinding flash of light accompanied the train's entrance into Tundra-Town, where the sudden flash of the sun caused both mammals to briefly shut their eyes.

When they reopened, they were met with the site of the frosty outskirts of Tundra-Town, where vast, rolling fields of snow and sleet stretched for what seemed like miles in all directions. The occasional cottage, and even some of those strangely shaped blizzard-pods were all passed by the train, which plowed head-on into a clump of snow that had gathered on the tracks, sending ice spraying across the windows. Looking out to the right, the bunny could see the Verglas Taiga; An expansive and snowy alpine forest, with hundreds of snow-glazed trees dotting the sloping landscape.

Using her paws to rub away at the slick condensation that had been accumulating inside the train's windows, Judy noticed that the train was now passing over the simply-named Icy Lake, which itself connected to the much larger Polar Strait. Looking out of the windows, Nick smirked at the idea of such a poorly named body of water.

"Gee, ya think that they could've put a _little_ more effort into the name, huh?" He asked the bunny, who shrugged before refocusing her attention to the landscape outside.

Nick decided to follow in Judy's footsteps, and thus spared another drawn-out glance outside himself. The train had apparently passed over the Icy Lake, and was now following continuing to follow the elevated monorail tracks, which were now situated above a large town, where the glowing-blue and ice-capped buildings were crowned with swirling and glassy domes. Nick couldn't help but think that they looked almost like swirled ice-cream, and decided to point it out to his mate.

"What _is_ it with Tundra-Town and the onion-domes? What's so special about having spiral rooftops?" His more cynical side led him to identify.

"You know, now that you mention it..." Judy stared, her paw rubbing at her chin and her eyes flicking to the ground. "I _really_ don't know. That's weird."

Pursing his lips, Nick looked back outside and watching as the train took a sudden turn to the left, continuing down a round-about that slowly lowered them closer to the ground. Sparing a glance at the direction that the train _didn't_ take, Nick could see that it continued for a ways before vanishing inside the opposing air-conditioned wall that they had entered through, no doubt exiting into the Rainforest-District.

Soon enough, the train came to a stop at the Tundra-Town central station, where the fox and bunny disembarked from the tram and took their first few steps in Tundra-Town.

"Welcome to Tundra-Town!" The fox loudly said as he threw his arms to the air, earning the attention of a few pedestrians. "Best place to be during summer, if you ask me!"

"It's not like we haven't been here before, Nick..." She said rolling her eyes and grinning. "And I don't think anyone was asking you, really."

Nick feigned utter disbelief as he positioned his paw over his heart, as if he were going through cardiac arrest.

"You wound me, Whiskers! _That's_ no way to treat your favorite fox!"

"It is if you're being stupid." The bunny mumbled, lightly elbowing Nick in the sternum at the same time.

"I'm the _sentient embodiment_ of all things stupid, you know." Nick joked.

"Don't remind me." Judy mumbled teasingly, grabbing Nick by one of his paws and pulling him along through the station.

Both mammals took the time to observe their new surroundings. Most of they're adventures into Tundra-Town had been done via road, so neither of them could safely say that they've ever set foot in this particular station. It wasn't quite as large as the Grand-Central station back in Savannah-Central, and it wasn't quite as adapted to suite the varying sizes of incoming mammals: Most of the stuff around was caribou and polar-bear sized, as they were among the largest percentage of mammals that lived in the snowy district.

The two mammals exited the station through a large, oval-shaped opening at the front of the station, which emptied out into the town that they had driven over earlier in the monorail. Nick and Judy descended the steps and gazed around at the buildings that surrounded them.

Many of the buildings were connected at the sides, with sloping staircases raised to the front entrances. They were all blue-white in coloration, with the bricks and plaster shining in their frosted coatings. Some of the buildings were cathedral-like in structure, with thin stained-glass windows lining the bricks, and intricate designs carved into the walls and painted on the doors. The domed roof-tops were all caked with powdery snow, and long, pointed icicles sprouted from whatever edge they could find hold on. The few buildings and roof-tops that _weren't_ capped with onion-shaped spirals were pointy and elongated, often crowned with glowing stars or snow-flake shaped caps of cold ice.

Running through the center of the street was a large stream, where pedestrians stood atop ice-floe as they drifted down the rivulet, no doubt for a faster travel experience. Plenty of mammals were trudging through the snow-lain sidewalks as they went about their day, ranging from tiny arctic-hares to over-sized and brooding white polar-bears.

Upon reaching the bottom step, Judy promptly lept forward, thinking that she would land easily on the snow-covered side-walk, but instead sank up to her waist in the snow. She scrunched up her shoulders and stifled a groan as the cold and wet snow caused her body to go stiff and rigid.

"C-C- _Cold_!" The bunny muttered through chattering teeth. "N-Nick! Help me out!"

Chuckling lowly to himself as he did, Nick planted his feet on the ground and grabbed Judy's paw, pulling her out of the snow. He lifted her up and held her in his arms, classic bridal-style. The bunny squirmed in his grasp and gave him a pouting glare.

"I can handle myself, fox! You don't have to carry me around like some kit, you know!"

Nick just smirked at her, relishing in the amusement of having to drag his mate along through the snow.

"You sure about that, short-stuff" He teased with a crooked grin. "Because last I checked, you didn't even make it two feet before you sank up to your waist in the snow."

"Oh just put me down, you jerk! I can handle the side-walk. It's wasn't even that deep anyway, mind you!"

Snickering to himself, the fox decided against dropping the bunny into the freezing stream, and instead set her on her feet against the sleet-coated sidewalk. Thanks to their padded and claws feet, the majority of the mammals that lived in Tundra-Town had little to no trouble gripping the oftentimes slick surface of the sidewalk. Neither fox nor bunny had such troubles, and soon enough they were on their way.

They didn't exactly have any major plans in mind for their current moment, as they both knew that they had the rest of the day to check out the Morzh Ice-block, so they simply took to strolling around the town, taking in the many things to see and do. For some time, they stopped at a large pond, and using some fishing-poles that they had rented, decided to try out ice-fishing. Neither of them were very good at it, and after a full half-hour, the only thing they ended up catching was one tiny fish, no bigger than one of Judy's fingers. Thankfully for the fish, they ended up throwing it back into the water.

"Live another day, my child." Nick added as he watched the thing swim away and disappear into the frigid, watery depths of the pond.

Soon enough, they returned their borrowed fishing poles and continued walking around the area. Being the fact that it was summer-time in Zootopia, the beaming rays of the sun provided an ample amount of visage and warmth to both mammals, who enjoyed themselves despite the still-freezing climate of Tundra-Town. It was certainly a refreshing experience to be able to get away from the heat of the Savannah-Central and Sahara-Square, which happened to be where both mammals spent most of their time both on the job and by themselves.

Eventually, the two mammals left the urbanized area and entered a sort of park, almost. Soft fields of snow stretched out in all directions, and the side-walk that they strolled on was flanked by the occasional light-post and bench. Still, they continued walking for some time, eventually coming across a direction-sign that pointed in multiple directions. One of the arrows jutted out slightly to the right, and from where they were standing, was pointing toward the distance at an approximate two o'clock angle.

 _Morzh Ice-block_

"Nick, look at the sign!" The bunny called out to the fox, earning his attention. "That's the direction we need to go!"

"Gee, I can't believe we've walked all this way already... My feet are cold and aching!" Nick complained.

"Oh, quit your whining, slick. We've came this far already, so we might as well finish strong, right?"

"You and your determination... Fine, let's finish _strong_ , shall we?" The fox said with a smirk and half-lidded eyes.

Fox and bunny continued down the path in the direction of the Iceberg, which went on for a fair amount of time. As they went, they discussed idle and minor things, paw-in-paw as they approached a small forest. The side-walk winded down in between the many trees, which towered over the two mammals like sky-scrapers. After spending all that time back in Tundra-Town's central township, _and_ walking down through the Arctic Fields to get to where they were now, Nick was starting to notice that the sun was sinking ever lower over the sky-line, causing the landscape to dim slightly, and exposing the darkness of the opposing horizon.

"We should probably pick up the pace, fluff... We don't wanna be caught out here when night falls, especially since there's still a few more places we have to visit here."

"Right, and you need to-" Judy trailed off when her ears suddenly shot up, her nose twitching slightly and her arms being raised to her sides in prey-based response.

"Uh, somethin' wrong, carrots?" The fox questioned quizzically.

" _Hmm_? Oh, nothing's wrong!" The bunny claimed in her defense before raising her paw and pointing into the distance. "I just think that I see our destination!"

Raising his line of sight to where Judy was pointing to, Nick could see the snow-covered ground lower in elevation and slope, eventually coming to the brink of a watery basin, which was no doubt the edge of the Polar Strait. The frosty waters were clouded in thin and cold mist, which also blanketed in patches around the icy beach that the fox and bunny were now walking across.

"There it is!" Nick pointed out. "I guess that's the Ice-block..."

A few dozen yards out, floating buoyant on the surface of the Polar Strait was a massive iceberg, with thick and towering walls of ice that rose high into the air. It was almost blue in coloration, which meant that the ice was _really_ dense. From the sides of the berg and even from beneath the water rose thick and shining splinters of ice; Large spikes that jutted out in every direction, gleaming almost menacingly in the sunlight as it streamed through and around the ice.

"Wow... It's beautiful." Judy murmured with widened eyes, taking in the sight of the shining iceberg all the while.

"Yep. Beautiful in an ' _Impale you and sink your ship_ ' sort of way." The fox added, causing both mammals to snicker at the snide but honest remark.

They spent the next hour or so leisurely walking around the perimeter of the basin, watching the iceberg and the sky as they did. In due course, the two mammals soon made their way back in the direction that they had came from, eventually coming across a small Tundra-Town village, much like the first one that they had set foot in earlier that day, with the exception being that it wasn't quite as large or diverse. This new one was adorned with similar buildings and structures, but with just less quantitative amounts of pedestrians roaming about, and fewer buildings in the first place.

"Nick, do we _really_ know where we're going?" Judy inquired, her concern growing.

"Of course we do! In fact, I should've told you earlier, so I'm sorry about that, but it doesn't matter now. You see, I have an old friend that lives around here. She owns a bar, and would always give me complimentary drinks whenever I stopped by. She serves dinner stuff and has hot-chocolate there, too! I haven't seen her in years, but I reckon that it wouldn't hurt to stop by, say hello, and maybe grab a drink or two while we're at it. Sound good?"

Judy took a moment to think about it. She figured that it certainly wouldn't hurt to make a brief visit And besides: It was starting to get colder outside, and Judy could have gotten used to the idea of some hot-chocolate right about then.

" _Sure_! I could use some food, to be honest... And it wouldn't hurt to get out of the cold, would it?" The bunny agreed, clutching at her sweater-lined stomach.

"Agreed. Now, be on the lookout for a place called _Honey's Tavern_. It should be coming up here soon..." The fox stated as he craned his head, looking around the area.

After a few short minutes of pacing around, the duo eventually came across the aptly named _Honey's Tavern_ , which stood as a small brick-lain structure that connected to a larger, more sophisticated building. Going in through the front entrance, which was big enough to accommodate even the largest of polar-bears,Nick and Judy stepped inside and took in the surroundings of a rather cozy bar, with rows of stools flanking the side. Behind the bar counter, a heavy-set female badger was washing out a glass mug as she dealt with a few other mammals at the bar, including a polar-bear and what looked like some sort of deer.

"Honey, I'm home!" Nick called out with his paws shooting double finger-guns at the titular badger, who turned and eyed him with a wide smile.

" _Nicky_! It's been forever!" She claimed as her paw met with Nick's half-way, who shook back with just as much vigor. "How long has it been? Three, four years?"

"Eh, give or take a few... Here, I want ya to meet someone very dear to me!"

The fox then whirled around and gripped Judy's denim covered shoulders before maneuvering her directly into the badger's line of sight. Now that she was closer, the bunny was better able to take in Honey's appearance. Her fur was almost purple in coloration, and her clipped ears were dangling with ear-rings. The female badger wore a green tank-top and cargo shorts.

The bunny stuck out her paw, which the badger firmly grasped and shook before following up with a wink.

"Nice to meet ya darlin'! The name's Honey, and I welcome you to my humble abode!" She said, spreading her arms around and looking to the ceiling.

Before Judy could say anything, Nick piped up from behind, his paw squeezing her shoulder as he spoke aloud;

"This is my wife, Judy! She and I are both police officers at the ZPD... So yeah, I've been _pretty_ busy as of late, obviously..."

" _Busy_? Nicky, you've been out down-right _life-changing_ for all this time!" The badger cried. "I-I mean _look at you_! You actually have a _job_! A-And even pulled yourself a _wife_!"

"Oh, you _flatter_ me, Honey... But yeah, you're right: I _have_ been pretty situated as of late. I wish I could've gotten around to contacting you earlier, but I just never got around to it. Real sorry about that."

"Oh, don't fuss over that, _especially_ since your here rig'now!" Honey beckoned them forward to the bar. "Do come and sit! Drinks on the house, just for you two!"

The fox and bunny seated themselves at the bar; Sitting down right next to the deer. They watched as Honey pulled out two glasses and placed them on the counter in front of them.

"Alright, so what can I get you both? Would you like anything in particular, Nicky?"

"Eh, surprise me!" He ordered before turning to Judy. "Knock yourself out, Carrots."

The bunny stifled a nervous laugh as she spared a glance at Honey, who was eyeing her in wait for her answer.

"Uhh... _Oh_! Nick said that you have hot-chocolate on the way here... Can I have some of that?"

" _Course_ we got hot-cocoa! Every self-respecting restaurant and pub in the _whole_ of Tundra-town should be able to offer their guests _that_ at the very least!" Honey beamed.

The female badger then turned around and prepared their drinks, occasionally turning her head over her shoulder and asking a question.

"So, how long have you two lovers been hitched, huh?"

The question momentarily faltered Nick, who had to take a moment to think back on his answer. Rolling her eyes and smiling, Judy decided to answer for him.

"About six months, at this point... But from the way _Nick_ tries to remember stuff, you'd think it'd be sixty years!"

The two females had a good laugh while the fox sat there, his arms crossed and his ears lowered against the back of his head.

"I'm right here, ya know." He mumbled.

" _Aw_ , you know we're just playin', Nicky!" Honey teased. "Ain't no need to be givin' nobody the ol' sour-face 'cause of it!"

Soon enough, the badger clattered two mugs filled with two types of liquid. Judy's was obviously hot-chocolate with the sweet smell of cocoa floating off of the fumes it emitted. Nick's however was a briny and bubbly liquid, orange in coloration. While Judy was sipping away at her beverage, Nick took careful gulps of his, swallowing hard to get past the rancid taste.

"So, what brings ya'll here, anyways?" Honey asked out of the blue.

The fox and bunny looked to each-other and smiled.

"Oh, we're just on a lil' date, thas' all." Nick answered, taking another sip from his drink before resuming. "We figured Tundra-Town would be nice because of the heat, ya know?"

"Yeah, I hear ya... Savanna-Central can be _pretty_ sweltering during the summer-time, and _don't_ even get me started about the Sahara-Square!"

Honey's eyes suddenly flicked between the two of them, looking past the heads of the fox and bunny at something behind them. Judy noticed that from her expression, it looked like she was about to call out to someone, but her face winced, and was shortly followed by a thud, a loud crashing sound and a thickly-slurred curse, all of which caused the many mammals in the bar to turn towards.

Apparently someone must have knocked a mug off of a table or something, as the previous crash had sounded very fragmented and glass-like. Not only that, but a pile of shards littered themselves across the floor. Judy remembered that another noise _had_ accompanied the crash: A heavy-sounding **_thump_** of something falling to the floor. Now, Judy realized that someone had fallen over from one of the booths, taking their glass mug with them.

The mammal that had fallen over slowly rose to his feet, and Judy's eyes narrowed in trepidation as she stared up at the mammal.

For starters, he was _huge_ : Both tall and wide, with a barrel-chest and arms as thick as Bogo's. His skin was all purple muscle, with relatively few fur patches. His body was wrapped in a tight-fitting and short-cut green overcoat, with the sleeves stretched out over his biceps. The coat was only buttoned up half-way, as his chest prevented it from being buttoned up past the base of his sternum. The creature's hands and bare feet were webbed together with flaps of skin that stretched across his fingers. Wispy eyebrows covered a pair of hazy yellow eyes, and the mammal had a thick and flabby muzzle, with a bushy mustache sprouting from the upper part his short snout.

He was a very intimidating looking creature, due to his size and overall appearance, but what _really_ caught Judy's attention were his _teeth_ : Two large and thick tusks jutted out from his mouth, sharpened like ice-picks and pointing downwards. Each tusk was engraved with swirling designs and markings, like waves, almost.

He stumbled to his feet and placed his paw on a nearby table, of which he heavily leaned on to keep balance. " _Uh_...?" He sputtered lowly through his bushy mustache.

"IVAR!" Honey roared. "I _told_ you that you'd had enough, but _no,_ you had to get yourself drunk again! Remember that bar-fight you caused last week?"

The creature blinked and belched a single time, and his eyes focused on the frustrated badger for a count of five before he bothered to say anything.

"Ivar does not remember any _bar_ fight... He only remembers _victory_ over trash-talking polar-bear!" The mammal, apparently named Ivar, claimed with a triumphant smile.

He straightened himself out and flexed his arms as he finished that statement, only to bend over and throw up on the floor seconds before collapsing in his own puke puddle.

"Oh, for heaven _'s sake_ , Ivar... You're gonna kill yourself one day." Honey mumbled to herself as she lept over the bar-counter and trudged over to the passed-out mammal.

She checked his pulse and then whistled loudly in an attempt to gain the bar's attention.

"Anyone able to take him home?" She asked loudly, to which nobody answered. " _Anyone_?"

The bar remained silent.

Sighing to herself, Honey tried lifting him up, but she might as well have been trying to lift a boulder. Soon giving up, she made her way back behind the bar and walked over to Nick and Judy, who were both still staring at Ivar, whom was now snoring loudly in his sleep.

"Um, who was that?" Judy squeaked, slightly raising her paw and pointing to the snoring mammal.

"Him? That's Ivar Obdenberg. Walrus. Regular here at the bar, but as much as I appreciate his company, he has a tendency to get a little _tipsy_ , so to speak."

"A _walrus_? What's that?" The bunny found herself asking, to which Nick laughed out loud and added his own snide remark.

"First it was bats, and now walruses, huh? You got a _lot_ to learn, you dumb little bunny, you!" The fox teased. "But yeah, he's one of _those_ guys..."

Judy scowled at him, but even _she_ couldn't deny the fact that she was rather naive at times: Nick didn't blame her, thankfully, as she _did_ have somewhat of an excuse, as she had grown up living a relatively sheltered life-style back in Bunny-Burrow, where the only thing that mattered was what happened in Bunny-Burrow.

"Mmm-hmm. He's the only walrus _I_ know." Honey claimed. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're a rare species to come across."

"You're just gonna leave him there?" The bunny suddenly asked the badger, who snorted at the notion of her question.

"Oh, don't worry 'bout _him_ , darlin'... This ain't the first time this has happened. He'll sleep 'till morning then wake up and leave like he always does. Ain't _nobody_ 'round these parts got the guts to mess with him, so he'll be fine. Besides, he sleeps like a rock: Once he's out, he's out. Feel free to try and pick him up, if you'd like."

Judy stole one last glance at the snoring walrus, who was now slurring half-formed words in his sleep. Pursing her lips and turning back around to face Honey, she saw the badger pluck her now empty hot-cocoa mug and begin to wash it out, soon tossing it in a dish-rack on the other side of the counter.

Judy saw Nick steal a glance at a nearby clock.

9:04 P.M

"Well, thanks so much for the occasion, Honey, it really was great to see you again." Nick started. "But we gotta scram: We'll miss the dead-line if we don't leave now, so..."

"Oh really, now? Where you going at _this_ time o' night, huh Nicky?" The badger asked.

"I wanted to take Judy to the Aurora-Alp!" The fox replied, his sharp teeth brimming within his proud smile.

"Ooo, the tallest peak in all of Tundra-Town? Yeah, you'll need to get a ski-lift for _that_ one, buddy. But yeah, it was nice seein' you again, Nicky... And don't hesitate to come back whenever you like, cuz I always appreciate the company."

"Right! I love ya, I owe ya!" Nick called out one last time as he and Judy exited the bar, stepping into the frigid air, of which caused Judy to snuggle up closer to Nick.

" _Aw_ , is Carrots feelin' cold?" Nick asked in a teasing sort of tone that made Judy frown at him.

"Of course I am! Let's just got to this place you wanted to show me before my tail freezes off!" The bunny replied.

* * *

9:38 P.M

It took nearly a quarter of an hour to get to the ski-lift area, and when they finally did, they both promptly boarded their given lift and began the ascension of the Aurora-Alp.

The ascent was slow and peaceful as it was, with the two of them eventually reaching a little outpost near the top. They followed a winding and icy sidewalk for a short while, climbing little by little up the mountain until they eventually reached it's peak.

When Judy reared around the icy corner and set foot on the very top, her jaw dropped, her eyes widened, and her mind was utterly blown away.

Swirling across the sky-line directly above them was a miasma of rainbow-like ribbons of light, each-one constantly flowing and changing colors, from red to yellow to green and even blue. For the longest time, both mammals sat down in the snow and simply stared up at the sky, watching the prismatic colors as they floated by and by. Judy didn't utter a single word or even look down until her neck started aching from the way she was staring upwards.

Rubbing at her neck as she did, the bunny glanced over at Nick, who had his arm wrapped around her shoulder in a tender gesture, his eyes already staring at her when she glanced over to him.

"W-what are they?" She asked timidly, training her gaze back up to the horizon, where her eyes widened once again at the sight of the colors.

"They're called Aurora Borealis, whiskers... I take it you don't see _this_ kinda stuff very often back at the Burrows, huh?"

The bunny simply shook her head from side to side in response to Nick's question. The fox smirked and continued to stare up at the sky alongside her.

"Nick... They're _so beautiful_..." Judy said softly.

The fox momentarily considered saying something cheesy, like ' _but not as beautiful as you_ ,' but instead decided against it...

This was a moment of peace and tranquility not to be spoiled by some half-assed comment.

For the next hour, they simply sat there staring at the sky, watching the Aurora Borealis glow and shine with renewed color, only for the lights to eventually fade and vanish from the night sky, which darkened in their absence.

Judy slowly turned her head and looked at Nick. She eyed his russet face as he continued to stare into the dark sky, his emerald eyes opened wide and full, taking in all the sights that they could see. Judy couldn't help but think that he had looked so serene, and so handsome in the prismatic light of the auroras; Taking in the sight of how the miasma of colors folded around his fur and how the shadows pooled against his face.

Now, all that was left was darkness, and two small mammals, sitting by themselves in the cold.

The fox looked over to Judy, and was surprised to find her already staring at him. He smiled warmly at her, and she returned it gladly. The two then shared a drawn-out kiss, of which caused both of their bodies to heat up tremendously despite the cold environment with which they resided. Judy's lips smacked tenderly against Nick's, and the chorus of moans and the sound of the snow crunching beneath Nick's back as they fell to the ground filed the ears of both mammals.

Soon enough, their muzzles parted, and both mammals soon found themselves gasping for much needed breath.

"This has been _amazing_ , Nick... Thank you so much for all of this..." The bunny stated

"Honestly, It's the very least I could do for my favorite dumb bunny." The fox said with a smirk and a coyish wink.

Judy rolled her eyes and planted another kiss on Nick's nose, albeit much shorter than their last one. She snuggled up closer against Nick, relishing in the warmth of their combined body heat.

In that moment, there was nothing either creature would have preferred more.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Welcome to arc 5, everybody! I certainly hope that you all are as excited about this new adventure as I am! I got plenty more in store for the future, and I'll be sharing it all with you here soon enough!**

 **But until then, I'd adore knowing your thoughts on this latest chapter of mine: Feel free to drop a review explaining your thoughts and opinions regarding Borealis, which is probably one of my more personally favorite chapters thus far! Be sure to tell me how I did with the banter, and the scene descriptions of Tundra-Town and the auroras especially! Also, be sure to tell me your thoughts on Ivar, too! I sorta imagine him talking with the stereotypical Russian strongman accent, with lack of conjunctions, always refers to himself in the third person, etc.**

 **That's all I got for you lot as of now, so I'll bid you all adieu for the moment. Stay tuned for chapter 42, comin' your way soon! :)**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: For those of you wondering about my description of Ivar, do keep in mind the fact that Walrus are the 4th heaviest (land) mammals in the world, with 4000+ pounds of fat and raw muscle. Now, imagine that mammal _upright_. Walruses as _we_ know them just flop around on their bellies, and grow quite long. Up to 15+ feet in length, actually. **

**Imagine _that_ walking around on two legs! **

**PPS: Be sure to check out my tumblr and DA accounts to get a first-hand look at some awesome fan art for the story!**


	39. Quietude

**Hey Everyone!**

 **I'd just like to quickly take the time to apologize for the lackluster amount of updates these past few days: My motivation had completely dropped, but after doing some consultation with a number of other author's, I'm proud to say that things should be getting back on track here with this new chapter of mine.**

 **I certainly do hope you enjoy! Be sure to drop a review telling me your thoughts, and if you haven't already, favorite/follow for more content in the future!**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"Meaningful silence is always better than meaningless words." - Anonymous

* * *

The sloping knolls of snow and rock failed to delay the fox and bunny's endeavor back home.

After descending the peak of the Aurora-Alp and promptly boarding the ski-lift, the two mammals were soon well on their way back to the bottom of the mountain. The bunny nestled herself as close to the fox as possible, so as to conserve warmth. As the lift slowly lowered to the mountain's base, they talked idly while watching the Aurora Borealis fade from the ever-darkening sky.

Nick, being the considerate and observant fox that he was, noticed that Judy, despite her sweater and the added warmth of his personal body heat; Was shivering quite copiously.

"Everything alright there, fluff-ball?" The fox asked while rubbing his paw against her shoulder in an attempt to both warm her up and reassure her of his actions.

"I'm alright, just a little c-cold..." Judy assured her mate, who raised one of his eyebrows and donned a quizzical expression of apprehension.

"A _little_? Rabbit, you're shaking so hard I can feel it in the tip of my tail!" He claimed with piqued concern. "You're more than just a _little_ cold... _That_ much I can tell."

Judy sighed and shook her head a single time, causing her long ears to flop down and cover her face, almost as if she were embarrassed.

"Is it that obvious?" She asked, her eyes looking away from Nick's and to the side.

" _Oh yeah_..." The fox replied easily. "No need to hide it, carrots: It's _not_ a sign of weakness, especially around _me_."

Nick's honeyed words seemed to soothe the bunny to some degree, as her ears slightly parted, and her gaze returned to Nick's.

"I'm sorry, Nick." Judy stifled a slight laugh. "You know me... Always trying to soldier through everything."

"Oh, I know: That's one of the reasons why I fell in love with you all those years ago. Never afraid to take one for the team, ya know? But don't let that get too comfy in here-"

Nick rapped his knuckles on Judy's forehead, causing her to giggle at his action.

"- Because that'll make you wind up hurting yourself one day, whiskers." He concluded with a reassuring smile. "And I don't want that to happen."

"Oh, don't lecture _me_ , fox!" Judy said while playfully punching his arm. "I am who I am!"

Nick chuckled and ruffled the fur on the top of Judy's head, causing her ears to shift around in the process.

"Anyone can be anything, huh? Don't remind me..." Nick stated as he roughly blew air out of his nostrils.

Eventually, the fox noticed that their ski-lift had nearly reached the very bottom.

"Alright fluff, do I have to pick you up and carry you, or are you good enough to walk on your own?"

"Nick, I'm _fine_! You don't have to cart me around like some kit... I can handle myself with the walking, but let's be sure to find a place to stay before _you_ start freezing up too."

The fox and bunny quickly disembarked from their seats and landed on the wooden plat-form below. Nick feigned offense and promptly illustrated his thoughts.

"Freeze up? _Me_? I'm too hot to turn into a foxcicle, mind _you_!"

Judy snickered at his remark before pulling herself closer to him and nuzzling her cheek into his side.

"Whatever you say, slick." Judy said while rolling her eyes. "Let's just find someplace warm, shall we?"

Nick nodded his head in agreement as he wrapped an arm around the bunny and began walking forward.

"Gladly. I think Honey might be able to give us a place to stay for the night... Sound good?" The fox inquired.

"Whatever gets us out of this freezing cold, honestly." Judy affirmed.

Both mammals continued their journey into the frigid night, eventually re-entering the same town that they had left nearly an hour ago to watch the auroras. They kept an eye out for Honey's bar as they romped through the snow-covered ground, scanning the buildings around them for the distinctive tavern. They passed ice-caked buildings and frozen-over ponds, and walked for quite some time without seeing a single other mammal roaming the streets.

Soon enough, they rediscovered the honey-badger's tavern, and promptly entered through the fox-sized door. Walking inside, they both instantly felt a blast of reinvigorating warmth that caused both mammals fur to stand on end in bliss. They saw Honey standing by the bar-counter, cleaning a stack of dishes and mugs. Nick coughed a single time in an effort to earn her attention. Upon hearing the noise, the badger glanced over, a smile immediately stretching across her grizzled muzzle.

"Hey Nicky! Welcome back!" Her smile momentarily faltered. "Uh, what brings you back, anyways?"

"Honey, I'm sorry to drop this on ya, but we _really_ need a place to stay for the night... Carrots here has the chills, and we're too far away to make the trip back to the station."

The badger seemed to briefly consider the prospect of providing shelter for the two smaller mammals. Honey raised a clawed paw to her chin, which she stroked delicately. Eventually, her coy smile resurfaced and she lightly pounded her fist on the counter-top of the bar.

"Why _of course_! What kinda friend would I be if I let you two freeze to death out there?" She asked herself.

Honey then lept over the counter and took a peek outside through the blinds of a nearby window. She made a _hmm_ sort of noise in the back of her throat.

"Ayup, looks like a blizzard's buildin' up tonight. Be glad you two made it _here_ , since the nearest hotel is nearly a mile south from here."

" _Blizzard_?" Judy murmured, to which Honey grunted in confirmation.

"Uh-huh: They ain't too common 'round these parts come summer-time, but every once and again ol' mother nature'll slip one in and freeze our tails off here in Tundra-Town."

Nick eyed Honey as she turned around and faced him. He took note of the look of concern that shined in her eyes; All of which was directed at Judy, who was sniveling and shivering in Nick's grasp.

"And you're right, Nicky... Looks like your wife's caught some chills! Tell ya what, I'll fix you both up a complimentary cup of hot cocoa, just for you!"

Honey then maneuvered her way past the two of them before settling back behind the bar-counter once more. Nick and Judy followed suit, both seating themselves next to each-other at the bar. As he sat down, Nick couldn't help but notice that Ivar was missing from the spot that he had collapsed a few hours earlier. Scanning the area around him, the fox spotted the walrus sitting at a booth in the far corner of the tavern. Standing on top of the table in front of him was a trio of well-dressed rats, all of which looked nearly identical from Nick's perspective. The only visible difference that Nick could see between the three of them was that one was seemingly missing his tail.

Turning back towards the counter, Nick couldn't help but wonder what Ivar was doing with them, but soon shrugged the thought off as unimportant.

The bunny slowly sipped away at her hot-chocolate, eventually draining the cup of it's contents. Honey led them to the space behind the bar, which contained a stair-case. Ascending it, they found themselves on the second-floor of the building, which was plain, but lined with plenty of furniture, including a badger-sized couch that the two mammals decided to take refuge in for sleep.

"You live up here?" Judy found herself asking softly, to which Honey nodded in confirmation.

"Got that right: The property's mine, and it's been that way since I told the landlord to take a hike... I'm gonna head back downstairs; I still got some customers to deal with."

The badger then descended back down the staircase, closing the trap-door and leaving the fox and bunny in near-total darkness.

Sleep soon found the two of them, and a blanket of pleasant warmth enveloped them as it did, finally quelling the bunny's shivers.

* * *

1:00 A.M

Chief Bogo hadn't planned on spending the night at head-quarters doing overtime.

In the end though, it didn't surprise him: The fall-out of the Savage case would be catastrophic if he didn't deal with it properly. Thus, the water-buffalo figured that it wouldn't hurt to spare a few extra hours of his time trimming the fat off of the case-files.

He wasn't alone in the building, but was far from being in the public-eye: His office was located near the very back of the complex, and the door was firmly closed shut and locked, indicating that he had no desire to be disturbed or bothered while he worked into the night. He even gave specific orders to Clawhauser and the other officers to not contact him unless in the case of an emergency.

That's why he was surprised when he heard a weak knock on his door.

"I thought I said _no visitors_!" He called out to the mammal outside, thinking that it was perhaps an officer who simply forgot his previous orders.

There was no verbal response from outside, with the only reply being another volley of knocks upon the door, each one harder than the last.

Bogo looked at his intercom, which had been sitting silent the entire time: Clawhauser usually contacted him before visitors came to meet him...

Mumbling curses to himself as he trudged over to the door and fumbled with the lock, he swung the door wide open and looked around: He didn't see anyone at first glance, but a flicker of movement near his feet caught his gaze, and the water-buffalo lowered his line of sight to the ground below him, where he locked eyes with a small, well-dressed rat.

The rodent was larger than the typical mouse, standing tall at nearly the same height as any rabbit would. An undulating and silky black cloak draped atop his shoulders, the bottom of which gently scraped across the rat's ankles. He wore a long, black, and strangely-patterned sort of over-coat, which was adorned with golden cog and gear-like designs around the buttons, almost looking like teeth in a zipper. Underneath his archaic court-suit was a blue-colored button-up vest. His pants were old-fashioned and baggy, cut off right below the knee-cap.

In his left paw, he held a ball-top cane, and a cravat neck-tie hung around his throat. Analyzing the rat's face, Bogo took note of his long and angular muzzle, which was lined with a prickly beard, his chin crowned with a curled goatee. The nest of hair that sprouted from the rat's head and lower-neck was thick and billowing, and his black eyes bore harshly into Bogo's orange ones.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here, _rat_?" Bogo grumbled, to which the rodent huffed.

"I'm surprised your pitiful eyes can see through the thickness of your ignorance..." The rat stated bluntly as he let himself into Bogo's office.

The water-buffalo blinked a single time before slamming the door shut and turning around to face his new guest, who was smiling simply, his beady black eyes trained on Bogo.

"Yes. I _am_ a rat. Glad that you noticed." He said flatly "Now that we've gotten the formalities out of the way, what do you say we talk business, hm?"

"What are you doing here?" Bogo repeated, his arms crossed across his chest.

"I was just about to answer that, _chief_ , until you so rudely interrupted me."

"Who are you?" Bogo said lowly, leaning down and looking the rat in the eye.

"I'll get to that, now please; Can I finish?" The rat asked in that croaky, knife-like voice of his.

The water-buffalo sighed before lumbering over to his chair, of which he sat down and leaned back in. His visitor wasn't very big, or strong, but Bogo still kept his hoof on the tranquilizer gun strapped to his waist-line.

"Good. Now, to answer your first question: I'm here to converse with you over my client, Jack Savage. I believe that he is in your custody just downstairs, awaiting trial, no?"

"What about him?" Bogo mumbled in question, to which the rat smiled and nodded his head up and down.

"Well you see, I'm a shareholder of his company, and it upset me _very_ much when I heard news of his arrest. Knowing that Jack's failed attempt at a Ponzi-Scheme would affect my share in his finances, I came here to ensure that that doesn't happen. I know that you have _power_ , my friend... Power that could please a _lot_ of corporate investors, like myself. You're the face of the ZPD, the chief of police, and one of the city's most well-respected mammals... It would be a shame if all of that were to change..."

"Wait... _I know you_! You were accused of pocketing off of Gazelle's drug-addiction! You're Ra-" Bogo started, but was cut off when his guessed finished his own statement.

"Grygorri Ratsputin, in the flesh, good sir." The rat concluded, dipping his head slightly before lifting his gaze back to the buffalo, who was breathing heavily at this point.

"What is it you want?"

"That's simple: I've come with a proposition for you."

"Cut to the chase." Bogo grunted irritably.

Ratsputin didn't look impressed. "Just be grateful that I bothered to make the trip, Thelonious."

Bogo faltered: The use of his true name caused him to hesitate and go blank in the mind. Few people referred to him by his _true_ name, with even his closest of friends simply knowing him as _Bogo_ , or preferably _chief_.

"I know things, chief: _Lots_ of things, about _lots_ of mammals, _including_ you." Ratsputin muttered darkly, his shiny coal-black eyed staring right into Bogo's.

"Of course, I'll keep quiet about _your_ little slip-ups, but only in return for some _reimbursement_ on your part, chief." He concluded.

"You dirty _rat_!" Bogo hissed under his breath. "And what _slip-ups_?"

"Let's see," Ratsputin began numbering off with his fingers. "Abuse of power, extortion, malfeasance in office, official misconduct..." He chuckled to himself. "Need I go on?"

" _Extortion_? _Abuse of power_? What the _hell_ are you talking about?" The water-buffalo thundered.

"Oh, you don't remember? Perhaps _I_ could refresh your lackluster memory, yes? Tell me, _Thelonious_ , do you remember the time that you threatened to discharge one officer Judith Laverne Hopps? I don't know about _you_ , but firing her simply because she said something you didn't like sounds like an abuse of power to me. In specific, it violates the 42nd rule of section eighteen in city-hall's conduction codes... You know which one I'm talking about! Last I checked, city hall doesn't know about your little mishap, either: It'd be _quite_ shameful on your part if they somehow _discovered_ , wouldn't it? Discovered that _you_ , the revered and respected chief of police, fired one of Zootopia's greatest and most iconic figureheads... _Twice_! Not only that, but you forced her to perform a 48-hour goose-chase that you _knew_ was hopeless to begin with. That almost sounds like cruel and unusual punishment, to me!"

"You know nothing of what happened!"

"And _you_ didn't trust a _bunny_ to be able to solve genuinely dangerous assignments, and _you_ didn't want to be responsible for what you saw as an inevitable televised tragedy over a _dead bunny_. _You_ tried to reach a compromise by first making her a meter maid, but she proved too insistent. So you purposely set her up to fail, so that she would get kicked off the force and thus, not killed, of course."

"I did what I had to do..."

"So what you had to do was _abuse_ your own power to protect your good name?" The rat asked with a smirk. "You couldn't just give the poor little rabbit a chance, could you?"

Bogo was silent to the count of ten, his muzzle quivering and twitching in frustration, and his veins pulsing through the skin on his forehead.

" _That's what I thought_... Now, as I was saying earlier, you have _quite_ a track record when it comes to malfeasance in office. I believe that I'm one of the few who truly knows about these mishaps, so with that knowledge in my possession, _I_ , in turn, have _you_ in my possession."

The water-buffalo's face hardened. "This is _blackmail_!" He slammed his fists onto his desk, shaking the room.

"Oh no no _no_!" The rat shook his head from side to side. "This isn't _blackmail_... This is _indemnity_ , good sir! We're working _together_ , you see..."

Ratsputin lept up onto the chair and then scrambled onto Bogo's desk, soon recomposing his attire before positioning himself directly in front of the buffalo's twitching face.

" _You_ -" He poked his cane into Bogo's chest. "Have privileges that can be given... Dispensations that _I_ want!"

The rat let that statement sink in for a few brief seconds before continuing his explanation.

" _I-_ " He put a paw on his own chest. "Have information, that _you_ want... Or at least, information that you don't want to go public..."

"You wouldn't _DARE_!" Bogo claimed, rising from his seat and towering over the rat below him. "I'm the _chief_ of the ZPD! I'm no benefac-"

He trailed off when the rat simply waved his hand in the space in front of him, effectively quieting the irate water-buffalo.

"You certainly _are_ , Thelonious; Nobody's disagreeing on your authority here in Zootopia. Just give me what I want, and I'll be on my way, of course. Simple as that!"

Bogo sighed once again and sank back into his seat, never breaking eye-contact with the peculiar rat who stood across from him.

"And what _is it_ that you want?" He said glumly, causing Ratsputin to smile wide; Showing off his minuscule, but pointed teeth.

" _Easy_. Just keep my client, Mr. Savage, out of jail." Ratsputin tilted his head to the side. "Or at least reduce his sentence like you did with Shahaz Pholmok... That works too!"

"That can't be done, I'd need city-hall and the council to-" Bogo was interrupted a third time when the rat banged the base of his cane into the desk surface.

"Oh, don't worry about that! Leave the council to me, my friend..." The rat pointed his cane at Bogo and said darkly. "Just keep what I said in mind, and tell not a _single soul_."

The water-buffalo blinked a single-time, staring blankly at the rat with glazed eyes and twitching lids. He was about to speak out, but Ratsputin stopped him mid-breath.

"All you have to do delay Mr. Savage's trial, and provide a one-sided testimony when the press comes asking for answers. Like I said, Bogo: You have power... _Use it_."

"You want me to lie..." Bogo blurted out. "You want me to make Savage look like he wasn't in the wrong... Like it was that pangolin's fault, and that Jack was innocent..."

Ratsputin spread his hands. " _There_ you are! _Finally_ catching on!" He delightfully claimed. "It _certainly_ took you long enough to catch on!"

"You want me to be a rat..." Bogo said lowly, his eyes trained on the ground below him.

" _Exactly_." Grygorri confirmed with a crooked grin. "Now, It's getting _awfully_ late, and my children are no doubt wondering where I am right about now, so I must bid you adieu."

The rat lept from the water-buffalo's desk and landed on the carpet floor, dusting himself off before pacing towards the door. He stopped and looked up at the handle before turning around to Bogo and clearing his throat. Bogo stood from his desk, lumbering over to the door, which he opened for the rat, who promptly stepped outside and walked away without looking back.

"Do remember, Thelonious..." Ratsputin called out as he walked away. " _Quietude_ , is the key. Embrace it, or I will make you regret that you didn't."

Closing the door slowly, Bogo sluggishly returned to his chair and sat down hard in it, the creaking noise finding it's way to his ears.

He sighed and looked to the ceiling, all the while wondering what the future would hold.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter of mine, and do be sure to leave a review telling me your opinions on everything that transpired! :)**

 **Also, as a point of fact: If you guys want to get an interpretation of EXACTLY how I think Ratsputin looks, then be sure to check out my Tumblr page!**

 **Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for chapter 43!**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: A thousand thanks to ADeadmissionary for their help in editing this chapter.**

 **UPDATE:** **Here's the thing though: I like, no, LOVE the idea of Nick/Judy being on vacation and enjoying themselves. I intend on them going on more dates/activities before they encounter/deal with Ratsputin. They ARE on vacation, after all.**

 **The only real problem with that, is that if I try to make a long-term story about their little side activities, then it would turn into a drabble story with no real coherent plot other than a shred of story in each individual chapter. Don't get me wrong, I intend on making them enjoy their vacation though! :)**

 **So here's what's gonna happen: The next few chapters are gonna be peaceful and fluffy (just like you want), with plenty of relationship-filler/building and whatnot. Plenty of that to come! Ratsputin will take a lengthy back-seat for the coming chapters, but will be kept in the back-minds of the reader as the plot slowly folds outward.**

 **In fact, that's one of the reasons why I introduced Ratsputin so early: To give readers a taste of his character that should serve as an appetizer until he's given a more formal revelation.**

 **Make sense, I hope?**

 **In fact, I had this interesting idea of perhaps having a little section at the bottom of each new chapter (for a little bit), that would follow around Bogo as he works with Jack and Shahaz, all the while mentally dealing with Ratsputin's extortion (blackmail). Whatcha think of that?**

 **Also, I know that Ratsputin's threat seems somewhat complicated and empty, but trust me: I know what I'm doing! It's important! :)**


	40. Melted Desires

"Yet, taught by time, my heart has learned to glow for other's good, and melt at other's woe." - Homer

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2:16 A.M

The bunny was the first to rise from the folds of sleep and the layers of blankets, her form squirming slowly away from Nick so as to not wake him up. Soon enough, Judy had pulled away from the still dozing fox, and was now standing at the edge of the bed, watching him as he slept.

Honey's attic was quiet and peaceful, with the only sounds being the breathing of the two mammals, and the occasional creaking floor-board. Both fox and bunny were dressed in their casual attire, since the aforementioned honey badger had decided to spend the night downstairs, and since it was usually how they slept with one another.

Gazing at Nick, Judy smiled softly as she watched him whimper and twitch in an unconscious response to her absence. The sight made her grateful for having him, and almost made her retreat back to bed and join him once again in blissful sleep. Sadly, she doubted that she would be able to, as her mind was both addled and incredibly alert; Understandable so, since her prey-based instincts had been activated during her time sleeping, causing her to awake shivering and fearful, her body shaking and nose twitching.

She had had another nightmare. It was always dark. She couldn't move. It was just get colder and heavier, as though she were sinking to the bottom of the ocean...

And then, just as it became unbearable, she would wake.

Every time she awoke from one of these peculiar night terrors, she would immediately head to the nearest restroom, so as to wash her paws and face in warm water.

Judy would often reminisce over another lesson she had learned in her criminology course back at the academy: How people who were guilty of wrongdoing would often clean themselves in a subconscious attempt to wash away their guilt and discomfort. It was a common trait among those who had done wrong, _especially_ killers. It was another story for serial killers, and for those who were completely callous to regret or guilt: Psychopaths like Vladzotz wouldn't have or display that trait, as they simply didn't care or show any shred of empathy to those that they have wronged, and therefore have no guilt to try and wash away. It was a strange quirk that effected many guilty individuals.

That thought halted the bunny's train of thought: She raised her head and locked eyes with those of her reflection, which mirrored her own agitated expression.

 _Was she_ guilty of what had happened? Did she blame _herself_ for it? Not entirely... She just wished that she had seen through Jack's motive faster than she had.

She then turned on the faucet, making sure that the water was dialed to a warmer temperature before plunging her paws into the stream of liquid. She kneaded her fingers through one another and rubbed carefully at her palms before cupping them and throwing a splash of warm water directly into her face, of which instantly energized the bunny and activated her senses.

The bunny turned the dial on the faucet, blocking the stream of warm water and shutting it off for good. She heard a mellow row of knocks emanate from the closed bathroom door. With raised ears and accentuated senses, Judy heard the voice of Nick call it out softly from the other side.

"Carrots? Are you doing alright in there?" The fox questioned, slight concern audibly lacing the roots of his words.

 _Oh, Nick... You dumb fox..._ The bunny thought to herself. _Of course you would wake up just to make sure I was alright..._

Judy opened the door and locked eyes with Nick, who was standing just beyond the door-frame. Upon seeing him, the bunny instantly leaned forward and grasped him in a hug. The fox blinked a single time in apprehension before he smiled and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, where he draped his paws across her lower back, which he caressed lovingly and with careful intent.

"What, did you miss me or something?" He asked jokingly, his green and half-lidded eyes soon locking with Judy's amethyst ones.

The bunny sniffed once and looked to her left, her long and floppy ears lowering against the back of her neck as she did. Nick could easily tell that she was distressed from the way that her ears and eyelids drooped, and from the rather sullen expression that had forced its way upon her countenance.

"Judy, you're _shivering_..." Nick started, using her true name for emphasis. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh! Uh, yes, everything's fine. I'm just... _Cold_..." The bunny replied hastily.

Although she wasn't being completely open to him, Judy certainly wasn't lying: The current temperature in the room was causing her fur to stand on end, and the fact that she was naked certainly didn't help either, for that matter.

"Well, I believe that I may be of assistance, madam." The fox claimed easily. "Let's get you warmed up, shall we?"

At that, the fox let himself into the bathroom, closing the door behind him as he did. Much to the bunny's surprise, he picked Judy up before laying her out on the large fuzzy floor-mat, making sure that her ears were spread across the floor and that her body was facing the ceiling. Nick then maneuvered himself to the side of the horizontal bunny.

"Nick? What're you doing?" Judy found herself asking him.

"Relax, fluff. I'm just going to give you a massage, that's all. You seem more than just cold, though... You seem _stressed_ : This should help with _both_ of those problems..."

The bunny was about to pipe up in protest of his actions, but instantly trailed off as the fox pressed his padded finger-tips into her belly. She felt her stomach muscles tighten in a stimulus response, but soon found herself relaxing into his advances, her eyes drooping as she stifled a slight moan to his gentle touch.

"That's what I thought..." Nick stated as he continued his work, kneading his thumbs around her chest and stomach region. "You're so predictable, ya know that, right?"

" _Oh shut up_... Just keep, _ah_ , going... _Please_..."

The fox smirked at her response, since he had just positioned his massage very close to her intimate region, and was now pressing his fingers into the region just below her navel. Eventually, Nick had the bunny flip over onto her belly, giving the fox access to her back and shoulder-region. He kept going as expected; Rubbing away at the curve of her back until he began to slowly descend to her waist-line, where he caressed her hips lovingly. Judy giggled as she felt Nick gift her rump and fluffy with a slight squeeze, causing a chill to find it's way along the length of her spine. When the shiver had subsided, Judy felt pleasantly warm and comfortable... She was completely relaxed.

Soon enough, Nick repositioned his massage to her feet, which he gently rubbed and smothered using his paws. Although ticklish at first, the bunny gladly accepted the new and adventurous act. After taking care of her feet, the fox then moved to her ears. However, the instant he placed his fingers upon them, Judy gasped and pulled away in fear.

Nick looked confused, and even slightly hurt.

"What was that? D-did I do something wrong?" He asked cautiously.

"No no, you didn't! I-I just... _I_..." Judy sniffed audibly, wiping at her nose as she did. "That's exactly what Jack did when he _.._."

That was as far as the bunny could manage before she trailed off.

Nick carefully crawled over to her side and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her head closer until it met with his furry orange chest. For some time, the two simply sat there as they embraced one another in peaceful silence. Soon, Nick gently placed one of his paws beneath Judy's chin, which he raised until her eyes met with his.

"Judy... I'm _not_ Jack. I'd _never_ hurt you _._ "

The bunny gazed into his green eyes, hoping to grasp some shred of reassurance or comfort: Instead, he completely pulled her in, enveloping her entire being in a blanket of trust and empathy: Nick cared for, appreciated, and loved her beyond belief. That much was apparent in the slightest.

Her tears were gone, and in their place was a sense of longing and desire that had failed to quell, and was now burning uncontrollably: She let that fire _burn_.

Judy wasn't quite so sure what led her to do so, but the next thing she knew, she had leaned forward and captured the fox's lips within her own.

He was quite surprised at first, but soon enough Nick eagerly submitted to each and every tug and pull of her loving lips and returned just as much as he took, and perhaps more, even as she danced him back towards the bed, still embraced. They caressed one another lovingly, beneath more of those very same kisses, until all that existed in their minds and memory were of each-other's scent and being and desire: All of the bunny's previous worries had been melted away and carried off.

What followed was more kisses and nuzzles, breaths and pecks and peace itself. She relaxed beside him, pulled close, eyes blinking slowly; Opening just a little less each time.

Sleep soon found Judy once again, and she was more than willing to give in to whatever came with it.

* * *

 _Back at Precinct One, in Savannah-Central..._

The water-buffalo had not obtained a wink of sleep that night.

Ever since that deceitful rat had left him, Bogo had spent the remaining hours of the early morning alone in his office. He did paperwork, filed new documents, organized old cases, and even took some time to simply relax and unwind.

But Ratsputin's threat still hung heavy over his head.

Occasionally, the thought would pop up again in his head, thus causing him to lose focus from his work and and begin stressing over the facts: He had been blackmailed, there was no denying _that_ , at the very least. But there was something gnawing in the back of his mind; Something telling him that the rat's threat was empty and untruthful.

Bogo considered what Ratsputin had said: That he'd report him to city-hall for abuse of power, and for the admittedly careless termination of Judy Hopp's career.

It was certainly an unfavorable scenario as it was, but Bogo highly doubted that it was enough to _truly_ end his career, or even do any substantial damage.

So was Ratsputin's blackmail attempt flawed?

He didn't know for sure, but there was definitely something off about it: Something that plagued him with paranoid thoughts and ideas.

 _Ratsputin is a master con-artist. A professional hustler, and the king of blackmail: Why would he try to blackmail me with a faulty threat?_ The water-buffalo thought carefully.

The question was; That if the rat _intentiona_ _lly_ left a hole in his work, then what would he have to gain from it? Why would he do it _on purpose_?

Bogo was at a loss for an answer, and thus pulled his mind away from the storm of thoughts that was brewing in his head, and focused intently on the work in front of him.

Hours passed, and soon enough, morning had risen with glorious beams of sun streaming through the many windows of the ZPD. Sluggish and tired from a lack of rest, Bogo steeled himself in preparation for the coming work-day, knowing that it would not be easy in the slightest: There was much work to do, especially involving the fall-out of the Savage case.

Stepping outside of his office, of which he made sure to lock securely behind him, the water-buffalo lumbered off towards the holding cells, intent on acquiring answers.

He continued his descent into the deepest holds of the ZPD head-quarters, eventually reaching his destination: Cell-Block A.

The water-buffalo made his way past the rows of empty cells until he stopped at the one in the very back. It was smaller than most of the other cells, but no less capable in holding it's content in custody: Inside, Bogo spotted the dozing form of Jack Savage, who had his back turned to him, and was facing the wall as he slept in the too-large bed.

Bogo's face hardened at the sight of the male rabbit, and he then raised his hoof and knocked hard on the cell door, causing it to rattle harshly and the reverberating sound to awaken the rabbit, who spasmed fitfully before falling off of the bed and face-planting into the floor. Bogo almost would have thought of the sight as humorous, but upon remembering the cruelty of the rabbit's actions against Judy Hopps, the water-buffalo's face stayed stony.

Rolling onto his back and clutching his paws to his nose, Jack groaned aloud and writhed in pain for some time before finally noticing Bogo, who was standing just outside of his cell. The rabbit hauled himself to his feet and dusted off his white-button up shirt, all the while eyeing Bogo with a look of loathing and contempt.

"Mind you, _chief_ , but I was having quite the pleasant dream until your rude awakening!" Jack grumbled, his eyes looking Bogo up and down as the words left his mouth.

"You're welcome." Bogo said flatly. "Now listen here, Savage: I have a few questions for you, and you're going to answer them... _Got it_?"

"What, was it too much of a hassle to bring me to the interrogation room?" The male rabbit retorted with a bored expression.

"This is between you and me... Nobody else!" Bogo nearly shouted. "This is _my_ house, and I don't care _where_ I get my answers, because you're going to talk either way!"

The rabbit sighed deeply and pinched his brow before settling back in the bed that he had just fallen out of. Putting his paws behind his head and crossing his ankles as he reclined, his facial features pulled back in a confident and snarky smile. He briefly chuckled to himself, shaking his head before locking eyes with Bogo once again.

"Alright then... Entertain me, chief. This is the most interesting thing that's happened to me since I got thrown in here in the first place! What are your questions?"

Bogo felt his fists begin to clench tighter as they balled up: Jack just had a face that Bogo would _love_ to cave in with his fists. Regardless, he closed his eyes and breathed in and out slowly in an effort to calm himself, and soon enough reconnected his gaze with the sleazy rabbit, who had one eye-brow raised in anticipation of Bogo's inquiries.

"Tell me: Does the name Ratsputin ring any bells in that thick head of yours?" The water-buffalo questioned with a hard glare directed at the rabbit, who's eyes flicked open.

"What'd you say?" Jack asked quickly, his piercing blue eyes trained directly at Bogo. "Repeat that name, would you?"

The water-buffalo smiled: He'd hooked Jack, and now it was time to reel him in like the floundering bottom-feeder that he truly was.

"Grygorri Ratsputin." Bogo repeated slowly. "Do you know him?"

The male rabbit cocked his head to the side; His eyes darting to the left as he donned a sheepish grin to hide his nervous expression.

"Well, I-I've heard of him before... Do you mean _personally_? _No_! I mean, _no_... I don't know him personally."

"You're a terrible liar, Savage."

Jack's ears drooped and his expression slacked to frustration as he shifted his weight in the bed, soon looking back at Bogo, who had asked him another question;

"I found out that, apparently, he's a large share-holder of your bank's finances. Is that correct?" The water-buffalo inquired of the rabbit, whose nose twitched at the statement.

"Aye. He's, uh... He's a stock-holder, yeah. What about it?" Jack asked cautiously.

"Is it not even _slightly_ suspicious that one of your organization's largest investors is a bloody _shadow-broker_?"

"Hey, it doesn't matter who does business, o-or invests in my company, for that matter! It's not _my_ fault that he's a blackmailing scammer!" The rabbit stated loudly.

"I'm not accusing you of affiliating yourself with his extortion schemes... I'm just trying to connect the dots. Work with me here, Savage. I know that you and the rat have a personal relationship one way or another, so there's no point in lying about it, at this point. Just come clean. If you have anything to say, rabbit, now's the time to say it."

Jack seemed to consider that thought, as his eyes flicked to the ground and he pursed his lips in apprehension.

"I'm _not_ chummy with that lying rat: Our partnership _only_ extends into the likes of financial deals and agreements, honestly! I-It's not like I was a part of his scams! _Er_ , I mean _accusations_! Nobody's for certain on whether or not that rat actually _did_ blackmail Gazelle, or _any_ of his other supposed victims, for that matter: They're _just_ rumors! Nobody's got any proof, with the slightest hint of it being _his_ fault coming from the fact that Ratsputin _owns_ the newspaper businesses that _published_ the whole scandal!

The water-buffalo sighed and closed his eyes.

He didn't believe a word out of Jack's mouth. Bogo had a sinking feeling that Jack wasn't being one hundred percent truthful with him. But it mattered not, for he was right about one thing: As of now, there was no way to prove anything. Deciding that he had heard enough from the rabbit, the water-buffalo turned tail and began to walk away.

"Alright. That'll be all, rabbit. You can go back to sleep now." The water-buffalo mumbled as he lumbered off, soon exiting the cell-block and reentering the lobby once more.

Bogo knew that there was more work to be done involving the Savage case: He still had questions for Jack, and even for Shahaz Pholmok, who had already been shipped off to the county jail-house. Yet at the same time, he couldn't shake the thought of Ratsputin's threat, which continued to cloud his conscious and interrupt his train of thought. Considering his options, Bogo decided that his paperwork could wait: He needed more info on Ratsputin, _especially_ if he intended on finalizing his suspicions of the rat and his work.

Thankfully, Bogo knew just the place to look for such information, and had already begun heading in the direction of the ZPD archives, intent on learning all that he could.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I know it's rather subdued this time around, but I just wanted to take the time to congratulate you all on helping When Instinct Falls reach 500,000+ views!**

 **I would throw some confetti in the air (If I had any), and would also give _each and every one of you_ a reaffirming handshake and pat on the back, but since this is an automated message made of hundreds of millions of pixels, I will instead give you my esteemed acknowledgement and a gratuitous thank you.**

 **I thank you all for being so darn supportive of my work, as it literally makes me as happy as a tape-worm in a constipated man's colon.**

 **Okay, that was probably _not_ the best simile there, but I'll leave it for shits and giggles, eh?**

 **That being said, I'd also like to throw out the idea of further spreading the likes of my work: We're getting quite close to 1000 followers, and I'd _love_ to see that goal-point reached!  So please, if any of you could spread word by whatever means necessary, I would be eternally grateful.**

 **Anyhow, _please_ do tell me how I did with this new chapter of mine, _especially_ dealing with Judy's emotional struggles, Nick's reassurance, and even Bogo's dilemma.**

 **Stay tuned for chapter 44 (Is that a lucky number?), comin' your way soon! :)**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: In the next chapter, we'll see nick and Judy get out and enjoy themselves some more on their vacation, including one particular scene I have planned out that I bet you all will enjoy _very_ much! Also, you all will be learning more about Grygorri Ratsputin, his work, and even his motives as Bogo explores the archives and pieces together the puzzle... I hope that you're all excited for that!**


	41. Tundra-Town Tussle

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." - Mahatma Gandhi

* * *

10:00 A.M

Summer morning's light streamed in through the panels of the glass windows, lighting up even the darkest recesses of the attic.

In one of the farthest corners, a large couch held refuge to the likes of two small mammals; A fox and bunny, who both slept peacefully within the enrapturing warmth of the blankets that lay atop them. They clung to one another with with a dreary but fervid sense of pre-ignited passion. It would be clear to any beholder that the two of them had certainly undergone a night of esteemed pleasure and indulgence.

" _WAKE UP, NICKY_!" Honey screamed loudly from across the attic.

The fox and bunny instantly bolted upright and glared at the source of the sound. On the other side of the attic, Honey was peering out of the trap-door and staring directly at the two mammals with a crazy grin on her face.

"What's your problem, badger?" Nick called out as he rubbed at his eyes. "We were still sleeping!"

"Yeah, I know: Bar opens in a half-hour, so I need you two outta the attic before then... Wouldn't be good for business if customers started hearing one of ya'll snoring."

Groaning aloud, Nick leaned back until his upper-body had flopped back into the stack of pillows behind him. Judy was too busy snickering to bother saying anything in their defense.

"Alright, _fine_! We'll go find something else to do... Now _shoo_!"

Honey grunted to herself and shot a wink at Judy before closing the trap-door, once again leaving the two mammals to the peace and quiet of the murky attic.

The fox and bunny quickly dressed themselves before heading downstairs, where Honey had already prepared a breakfast of bagels and eggs (for the predators, of course). Judy nibbled on one of the bread-rings and talked idly with Nick and Honey while they ate. Eventually, they thanked the badger for her hospitality before leaving the tavern and setting out towards the street, which was crawling with pedestrians, ranging from locals to tourists, cars to bikes, and mice to polar-bears.

"So, what now, fluff?" Nick found himself asking Judy, who walked beside him casually. "There's plenty to do around here, and we got pretty much all week!"

Judy took a moment to ponder that thought, and as she did, her eyes flicked up and stared down the distance directly in front of her. Farther down the cobble-stone road, which itself was flaked by rows of ice-glazed and cathedral-like buildings, Judy spotted an open pasture in a snowy field with a copious congregation of mammals within it. Judy noticed that the complex had several boxing rings around it, and she realized that it must've been a public boxing competition: She'd heard that those were pretty popular here in Tundra-Town, and she didn't see any reason on why _not_ to check it out.

"What about that over there?" She pointed out, causing Nick to aim his line of sight in the same direction. "Let's go check _that_ out!"

The fox pursed his lips and nodded a single time. "Sure, I'm up for seeing a bunch of sweaty mammals beat the pulp out of each-other." He said with a smirk.

And at that, the two of them began their journey towards the pasture, which turned out to be in an open field of a large, snow-blanketed park, with a few scraggly pine trees here and there. They looked around at the sights, and even watched a few matches together, with mammals of all shapes and sizes both watching the fights and participating in them.

"Ya know, you might fare pretty well against some of these guys..." Nick claimed easily. "I'd bet my money on you, for sure!"

"You really think so?" Judy inquired with raised eyebrows.

" _Of course_! You took on a freaking _rhino_ back at the academy! And won! These guys are _child's play_ to you, I bet!"

"Flattering won't get you anything but a nice kick in the face, slick." The bunny said with a coyish smirk.

"Hey, it's what I do best, apparently." The fox stated as he lazily shrugged.

Out of the corner of her eye, the bunny saw a large wooden platform on the far side of the snowy pasture. There was a middle-aged boar standing in the center of the structure, with gleaming white tusks and tufts of messy hair braided in rows down the length of his neck. In his right hoof, he held a microphone that he soon brought to his muzzle and spoke into.

" _Good_ morning, Tundra-Town!" He announced loudly, causing many of the park's gusts to turn in his direction. "How we doin' today, ah?"

Lots of mammals cheered out in response, and when the clamor simmered down once more, he continued his speech with gusto.

"Alright folks, today we've seen _lots_ of fights, and each and every one of them went down spectacularly! But now, I think it's high time that we start our _champions_ round!"

The crowd let out more cheers and shouts, and a lot of the mammals even started clapping. Not being a part of the local mammals, Nick and Judy hadn't a clue on what was going on.

"As you all know, we hold this festival here in this park three times a year, and each time, the high-light of the fest has _always_ been the champions round, where we allow guests from the crowd to participate in a boxing match against our reigning champion! This years champion has yet to be defeated, but today _may_ be the day that one of _you_ takes home the victory-belt, _and_ the title of _champion_!"

More cheers ensued, of which took longer to die down than the other two times before. Nick couldn't help but notice Judy's wide-eyed expression and demeanor.

"Now, let's introduce this year's champion..." The boar started once more, slightly pausing for effect. " _Ivar_ Obdenberg!"

Both Nick and Judy instantly looked to each-other when they heard the name announced: They both remembered Ivar from the other night, where he had gotten drunk at Honey's tavern. They saw a figure emerge from the crowd and clamber up onto the stage, and sure enough, the purple-skinned walrus was now standing on the stage, waving to the crowd while smiling and holding up the aforementioned victory-belt, which looked like a black-leather belt with a large, golden snowflake in it's center.

"Now, is there _anyone_ out there who would be willing to take on our champion?" The boar called out to the crowd, who uttered not a single word.

"Oh, come on!" The announcer groaned. "There's gotta be _someone_ out there! What about _you_ big-guy? No? Bah! Anyone?"

"I'll do it!" Judy shouted at the top of her lungs.

The fox looked over to the bunny beside him, who had one of her paws raised in an effort to stand out. The crowd parted around the two of them, allowing the announcer to single them out. The boar was silent to a count of five before he let out a long wheeze, followed by a rambunctious line of chuckles. The crowd laughed too, with some even pointing fingers and booing at Judy, who visibly shrunk in apprehension.

"Okay, okay... _Very_ funny, cutie... Anyone _else_?" The boar asked again as he started to turn away from the bunny, but stopped when she shouted out to him.

"Hey, jerk! I'm being _serious_! And _don't_ call me cute!"

The crowd laughed again, and a few people even started booing at the announcer and cheering at Judy, who straightened herself out a little bit.

" _Oh_ , well I guess we have our first challenger... Who happens to be a bunny! This will be an interesting fight, folks! Get on up here, rabbit!"

Judy puffed her chest out and beamed with pride. She was about to walk over to the wooden platform when she felt someone grab her paw from behind. Turning around, she stared into the emerald eyes of Nick, and was surprised to see trace amounts of concern buried beneath his corneas, but it showed in his expression.

"Carrots, are you _crazy_? That guy is _huge_! He's even bigger than Chief Bogo! Don't do this, fluff-butt." Nick stated quickly, his movements rigid and jerky.

"Nick, don't you believe in me?" The bunny asked with wide eyes. " _I can do this_."

The fox swallowed, nervously looking back and forth between Judy, Ivar, and the crowd around them. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

"I just don't want you to get hurt, Whiskers... He'll only need one punch to take you out, you know that, right?"

"I know... In fact, that's another reason why I need to do this: To prove that against all odds, even a bunny can come out on top." Judy replied steadily.

She then stepped up a few feet closer to the platform, locking eyes with the boar announcer, who was smirking right at her.

"I'll do it!" Judy shouted out to him. "Now give me those extra small gloves over there!"

* * *

Within two minutes, Judy was outfitted for war.

Her paws had been wrapped in cloth and stuffed into a pair of puffy boxing-gloves, of which were secured tightly to her wrists and fore-arms. She also wore a bunny sized head-guard that was snug against her cranium. Aside from the boxing gear, she wore only her regular clothes, which still consisted of her denim-jacket and Lycra-leggings.

After equipping herself for the fight, the announcer brought her up to the platform and introduced her to the crowd, which had grown considerably larger. Judy didn't blame them, as seeing a bunny take on a walrus was _definitely_ something you didn't see every day. Holding her arm up to the sky, the announcer called out to the crowd;

"Introducing, the first bunny to ever take on the defending champion..." The boar leaned down and spoke softly to Judy. "What's yer name, kid?"

"Judy Hopps, sir." She replied quickly

"The first bunny to _ever_ take on the defending champion... Give it up for, _JUDY_ HOPPS!" The announcer shouted out the the crowd, which cheered loudly from all sides.

Looking down at the crown below her, Judy didn't spot anyone shew knew, but there was one face in particular that stood out from the rest: The orange and furry face of Nick, who stood near the front, calmly clapping for her and smiling as she was introduced to the crowd. She met his gaze, and watched as he gave her a sly wink before the boar announcer led her to the other side of the wooden stage and away from the center.

When the rabbit had been positioned on the far left side of the stage, the boar called out to the crowd once again.

"Alright, folks! Now, meet your friendly neighborhood walrus and reigning champion, _IVAR_ OBDENBERG!"

Upon the notion of the walrus's name, Ivar ascended the steps on his side of the platform, positioning himself on the far left side, where he waved a single time to the crowd in front of him.

"You all know the rules: The match goes on until either the timer runs out, or one contestant gets knocked out cold, or knocked out of the ring!"

The gathering of mammals cheered, and Judy could've sworn she spotted Kozlov; One of Mr. Big's goons, somewhere among them in the crowd.

"Speaking of ring," The boar started audibly. "Today, the walrus and rabbit will be fighting in the finals arena, which is the wooden ring to your _right_!"

The crowd, including Judy, all turned towards the direction that the boar had pointed out: When she saw where she would be fighting Ivar, Judy resisted the urge to forfeit.

The finals arena was nothing more than one large wooden ring, about twenty feet in length. The only problem being, that it had no ropes, which was what Judy had been counting on to secure her victory. Back at the police academy all those years ago, the only reason Judy managed to defeat the rhino was because of the ropes around the ring, which allowed her to spring off of and use her momentum as a weapon to her advantage. She figured that she and Ivar would be fighting in one of the ringed arenas, and she had planned on using the ropes to defeat the walrus just like she had the rhino all those years ago.

This time, the ring had nothing to her advantage: It was just a wooden circle planted in the flat ground of the snow.

Before the bunny could decide on whether or not she still wanted to fight Ivar, she was already being carted off by the boar to the border of the arena.

"I gotta say, kid... I dunno what you think you'll get outta this, but if you prove me an' everyone else here wrong, then not only is that belt all yours, but you'll have my utmost respect." The boar mumbled into her ear before patting her shoulder and exiting the ring.

Judy looked to the opposing side of the arena some twenty feet away, where Ivar was facing her with his arms held close to his chest and his fists hovering near his muzzle. She heard a blow-horn sound emanate from somewhere in the crowd, which had already gathered around the arena's perimeter to watch the coming brawl. They left about a ten foot radius around the actual wooden ring, allowing more than enough room for the two mammals to duke it out.

At the blowhorn's sound, the fight had officially begun.

Unsurprisingly, nothing happened at first: Neither mammal made any advancements toward the other. Judy needed all the time that she could get to analyze Ivar's stance and positioning, hoping to perhaps find some sort of weakness that she could exploit to her advantage. She started by weighing her strengths and weaknesses. Obviously, Ivar was big and heavy, which hopefully meant that he had a slow swing. His bulky frame would be hard to make sudden turns, and Judy reckoned that he would be easy to knock over if she somehow managed to make him top-heavy and unbalanced.

She reasoned that Ivar must've had a very powerful punch though, and because of her smaller and weaker frame, she had a feeling that all it would take was one to knock her out of the ring... Or to kill her.

Shaking her head and ridding her mind of those thoughts, Judy analyzed the walrus's stance: Wide legs, arms close to body, chest and muzzle exposed. He must've been aware of his top-heavy weakness, since his widened stance would lower his chances of being knocked over. His arms were close to his body, which meant that he was ready for defensive maneuvers, meaning that he must've been expecting Judy to make the first move. Keeping that in mind, the bunny then took to thinking over his exposed chest and muzzle. Most fighters would've kept their fists closer to their jaw-line, to protect against knock-out blows to the face: A hit to the jaw is very effective in knocking someone out.

Though for some reason, Ivar positioned his meaty hands farther down, protecting his neck area. Judy wondered why he would choose to do such a strange stance, but she soon realized: His tusks protected his jaws and a good chunk of his sternum from direct hits! If Judy tried aiming for his jaws in an effort to knock him out, even with her tiny fists, there was a good chance that she'd end up hitting one of his tusks instead. Not only that, but the very center of his chest was also protected by his tusks from blows that would normally knock the wind out of any other mammal.

 _No wonder he's the reigning champion! He's too heavy to knock out of the ring, and he's too tough to knock out!_ The bunny thought to herself.

All of this happened within a span of no more than five seconds. Soon enough, no doubt tired from waiting and bolstered by confidence, the walrus made the first move; Shuffling forward surprisingly fast and swinging at the bunny. Gasping, Judy instinctively dove to the right to avoid getting hit: Ivar may have been quicker than she first thought, but Judy was even _faster_.

Getting a target at his side, which was exposed due to his off-mark swing, Judy lept off of the wooden platform and twisted in mid-air, using her powerful legs to plow into the side of Ivar's gut with exceptional force. Springing off of the walrus, Judy landed expertly on her feet a few meters away, where she gazed at the lumbering walrus. He didn't seem to be very effected by Judy's hit, but he _did_ get shifted a few inches from the force of Judy's legs.

" _Ha-Ha_! You are _fast_ , little bunny!" The walrus called out gruffly. "Even Ivar didn't see you coming!"

Judy wondered why the walrus always seemed to refer to himself in the third-person, and momentarily lowered her guard at his comment. That cost her, as when she briefly lowered her raised paws, Ivar lunged over and swung right at her. Judy's lightning-fast reflexes allowed her to dodge his punch, but the bunny's shoulder was nicked by the edge of Ivar's fist, causing her to slide back a few meters before her paws caught traction on the wooden surface.

"Ivar is going to give you the one-two punch treatment!" The walrus called out from the other side of the ring.

The crowd exploded into cheers and shouts, and even a few boos that Judy didn't bother searching out or even thinking on: She learned her lesson the hard way, and wasn't going to look away from Ivar anymore. Keeping her eyes locked firmly on his towering form, Judy clearly saw his right leg step forward as he moved in towards Judy for another swing. With her senses and reflexes on high alert, Judy easily managed to dodge his third punch, this time even landing a few of her own into Ivar's kidney-region, her paws darting forward and landing several times on the walrus's back as he flew by.

She took advantage of the moment: She only had a few seconds before Ivar was back on his feet and coming right at her again, so she took to thinking about what she could do to take him out. She very quickly glanced to the nearby timer, concluding that she still had roughly half-a-dozen minutes until the fight was declared a draw. Though she could easily keep up her game of dodging his punches and simply outlast him until the timer ran out, Judy wanted to win: She wanted that belt and that title, but more importantly, she wanted their respect and admiration.

She was _not_ going to lose, or even let this match end in a stale-mate: She was going to _win_.

For some reason, Judy's mind reintroduced an old quote that she had heard long ago: That a person's greatest strength could _also_ be their greatest weakness. She looked at Ivar's twin tusks, and then suddenly, she knew what she had to do to win.

"Come and get me, Obdenberg!" She taunted. "You gonna let yourself lose to a little doe like me _?"_

Judy watched Ivar glare at the crowd, which were now laughing copiously from her insults directed at the walrus.

That must've caught onto him, because Judy saw his eyes narrow and heard him growl broodingly from the other side of the ring. He closed the distance between the two of them, running straight for Judy with one fist raised above his head and ready to swing. Instead of running away, this time Judy darted straight toward Ivar and dropped to the ground; Throwing her lower body towards Ivar's ankles, which she plowed into, and using every ounce of strength that she could muster, pushed as hard as she could.

It went exactly as planned.

Ivar toppled over, his momentum and body weight causing him to fly forwards and land chest first into the wooden platform. The crowd was murmuring loudly, but Judy quickly recomposed herself before scampering over in front of Ivar, hoping that her plan had worked effectively.

Sure enough, when she reared around his muscular shoulders, Judy came to face with the sight of Ivar's tusks planted straight through the wooden floor-boards, anchoring him in place to the ground.

She lept into the air and pumped her fists around as she let out a victorious shout: She'd turned one of Ivar's greatest strengths into his new weakness, as the walrus was now completely immobile and stuck.

The walrus's hazy yellow eyes locked onto her as she positioned herself directly in front of his nose. Now that his face was down to her height, the walrus was unable to move, and also unable to protect himself from her blows, Judy was now free to swing at his unprotected face. The many mammals of the crowd around them were now pointing at Ivar, laughing as he struggled to free his tusks from the floor-boards.

The bunny scurried back a few feet before sprinting right at Ivar, jumping and plowing her powerful legs directly into Ivar's nose at the last second, where she heard a satisfying crunching sound as her feet connected with his thick muzzle.

When she had gotten to her feet, Ivar still hadn't managed to free himself, and was now cursing gruffly through his bushy mustache of whiskers. His nostrils were pouring blood profusely, and he tried dislodging his tusks from the wooden boards, but couldn't manage in the position that he was in. Soon giving up, Ivar groaned and relaxed his body, going limp and unmoving as he lay sprawled out. Meanwhile, the crowd was cheering spectacularly, with many mammals even chanting Judy's name over and over in admiration.

"WE HAVE A WINNER, FOLKS!" The boar announcer shouted out loudly, his hoofs thrown excitedly against his head. "JUDY HOPPS IS THE BRAND NEW _CHAMPION_!"

The crowd went nuts, but even through the chaos around her, the bunny was able to make out the cheering face of her husband, who had his jaw-dropped in amazement as he clapped his paws together again and again, cheering for her as loud as anyone else, if not more. Judy smiled at the sight of him, but didn't get to relish it for very long as the crowd soon rushed her and carted her off back towards the wooden platform where she had first been introduced. The bunny was planted in the center of the platform and then presented the belt, which was nearly as big as her entire body.

Though, through the cheering and applause, and behind the smiling faces of all the mammals in the crowd: Judy spotted Ivar in the distance, trudging away from the arena that he had just lost in. The bunny couldn't help but look back at the floor of the arena, which was now stained crimson from the blood of the walrus's nosebleed.

Judy's nose twitched and her ears drooped against the back of her neck as she watched Ivar walk away from the park and distance himself from the scene. With her long ears shooting up in sudden determination, Judy lept from the platform and tried running after the walrus, but was stopped by the crowd, who began to congregate around her as she tried to weave her way between their bodies and legs.

Her attempt was in vain, as she was soon flooded with questions and congratulations from the many mammals, all hoping to get a handshake and glimpse of the new champion.

Judy could still see Ivar's sulking form through the gaps in the crowd; His mighty silhouette slumped in defeat as he trudged away in seeming humiliation.

In that moment, she felt like the biggest loser in the world: Her victory worse than meaningless.

* * *

 _Earlier that morning:_

The ZPD head-quarters was as busy as ever; With dozens of personnel ranging from criminals being escorted to civilians filing complaints. Clawhauser manned the receptions desk, jovially assisting guests and relaying communications back and forth with officers in the field. People chat and laughed and lounged about in the commons, all enjoying themselves.

However, one brooding buffalo was not taking part in these activities and events. Instead, he lumbered in solitude throughout the many halls of the building, searching for one single room in particular: The ZPD archive was his destination. The archive stored information on thousands of mammals, and thousands more were uploaded onto the computer files. Bogo wasn't sure what he was looking for in specific, but what he did know was that whatever he found he would have to use to his utmost advantage.

With nearly thirty years of experience at the ZPD, and roughly thirteen years as it's chief of police, Bogo had seen and dealt with all forms of crime and mismanagement. He knew blackmailers when he saw one, and he knew how to deal with them to the most effective degree. The water-buffalo could have easily thrown together an arrest warrant and brought in Ratsputin for questioning, but Bogo had no desire to go through the hassle of doing such. Besides, he had a feeling that something was amiss with it all...

He took the rat's extortion with a grain of salt, however, since it seemed rather unprofessional of the rat to make such a trip to the ZPD, only to drop a bomb-shell like the one that he had threatened upon chief Bogo. Carefully thinking over what Ratsputin had said that night, along with pondering his rights and regulations, Bogo came to the conclusion that Ratsputin's blackmail couldn't bring his career to an end: Not only did it appear to have too many moving parts, but it just didn't seem like the most effective threat in the first place. It would undoubtedly put a serious dent in Bogo's reputation and grandeur, but it simply wasn't enough of an incentive to make Bogo give in to the rat's whims.

That being said, the water-buffalo still had his doubts...

Theoretically, if Ratsputin truly _was_ such a threat to social security, with his blackmailing and all: If he really _was_ the king of blackmail like the rumors had claimed, then _w_ _hy_ would the rat bother trying to threaten the chief of the ZPD with a threat that wouldn't even _work_? It just didn't make any sense, and Bogo himself was head-strong and determined to unravel the mystery behind this. To do that, he needed to start with the basics; Info, credentials, intelligence, _everything_ he could gather on Grygorri Ratsputin.

Eventually, Bogo arrived at his destination, with which he immediately entered. Opening the door and setting foot inside one of the archive rooms, the water-buffalo took in the sight of the many computers, filing cabinets, and other office supplies and documentations over pretty much anyone in Zootopia that has ever had the pleasure of getting a mug-shot.

Bogo walked around for a while, eventually coming to a halt at a computer. Sitting down, he logged into the database and began scrolling through lists of names and addresses. Soon enough, he encountered the name _Grygorri Ratsputin_ , of which he instantly selected.

He was then brought to a page dedicated to the aforementioned rat. In the top right corner, there was a picture of his harsh and angular face, with those cold, calculating black eyes staring right into the lends of the camera. Sifting through his background history, Bogo managed to gather new and insightful information regarding his suspect.

Apparently, Ratsputin was a widowed father of three, and a newspaper-business tycoon who owned and managed multiple big-names in the news industry. Bogo reasoned that that was how the rat spread word of the dirt he'd gathered on other mammals: By having his newspaper articles publish the information and spread it around the city for all to see. Thankfully, Bogo wouldn't have to worry about _that_ , or at least, not _yet_.

Shaking his head back and forth, Bogo retrained his gaze upon the screen before continuing to read.

He recalled how several years back, Ratsputin and some of his printing-presses were accused of spreading black-brokered information on Gazelle, claiming that she had been a drug-addict. The rumors were scandalous and caused quite a print in her career, and although she denied the rumors at first, of course, she eventually came forward and admitted that she'd been delving into the likes of several illegal drugs.

When the questions rolled out, Gazelle admitted that she had been threatened into subservience, and ordered to abandon her cause in the predator-prey protests, which at the time, were ravaging the city and suburbs with riots and disagreements. Gazelle claimed that she had been blackmailed, and that her conspirators threatened to release the information of her drug-abuse to the public, unless she stopped her peace-rallies in the defense of the predators.

Of course, she didn't stop her peace-rallies in the end. Sure enough, not too long after the night-howler incident had ended, several major newspaper organizations had begun to print articles covering Gazelle and her drug-abuse situation.

Everyone was shocked at first, but eventually, people started asking questions: How did these newspaper businesses just suddenly find out about it?

And at that, everyone looked to Grygorri Ratsputin.

City-hall, whom highly disapproved of blackmail and extortion (yet for some reason had not declared the crime itself illegal), summoned Ratsputin to a committee conference, where they questioned him on the scandal. The event instantly became a conspiracy, as Ratsputin was later accused of blackmailing one of the committee members who had interrogated him!

In the end, the rat got out free of any charges or sanctions, but has since been piled high with suspicions and accusations.

Bogo continued to sort through the information, learning more about the history of the rat's business empire, his criminal-record (which was suspiciously clean), and even his backstory. Knowledge is power, and Bogo knew that if he would have to outsmart a blackmailer, he'd have to have some information of his own.

Soon enough, the water-buffalo had concluded his research, and promptly shut down the computer before exiting the archive and headed towards the briefing room, intent on filling in his officers on several high-priority cases and crimes that needed to be dealt with.

Though all the while, Bogo pondered over what needed to be done in regards to the rat and his threats.

He needed someone who knew everyone. Someone who was smart, and could go toe-to-toe with Ratsputin himself. _He needed... He needed..._

Bogo's eyes rested on a single empty chair at the front of the class-room.

" _Ugh_... Of _all_ the mammals..." The water-buffalo grumbled. "I can't believe that I have to use _him_."

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Oh man, this new chapter was certainly an exciting one, eh? I hope you enjoyed it, and do be sure to leave a review telling me your thoughts on it! :)**

 **Like I said in the last chapter, I'd also _greatly_ appreciate any effort you guys could make in helping my story reach 1000 followers. It's something that I've been shooting for since day one, and a personal goal that I'd be very proud to check off the list!**

 **Anyhow, thank you for your time, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter, and do stay tuned for chapter 45, comin' your way soon! :)**

 **Cheers!**


	42. Empathy

"I think we all have empathy. We just may not have enough courage to display it." - Maya Angelou

* * *

Empathy is perhaps one of the most important attributes that anyone can acquaint to.

Being able to put yourself into the shoes of another, and being able to understand and feel compassion for their woes is simply what makes us _us_.

Judy knew what she was getting in to when she first set foot inside that arena: She knew that one way or another, someone was going to exit that arena clouded in humiliation.

At the time, it did little to dissuade her from her efforts and goals: She wanted the belt, the title, and most importantly, the respect of everyone else that was watching. She had forced herself to pipe out in front of a huge crowd simply to challenge Ivar for his title of champion, and she had endured a humiliating denial directly in front of that same crowd.

It was only when she trounced him did she finally convince them all of her true potential.

But at the same time, she realized that she never needed their approval in the first place.

So when she saw Ivar skulking away from the scene in defeat; The crowd completely forgetting about him and his own efforts, Judy knew what she had to do. Yet after trying numerous times to force her way through the large gathering of mammals, she eventually gave up and succumbed to their whims. For some time, she was bombarded with a multitude of questions, ranging from her thoughts during the fight to her origins. She calmly answered each and every one, all the while keeping her eyes trained on Nick, who stood near the back of the crowd, quietly smiling as he watched her wrap up the whole situation.

Eventually, Nick came over and helped her carry the belt down from the stage. It took both of them to carry it, and after making it out of the park, they both took a moment to stop and catch their breaths. They set the belt down in the snow and did a few stretches while they rested.

Putting his paws on his hips and as he admired the golden snow-flake design on the front of the belt, the fox voiced his opinion diligently.

" _Gees_... I still can't believe that you _won_ , cotton-tail." He started with a whistle. "That part where you held him down with his own tusks? _Genius_!"

Donning a sheepish smile, the bunny shrugged before trudging over to Nick, and standing by his side, all the while admiring her own reflection in the belt's glittering pendant.

"Thanks... _Never_ did I imagine that I'd end up picking a fight with anyone on our vacation." Judy mumbled, causing the fox to bark a laugh.

"Oh, knowing you and your ferocity, it crossed my mind a few times." He trailed off jokingly before snickering to himself.

"Nick!" The bunny elbowed him in the sternum. "Don't make me beat _you_ up, too!"

"Case in point!"

"Ugh, you're unbearable sometimes!" Judy complained despite the cheerful smile spread across her face.

Shaking her head, the bunny crossed her fore-arms across her chest before staring back into the eyes of her own reflection, which shined a glittering gold against the snow-flake shaped center-piece that was adorned on the front of the belt. However, a flicker of movement in the reflection caused her to focus her eyes just a little bit more. She could have sworn that that large, lumbering shape in the background looked near identical to Ivar Obdenberg. Turning around and facing the source of the titular reflection, Judy stared wide-eyed at the thick-skinned walrus, watching as he entered the doors of Honey's tavern from far across the street.

"So, what are we even gonna _do_ with this thing?" Judy heard Nick ask from behind her, his attention still trained on the likes of the belt lying on the ground.

The bunny looked down at her own feet, where she was shocked to see the fur around her toes stained a bright red color, her feet still painted in the blood from Ivar's defeat. Shaking her head and locking her eyes onto the wooden door of Honey's bar, which was still swinging slightly from having just recently been opened, she suddenly developed an answer to Nick's question, which was still hanging high in the air. Turning around and locking eyes with him, she spoke her mind stead-fast and with vigor.

"I think I have an idea." She said with a smile.

* * *

Stepping in through the smaller-sized doors and reentering Honey's bar, the two mammals were met with the familiar and cozy sense of hospitality that they had grown accustomed to during their last visit.

Slipping in quietly with the belt wrapped around their shoulders, Nick and Judy managed to capture Honey's attention when she noticed the two of them stumbling over themselves as they struggled to carry their new trophy. Walking over and helping them place the belt on the bar counter, Honey then repositioned herself behind the bar.

"Good to see you two again!" The badger claimed with a pair of bright eyes and a toothy grin. "I heard that _you_ won the championship!" Honey said, pointing at Judy. "Nice job!"

"Oh, you heard about that?" Judy questioned, her ears suddenly perking up in interest.

"A'Course I did! That boxing competition's the most exciting thing that happens around _these_ parts... Besides, information flies fast 'round here, doesn't it? Wouldn't take long for anyone and their mother to find out that a _tiny_ little bunny like yourself would wind end up winning against a massive walrus!"

The honey badger turned around briefly and filled two mugs the the very top with some sort of frosty blue liquid.

"Drinks on the house... _Again_... Just for you!" Honey leaned against the bar, watching the two mammals as they seated themselves. "What brings you here again, anyhow?"

With the sudden reminder of why she even dragged Nick back to the bar in the first place, Judy's ears shot up in attentiveness as she scanned the area, searching for Ivar. She ended up spotting him by himself in the far corner of the bar, squeezed into a larger-sized booth. He held a mug of frothy brown liquid in his right paw, of which he drank from in small sips.

"We're actually here to talk to Ivar... You don't mind, do you?" The bunny inquired timidly

"Why would I?" Honey asked with raised eyebrows. "He came in here just a few minutes before you two did... Let's go and see him!" She exclaimed cheerfully.

The badger then lept over the counter-top once again, grabbing Nick and Judy by the paw and carting them in the direction of the walrus, who's hazy yellow eyes were staring down the commotion, understandably. Judy couldn't help but notice that upon seeing her, Ivar looked away in humiliation; Retraining his eyes upon his drink, which he drank deep from. When they reached his booth, the three mammals all stood smiling, waiting for someone to initiate some form of conversation.

"Well, I'm sure you both know Ivar here! He's won the last _eighteen_ matches in that boxing competition, 'till _now_ , of course." Honey began, patting the walrus on the shoulder.

"Nineteen." Ivar said flatly. " _Nineteen_ matches."

There was another brief period of silence before the honey badger decided to excuse herself back to the bar, which had a number of new customers crowding around it, leaving both Nick and Judy alone with Ivar, who glared at the two of them with a bored look on his face.

"Hey big guy..." Nick started, visibly nervous. "Whatcha drinking there?"

Judy could tell that he was trying to be smooth, like he usually acted around strangers, though this time it was quite obvious that he wasn't feeling very confident around Ivar.

"Vanilla-Vodka Float..." The walrus grumbled half-heartedly. "What do you bother Ivar for, fox?"

"Um, well, my wife here just wanted to, uh... _Speak to you_?"

Maneuvering Judy into the walrus's line of sight, Nick quickly positioned himself behind her before resting his gaze back on the walrus, who was looking back and forth between him, Judy, and even Honey, who was somewhere off behind them manning the bar. He sighed and leaned back in his side of the booth.

Meanwhile, Judy had perked up her ears and puffed out her chest in reaction to Nick putting her on the front lines. She soon mustered up what she wanted to say to Ivar.

"I just... I just wanted to apologize for the way that I acted back in the arena... Kicking you when I shouldn't have, and not helping you up... I'm sorry."

The walrus's faces seemed to soften at the notion of her apology, and his posture straightened out slightly as well.

"You are sorry for your _victory_?" He asked huskily, leaning forward with raised eyebrows. "Little bunny has _no need_ to apologize: She won fair and square."

"You're not upset?" Nick asked timidly from behind the rabbit.

"Of course not... Well, _maybe_ little bit. Ivar is just disappointed that nobody helped him out of arena! He almost chipped tusk trying to pull himself out!"

"Oh... I see." Judy squeaked, knotting her fingers together with regret. "Yeah, I should've helped you up... I'm sorry about that."

"It is fine, though Ivar thanks you for consideration." The walrus said before taking another drink from his mug. "Sit, sit! Ivar would like to talk with you both, no?"

Nick and Judy both looked at each-other upon Ivar's offer to chat. They simply shrugged and decided to go for it: They didn't have any plans scheduled anyways.

" _Sure_! We'd be glad to chat for a little bit! Right Nick?" Judy claimed, shooting Nick a glare of encouragement.

The fox chuckled as he looked back and froth between the bunny and walrus, who were both eyeing him with interest.

"Of course! I don't see why not!" He agreed with a smile on his muzzle.

The two smaller mammals then clambered up onto the opposing side of the too-large booth. While standing up, Judy's chin just barely reached above the counter-top. Nick had it better, since he was just a little bit taller than her, though he was still minuscule in comparison to the walrus sitting across from him. After making themselves comfortable, Ivar began with a single question of his own.

"So, little bunny... Where did you learn such _powerful_ fighting skills? You floored Ivar in _record_ time!"

Judy was flattered by the walrus's compliments, and had to resist bringing down her ears to hide the growing blush around her cheeks. She looked to Nick, who simply shrugged in response. Judy nodded her head and decided that it wouldn't hurt to tell Ivar that they were ZPD officers: She figured that he had earned it, at the very least.

"Well, we're both ZPD officers, actually. Knowing how to fight is just another part of the job, really." Judy answered.

The walrus furrowed his brow and stroked his chin, seemingly thinking over the bunny's response. He then started chuckling to himself slowly, gradually building up until his laughter started to sound like he was choking. When he'd calmed down, Ivar raised his head and looked at the two mammals across from him before speaking out.

"Ah, yes: Ivar knows of the ZPD, but he never could have guessed that a cute little bunny such as yourself would have ever joined!"

Judy visibly winced when Ivar incidentally had dropped 'the C-word _'_ but she kept her cool for Ivar's sake, only choosing to correct him in hopes that he wouldn't make the same mistake again in the future, near or far.

"Thanks, but, uh... Just be careful around us bunnies whenever you use the word _cute_ , because it _kinda_ comes across as offensive to us sometimes."

Ivar seemed to get the message, since he raised his bushy eyebrows and nodded in understanding before taking another drink from his mug, this time draining it fully.

"So do tell Ivar about yourselves. Being police officers, you must've done _many_ things throughout Zootopia! Ivar rarely leaves Tundra-Town, so he always thinks that it is nice to hear about the experiences of others. So what have you two done together while working for ZPD? You ever have to arrest bad-guys?"

Ivar's peculiar way of talking momentarily threw off Nick, who had to reconfigure the walrus's words in an attempt to make them more understandable. The fox also noticed that the walrus didn't seem bothered by the fact that Nick and Judy were an inter-species couple. If he did, he certainly didn't show it.

"Oh man, don't even get us started!" Nick said, slapping his paw on the table surface. "You have _no idea_ what we've been through after all this time."

"You got that right." Judy added, facing Nick before turning back to Ivar. "Being a police officer is _no_ easy job."

"Yeah, and with _us_ in specific, we _may_ have gone toe-to-toe with a homicidal, psychopathic bat a few times, went undercover in a crooked bank business ran by an alcoholic rabbit, and even raided a warehouse in the middle of the desert trying to bring down the Sahara-Square's most wanted criminal!"

Nick's comment earned a confused look from the walrus, and a glare from the rabbit beside him, who elbowed his arm as well.

" _What_? I said that we _may_ have done those things!" The fox said before crossing his arms. "It doesn't mean that we actually did."

Rolling her eyes, Judy looked back to Ivar, who's hazy yellow eyes were squinted in apprehension.

"Oh, don't mind him... Nick's a big joker. But yeah, we've done those things before... And more!" Judy concluded.

Ivar nodded and scratched at the whiskers on his chin, eyeing Nick suspiciously even past all that the two officers had just disclosed.

"Nick... As in Nikolai?" He asked slowly.

"Uh, _no_." The fox corrected. "Nick, as in Nicholas."

"Wilde... You're Nick _Wilde_?"

"Yep, that's me: Nicholas Piberius Wilde, in the fur, good sir."

The walrus's face slacked, and his expression become stony and unfocused. He rose from his side of the booth quietly, all the while avoiding eye-contact with his two guests.

"Ivar thanks you for the company, but he no longer wishes to stay."

Judy's nose twitched and her expression turned to confusion and concern when Ivar stood up and began lumbering off in the direction of the door.

"W-wait! _Ivar_! Where are you going?" The bunny called out to the walrus, who stopped, and spoke aloud without turning around.

"Ivar is going home... He doesn't like to do chat with _con-artists_."

"Con-artists... But..." Judy turned around and glared at Nick, who threw up his arms in an _I don't know_ sort of gesture.

The bunny lept from her seat and ran all the way over to the walrus, pulling at his pant-legs in an effort to stop him.

" _Wait_ , Ivar! Just hear us out, _please_! We want to talk to you!" She pleaded.

Sighing deeply, the walrus slowly turned around and trudged back over to his side of the booth, soon joined by Judy, who jumped back up into her own seat, where she stood beside Nick and held one of his paws in his defense. Looking Nick in the eye, she quickly nodded her head in Ivar's direction, signaling the fox to speak with him.

"Look, Ivar, I may have done something that effected you in the past, but I _promise_... I _promise_ that I'm a changed fox. I really am! I have a job, a beautiful wife and mate-"

Nick placed one of his paws on Judy's hip, pulling her closer to his side.

"-And I've _completely_ given up hustling. It never got me anywhere in the first place... So I'm sorry, for what it's worth."

"Also, do you think that you could perhaps tell us what Nick directly _or_ indirectly did to you in the past?" Judy added.

The walrus closed his eyes and breathed in slowly through his nostrils. For the first time, Judy noticed that whenever Ivar held his breath, his nostrils sealed over from the inside with a small flap of skin. It was a strange sight, but one that the bunny didn't dwell on for very long, since the walrus soon began to explain his past predicament with Nick.

"Many many years ago, a good friend of Ivar's - A seal, named Yuri - Told Ivar that he had bought lots of sea-urchins from a fox for a really good price, and that he used them in his restaurant. Urchins turned out to be very bad: They were untreated, and some were _venomous_. One customer nearly died from poison, and had health-inspectors come. They decided to shut down Yuri's restaurant after the customer threatened to sue, mostly because Yuri had no chance to win court-battle against him. Ivar doesn't recognize this fox, but his _name_ is all he ever needed to know. _You_ cost Ivar's best friend his restaurant and _entire_ career. You should be _ashamed_!"

Nick lowered his vision and slumped his shoulders. In all his years of hustling, as he likes to call it, he'd never bothered to take into consideration the plight of those that he had tricked: It was always about him and his money. Nobody else. He'd never stopped to think about the repercussions of his actions, and how it effected those around him.

He _was_ ashamed.

"You're right." The fox started glumly. "I should be... And I am. But again, I _promise_ you: I'm no longer that selfish fox that I once was. I'm a completely new mammal."

His words were true to the core, and Nick only hoped that the walrus could see where he was coming from.

"Ivar understands... Anyone can be anything, eh? Who says that once greedy, inconsiderate, selfish fox cannot change his ways? Ivar can tell that you say no lies, Nikolai."

"Thank you... And uh, it's _Nick_." The fox corrected, pointing a single finger at Ivar.

"That's what Ivar said!" The walrus retorted, slowly rising from his seat.

"Okay! _Great_! Everyone's just _so_ great!" Judy interrupted, sensing tension growing in the air around them. "Now, let's get back to chatting, hmm?"

Nodding his head in agreement, Ivar sat back down into his seat, all the while eyeing the two mammals who sat across from him.

"So you are police officers..." The walrus began. "Why are you here in Tundra-Town fighting in boxing competitions, then?"

"Good question, actually." Nick said, giving Judy the stink-eye.

The bunny could tell that the fox was still a _little_ bit cross with her over jumping into a fight like the one that she had participated in earlier that afternoon.

"Well, we're actually on paid vacation, believe it or not. We still have about six days left until we're needed back at work, though." Judy answered.

"Paid vacation? Sounds to Ivar like you two have earned it!" The walrus stated with gusto. "Tundra-Town has _many_ neat things to do and see. Where do you plan to go next?"

Both the fox and bunny took a moment to look to one another and ponder the previous question. In truth, they hadn't exactly planned out anything beforehand, especially since the whole paid vacation thing was thrown right at them just yesterday! After thinking over their response, Nick and Judy looked to one another ans shrugged innocently.

"I guess we don't really know. We're kinda playin' it by ear, you know what I'm saying?" Nick replied, his comment on ears causing Judy's eyes to dart upwards to her own ears.

"Ivar knows what you are saying. In fact, he has suggestions for you to consider!" The walrus claimed cheerfully.

Nick and Judy hadn't considered exploring new places on their vacation, really. Still, they figured that no harm could be done in hearing out Ivar's ideas.

"Alright, lay 'em out, buddy." The fox requested, placing his paws behind his head as he did.

The walrus began counting off with his fingers as he listed various locations for Nick and Judy to explore on their vacation.

"There is the Cenote-Caverns in the Nocturnal-District, the Morzh-Iceblock here in Tundra-Town, the Chapparel-Cut on Outback-Island, and the magnificent Jungle-Bowl in the Rainforest-District! Now _that_ is a sight! Ivar has heard of and been to many different places over the years, but few are as unique _or_ as beautiful as the tropical islands of Pawaii! Lush tropics, clean beaches, and terrifying volcanoes, _spewing_ lava and burning magma, _tearing_ apart mountains and making things _explode_ into tiny pieces!"

Though Ivar's description of a volcanic eruption seemed a _little_ bit over the top, Nick was instantly hooked on the idea of visiting Pawaii for the remainder of their vacation. It would allow them to truly get away from the city, and it would be just the two of them on a beautiful island in the middle of the Pawcific ocean: Now that was a strong hook!

Looking over to Judy, he was somewhat surprised to see her expression fixated into the likes of apprehension and nervousness. Putting two and two together, Nick realized that Judy must've never seen, and probably never even _heard_ of a volcano before. Chuckling to himself, Nick decided to reassure her of Ivar's frightening description.

"Don't worry, Carrots: I won't let any volcanoes hurt you..." He claimed, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Besides, they aren't _that_ over the top."

Ivar smirked, his large tusks making the expression look more like a sneer.

"Don't worry, little bunny: Pawaii is safe place... Even with volcanoes! It has small town on the large island, with hotels and shops and restaurants for tourists."

"You been there before, big guy?" Nick inquired quickly.

"Only once before, few summers back. Ivar stayed at nice little cottage by the beach, which he rented from nearby hotel. If you ever go there, Ivar recommends doing that!"

Thinking over Ivar's suggestions, Nick considered the idea of continuing their vacation in Pawaii: Last he checked, the only way to get there was via boat. He also remembered that Outback-Island was a popular pit-stop for tourists making the trip to Pawaii. An idea came to him, and he welcomed it with hospitality.

"Ya know whiskers, I think that visiting Pawaii might be a good idea! We could do what Ivar here suggested: Rent a nice, cozy little cabin by the beach, and just unwind!"

"I don't know, Nick... This all sounds pretty expensive." Judy mumbled, causing Ivar to throw in his own comment.

"When Ivar visited, it wasn't that bad. You two could easily afford to rent cozy little cabin by the beach, like Nikolai said! Even with cop salary!"

The fox coughed a single time. " _Nick_." He corrected between gags.

"That's what Ivar said!" The walrus claimed once again.

Judy giggled aloud, causing both the fox and walrus to look to her with raised eyebrows.

"Thanks for the suggestions, Ivar." The bunny concluded. "Maybe Pawaii _is_ something we could do." She finished, looking to Nick with a warm smile, of which he returned.

"Yeah, we could make the trip here soon enough! Though, we'd have drop off your new belt at the apartment. We don't wanna be lugging that thing around all week, do we?"

Looking back at the gleaming-gold belt, which was still sitting peacefully on the counter-top of the bar just a few yards away, an idea suddenly came to Judy.

"I actually think I have a better idea, Slick."

* * *

Eventually, the fox and bunny bid farewell to the walrus and badger, who stood at the bar, waving as they watched Nick and Judy exit the bar empty handed, but with their minds full of new and invigorating thoughts and plans: Pawaii was something that they both considered an option, and hoped to be a reality.

All the while, Judy's new belt was not with her: Instead, it hung proudly from one of the walls inside Honey's tavern; Below it, a framed picture of Nick and Judy, their faces smiling and pointing upwards toward the belt, which Ivar proudly held above them.

The walrus may have lost the competition, but in the end, he was more than happy to be a part of their picture, which was as reassuring and welcoming as _any_ family portrait.

After saying their goodbyes to new friends and old, the fox and rabbit left the bar empty handed in the end, but with their minds eager and ready for their next adventure.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I just want to start off by saying _thank you_ for your patience, as this chapter certainly took some time to whip up. As always, be sure to leave a review telling me your thoughts, and if you haven't already, _please_ favorite and follow!  Each and every single one is highly appreciated, and is the literal stuff that fuels my desire to keep on writing!**

 **So yeah, be sure to do that! I'd appreciate it all very much, indeed.**

 **Also, Nick and Judy will be taking a boat there, which will be launched from a canon region/district of Zootopia called The Docks: I won't cover very much on it, but it's basically a shipping channel and sorta boating area with seals, more walrus, and maybe even some things like narwhals and dolphins! After that, their boat will take a pit stop at Outback-Island, which I will be covering in thorough detail, and then they'll finally land in Pawaii!**

 **Sound like a plan? _I_ sure think it does! :D**

 **That's all for now, and 'till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	43. Tradewinds

"Sometimes the most scenic routes in life are the ones that you didn't mean to take." - Angela N. Blaunt

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"Call me Ishmael." - Herman Melville, Moby Dick

* * *

When facing imminent death, many who are asked if they have any regrets, often reply with one simple answer.

Traveling: They wish that they had traveled more.

The beauty of the world only goes as far as your own two feet can carry you, since the only way to truly experience a new place is to go there yourself. You can only see so much behind the safety of a screen, and being able to breath in the air, walk upon the ground, and see the sights of a new place can only be experienced in the best of ways; Firsthand.

Nick had heard of such ways of thinking; Of how many mammals regretted not traveling enough throughout their lives. Being the cynical creature that he was, he usually took such notions with a grain of salt, at the very least: He didn't like being told what to believe, and was quite content with his current way of living.

Little did he know, it only took one energetic ball of gray fur to completely flip his world upside down.

When Judy came into his life, he started to rethink his old thoughts alongside changing his old habits. Judy made him realize that there was a whole, big-wide world out there to explore, and that sitting on his tail playing cards with Finnick for three hours a day in between cons was no way to enjoy his life to the fullest.

He opened his eyes, and for the first time, truly realized how much his world had to offer to him.

Aside from the five main districts, Tundra-Town, Sahara-Square, the Rainforest-District, Savannah-Central, and Little Rodentia, Zootopia had several other sub-sections and environments that were less known and even less visited, but still no less a part of the city as a whole: The plumbless depths of the Nocturnal-District, the unending expanses of farmland in Bunny-Burrow, the swampy fields of the Marshlands, and even the dusty gorges of Outback-Island all served their purpose in the city's entirety.

However, there was one back-water hovel that was often overlooked in the grand scheme of things, despite serving as the city's most prominent seaport and harbor.

A humble and simply named sub-district, The Docks serve as Zootopia's largest shipping port; Where commercial vessels carried goods from one side of Zootopia to the other, often going back and forth as they delivered their various cargoes. The Docks also served as a popular place for mammals to store their own private boats and other sea-faring vehicles, since few civilians reside on the actual coast of the city.

The Docks themselves weren't directly connected to the mainland peninsula where the city was erected: Instead serving as a beachhead on the west coast of the surrounding land, only accessible via boat, helicopter, or train. Some people developed conspiracy theories as to why The Docks weren't built on the actual mainland, but Nick would always dismiss such claims as hog-wash: He figured that the city developed and built The Docks farther away from the actual city because the government didn't want some grungy, rustic, run-down dock-town to be front and center for mammals taking the monorail to Zootopia, like Judy had when she first arrived in the city.

Nick personally never saw himself as ever needing to visit the titular sea-port: His way of life simply didn't call for it, and he didn't consider the place as the greatest tourist attraction, really.

But now, faced with the prospect of continuing their vacation in Pawaii, both Nick and Judy realized that The Docks would be their best bet in finding a ride to the island.

Before they left Honey's bar in route to The Docks, their new friend Ivar Obdenberg made sure to tip them off to the likes of a cheap transport to Outback-Island, which they intended on making a pit-stop in for tourist reasons before finally landing on the tropical island of Pawaii. The walrus told them of an old friend of his, a narwhal named John Haddock, who he promised would be able to give them a ride to Outback-Island, at the very least. Ivar instructed Nick and Judy to mention his name when bartering with Haddock, whom the walrus claimed would give them a free ride once he found out that they were friends of Ivar's.

Of course, Nick was ecstatic over the prospect of getting a free ride to Pawaii: Despite being an officially registered district of the city of Zootopia, most public transport boats to both the Outback-Island and Pawaii were quite pricey, and Nick had no intention of paying said fee. He may have been a police officer, but he was still a greedy fox at heart.

Judy on the other hand was slightly apprehensive on the idea of trying to convince Haddock to give them a free ride to Outback-Island: She insisted that the transportation fees on the public boats were something that the two of them could handle financially, but in the end, she gave in to Nick's edging. It's not that she didn't trust Ivar or his suggestions, but she figured that any friend of the walrus must've been quite the colorful character, to say the least.

After catching a tram and finally leaving Tundra-Town, the fox and bunny then positioned themselves in the look-out dome, as they almost always did. Watching the landscape whirl by in front of him, Nick took to eyeing Judy carefully; Watching her as she stared out the window and into the distance.

He wondered what she was thinking about...

"Don't worry cotton-tail." He started with a half-lidded smirk. "We'll get to Pawaii nice an' easy, I promise."

Judy returned a smile of her own before retraining her gaze back out of the window, focusing on a particular point in the coming horizon.

She hadn't spoken, but Nick didn't mind: He could tell that she was pretty excited about their new adventure. Her beautiful purple eyes shined with an electrified sense of excitement, and her posture was hyper and jumpy. She paced around the cabin, occasionally stealing glances outside, perhaps hoping to catch a glimpse of their approaching destination.

As always, Nick seized the chance to tease her for being the dumb bunny that she was.

"So, lemme guess... You don't know what a narwhal is?" The fox questioned with a coy grin, of which showed off his pointed teeth.

Judy's ears instantly shot up to their full height upon hearing Nick's sardonic inquiry. She whirled around and pointed at him while thumping on of her feet.

"Now, don't just assume that, slick! I may be a _sly_ bunny," She said flamboyantly. "But even _I_ know what a _narwhal_ is!"

Nodding his head, Nick walked over to Judy and put a paw on her shoulder; Leaning down to her height and speaking softly into her ear.

" _Really_ now?" He began slowly. "Do tell then, rabbit... What _is_ a narwhal?"

"Well, they're pretty big and pretty wide... Uh, I think they used to fight polar bears a lot back in the old times? Kinda like how foxes and bunnies did..."

"Close enough... They _do_ have a pretty kick-ass facial horn, though!"

Rolling her eyes, Judy retrained her gaze back on the horizon. Their tram was currently gliding over the strait of water to the west of the city's mainland. Nearing ever-closer, Judy could see their destination rapidly approaching as they closed the distance.

Meanwhile, the fox had paced over to the behind of the rabbit, where he had leaned down and rested his head on the top of Judy's, positioning his own between her long ears and joining her as she stared out the window. The bunny momentarily glanced upward when she felt the weight of Nick's head offload itself onto her own.

"Foxes and bunnies..." Judy repeated quietly, her brow furrowing and nose twitching all the while.

Her sudden comment made Nick don a quizzical look across his muzzle.

"What about 'em?" Nick asked before chuckling. "What about _us_?"

"Oh, I was just thinking... Don't worry about it..."

"Come on fluff, don't be like that! You can tell me!" The fox countered, causing the bunny to sigh and shift her weight momentarily before replying.

"Alright... I know this might sound kinda weird, but I was just wondering what it would be like if foxes and bunnies could... You know..."

"Have children?" Nick guessed.

"Yeah... Have children..." The bunny confirmed.

For the longest time, Judy had wondered what it would be like to be a mother. She had spent her youth avoiding male rabbits and denying their offers of courtship, and her early adult life nearly exclusively revolved around her and her own work. Of course, things changed when she met Nick, and although she knew all too well that she'd never be able to have any children of her own, the thought still lingered.

"Children huh? You mean like, _biological_ children?" The fox inquired with raised eyebrows.

Judy nodded her head in response to the fox's question.

All the while, Nick noticed that the bunny's eyes had been trained on the floor to her right, and that she was biting her lower lip. He also saw her ears lower themselves like they usually did whenever she was embarrassed or flustered. The fox stifled himself a slight laugh at the sight, also choosing to rub Judy's shoulders reassuringly.

"What, you talkin' about _hybrids_?" He asked, causing Judy to giggle aloud. "What would we even _call_ those things? _Funnies_?"

"Or boxes! Imagine that!" The bunny added.

After the innocent laughter had subsided, the two mammals stared lovingly into each-other's eyes for a few short moments. Nick slowly spoke aloud;

"You know carrots... We might not be able to, eh... _Produce_ , any children of our own... But that doesn't mean that we can't have a family one day..."

"What do you mean?" Judy found herself asking with a puzzled expression.

Suddenly, the train's intercom blared out loud;

 **"** Welcome, to The Docks. **"** A robotic-sounding voice greeted.

Curiously, Nick peered outside the nearby window.

"Looks like we're here, whiskers..." He thumbed in the direction of the exit. "Let's go!"

And at that, the fox took the bunny's paw in his own before pulling her towards the train's sliding glass doors. They quickly exited before scanning their new location.

Upon stepping outside, the first thing either mammal noticed was the _smell_ : A strong and fresh scent of sea-salt found it's way to their noses. The smell of The Docks themselves mixed in with the salty-tasting breeze; The whole place reeked with an aroma of fish, hot seaweed, salt, and wet wood.

The monorail tracks, bright as they were, flowed from the direction that they had came from all the way until the vanished behind a nearby hill. The land beneath their feet comprised of sand granules, and along the length of the beach stretched a thick and wooden board-walk, which went on for around a hundred yards before branching off into various segments and smaller docks, where boats and other sea-faring vehicles were tied down with ropes and chains.

The larger boardwalk that lined the beach surf was crammed with rustic and grungy-looking wooden buildings; Splintering towers of old wooden ships fused together into one large building. As the fox and bunny made their way down the length of the main board-walk, it became apparent that many of the buildings were indeed fashioned together from old, wooden ship hulls: The Docks was a sprawling village of timber and plank, a bewildering maze of decks and cabins, and a sleepy fishing town built from the flotsam of old ship-wrecks and jetsam.

It was a peculiar, but truly amazing sight to behold.

To the west of the wooden village, a forest of palm trees and other flora sprouted from behind dunes of sand on the beach, and as Nick peered over the edge of the board-walk and into the murky water below, he could see the splintering columns of wood that held up The Docks; Many were encrusted with barnacles and moist moss.

"Oh _wow_... _Look_ at this place!" Judy murmured with wide-eyes staring down the sights around her. "It's _amazing_!"

"It's _smelly_." Nick added, his nose scrunching in response to their odorous new location.

"You're such a spoil-sport, slick."

"You're only just figuring that out now?" He teased with a smirk before shrugging. "Besides, I am who I am."

"Indeed you are!"

The bunny did a full 360 degree turn, taking in the many things to see.

The entire port was bustling with mammal activity, ranging from rats scampering up and down bridges of rope, to seals and sea-lions carrying boxes of cargo and other materials back and forth from various ships. Judy noticed that although the village buildings were fashioned from those old-timey wooden ships (No doubt for both cost and sight-seeing reasons), the actual cargo boats were more modernized; Built from metal and carrying shipping containers piled high with goods. The nearby public docking grounds was choked full of smaller boats and maritime vehicles ranging from jet-skis to yachts and even tiny canoes.

"I guess this really _is_ a pretty popular place to stash your private boats, huh?" Nick stated whilst eyeing the rows upon rows of vessels and watercraft.

He allowed himself a brief chuckle before he lolled his head over and eyed his mate, who was skipping alongside him as they made their way through the village.

"We should buy a boat..." The fox claimed. "Picture it: _Captain_ Nick Wilde! Now _that's_ a title that I could get used to, I'll tell ya that much whiskers!"

"Captain?" The bunny snorted jokingly. "You can barely drive a _car_ without swerving. What makes you think that _you_ can captain a _boat_?"

"My unrelenting good looks, _grea_ t fashion sense, _and_ brilliant sense of sarcasm... Need I go on?"

"Check one on the sarcasm... As for the other points, I wouldn't say so myself." Judy proclaimed with a sleazy smirk of her own.

"Mean bunny!"

"Dumb fox."

They both allowed themselves a few good laughs following their previous bantering. Nick always enjoyed chatting with Judy, and vice versa: They both simply had such perfect chemistry, and could go on for hours on end on a single topic alone.

But despite the levity of their current moods, both mammals soon realized that they still needed to find Ivar's friend, the narwhal, John Haddock, so as to try to convince him to give them a free ride to Outback-Island, and eventually, to Pawaii.

"Well, we should probably be on the look out for any narwhals 'round these parts... Did Ivar give you John's address?" Nick asked Judy, who met his gaze.

"Sorta... Ivar said that he lives on his boat, The Trafalgar, and that it's anchored somewhere in the public docking area." She replied easily.

"Then I guess that's where we should start." The fox concluded.

All the while, he eyed the sea of boats and rigging in front of him, knowing that somewhere out there, their ride to Pawaii was waiting.

* * *

12:03

It took them nearly a half hour of searching before they finally found John Haddock's boat, The Trafalgar.

The fox and bunny explored the maze of docks and boats, both eagerly scanning the environment around them, analyzing the names on the various boats and other maritime water-craft. Eventually, they managed to come across a decently sized boar anchored near the corner of the harbor; It was roughly 30 feet in total length, and had a pair of large double-motors near the stern, and a tall metal pole sprouting from the center of the deck, which was made of wood.

The cabin and the hull itself was metal, and had an old, peeling paint-job of blue with a white trim lining the boat's brim. The cabin was white, and outfitted with hazy yellow windows that were stained with sea-salt and other suspicious blemishes and discolorations of varying hues.

Overall, the Trafalgar looked like just your average crusty, run-down, beat-up boat.

Though, neither mammal dared voice that thought aloud, for the boat's captain didn't exactly look to be the most savory type of mammal.

Sitting in a folding chair on the ship's deck, a cantankerous looking narwhal lounged with his flippery feet propped up on a wooden crate. His opal-like skin looked smooth and slightly wetted, and was colored a mesh of deep, dark blue, and pearly white, with speckles of gray in between the converging colors. The narwhal's head was topped with a floppy-brimmed fishing hat, and he wore a navy blue trench-coat and beige cargo pants, of which were stained and damp with various liquids.

But his unquestionably crowning feature was the massive, six foot long horn that emerged just above his upper lip, right where his nose would be if he had one. The horn was spiraled and smooth, tinted yellow with age, but still as sharp as ever.

Judy wondered how he breathed without a nose, but soon noticed a deep and watery sound, no doubt the narwhal's breaths, but they sounded as if they were coming from behind him rather than in front of him. The bunny didn't ponder on that fact for very long, since the narwhal had straightened out his posture and taken a deep breath in through his mouth, as if preparing to speak aloud to Nick and Judy.

Instead, the narwhal doubled over and sneezed harshly, a thick cloud of mist and water droplets spewing from a spot just above his shoulders.

 _Oh, right... Not nose... He has a blowhole..._ Judy just then remembered.

The narwhal recomposed himself soon enough, and looked up from his floppy-brimmed fishing hat, eyeing Nick and Judy with marble-like obsidian colored eyes.

"Can I help ye?" He asked, his tone sounding more annoyed than concerned or helpful.

The narwhal's voice was watery and deep, and it sounded almost as if he'd been a smoker for some of his life: Like his lungs were filled with half water, and half nicotine.

"Ah, _yes_ , actually!" Nick piped up from behind Judy. "We're looking for a John Haddock... I'm guessing that's you?"

"Ye got that right, boyo." The narwhal made a snorting sound from his blowhole. "And _I'm_ guessing that you're Nick Wilde?"

"Yeah... W-wait. How do you know me?"

"You kiddin' me? Yer Zootopia's first fox cop... That ain't no small achievement, boyo."

Haddock nodded approvingly at Nick, and then pulled out a smooth wooden pipe from one of the pockets on his trousers. He held the pipe in between his beady teeth and ignited it with a match, inhaling deep before spouting out a ring of smoke from his blowhole. He looked Nick in the eyes and spoke aloud;

"So what brings ye here to The Docks then, hmm?" The narwhal questioned as he sucked on his pipe.

"Well, my lovely wife and I-" Nick wrapped his arm and Judy's waist and pulled her to his side. "-Are trying to get to Outback-Island, and then to Pawaii from there and-"

"Lemme guess then, boyo..." Haddock interrupted. "Ye want me to cart ye off to the Outback, free of any charge, aye?"

The fox locked eyes with the bunny who shrugged before looking back to John and voicing her own thoughts.

"Yeah, pretty much... But don't worry! I-I mean, we got sent here by a friend of ours, Ivar Obdenberg, and _he_ said that-"

Judy was interrupted when Haddock rose from his chair, his blowhole spewing out a cloud of smoke along with a few trickles of water.

" _Ivar_ sent ye?" he questioned, to which both Nick and Judy nodded in confirmation.

"Well then! Why didn't ye say so! A' course I'll take ye to the Outback! Anythin' for good ol' Ivar..."

Nick coughed into his fist before saying out loud;

"Well, I _was_ going to say so, but I was intertup-"

"Come on aboard, lads! I'll get ye to the Outback in no time, no time at all!"

Haddock then paced over to the boat's cabin, limping noticeably on his right leg, before opening the hatch and stepping inside. Nick and Judy both looked at each-other and breathed sighs of relief before clambering up onto the comparatively larger boat. From within the cabin, they heard machines whirring to life, and soon enough, the engine started with an audible groan and a few sharp popping noises. Alongside the sound of the waking Trafalgar, the fox heard Haddock call out to him specifically.

"An' don't be worrying about no charge, boyo! Consider yerself lucky to know Ivar, but even without that factor, I'd still be willin' to at least give a cost reduction to the fox and bunny that practically saved Zootopia, all those years ago! Oh, an' do me a favor while yer at it, and unfasten that rope that's tyin' us to the dock, boyo!"

"Sure thing, Haddock... And uh, could you not call me _boyo_?"

"No can do, _boyo_!" Haddock emphasized mockingly. " _I'm_ the captain o' this ship, and _my_ word goes! Besides, just be grateful that I ain't chargin' ye fer the ride!"

Grumbling beneath his breath, but still grateful that their ride was without charge, Nick tried to ignore Judy's persistent giggling while he undid the rigging that fastened the Trafalgar to the nearby dock. Soon enough, all the rope was piled back on board, and the three mammals were on their way to their next destination.

* * *

 **Aloha Ka Po'e Apau! (Hello Everyone!)**

 **It is of my utmost pleasure to be greeting you all from the lovely Hawaiian islands, and I'm most pleased to be presenting this new chapter to you too! :)**

 **I apologize for the rather lengthy time this one took to be released, but I assure you, my excuses are somewhat reasonable: I'd rather be able to personally experience the sights and sounds of Hawaii before translating my experiences into Nick and Judy's.**

 **Regardless, I know _exactly_ where the story will be headed for the coming few chapters, and I have a feeling that you all will very much enjoy what I have planned, so that's a great thing!**

 **Anyhow, you know the drill: Be sure to leave a nice review telling me your thoughts with this latest chapter of mine, and if you haven't already, do please follow/favorite, as each and every single one is _highly_ appreciated and accepted!**

 **That being said, I have two more things to mention before I bid you all adieu for now:**

 **For starters, some of you may have noticed my brand new title image! I absolutely _love_ it, and would like to thank Giantepik (devientART) for contributing this lovely piece of work to the likes of my story. Thank you so much!**

 **Secondly: It isn't set in stone as of yet, but I've been speaking to an author on Tumblr who is considering the idea of transforming my story into a comic! How cool is that? As I said, nothing's really been confirmed yet, and as of now, ideas are just bouncing around between the two of us, but I promise that I will notify you all if we manage to get something cooking up.**

 **That being said, if any of you have (or are considering) contributions to the likes of my story, do feel free to share! I've noticed a number of other fics acquiring their own forms of contribution, and I think it's so cool that we've finally reached that stage!**

 **That's all for now my friends! Stay tuned for chapter 47, comin' your way soon! :)**

 **As always...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: A special thanks to Berserker88 for informing/introducing me to the concept of 'The Docks' district in Zootopia. Thank you!**

 **PPS: I know that narwhals and seals and walruses don't technically have legs or feet, even, but please don't let that fact take away from the experience. I gave Ivar, John Haddock, and all the other "sea-mammals" actual feet and arms for both the sake of convenience/logic, and to make them seem more fitting to the Zootopian environment. I mean, come one: How ridiculous would all these marine mammals look if they were just flopping around with their fused tails? It simply doesn't work, I'm afraid. Then again, their limbs are more so just extensions of their old flippers: They still have webbed appendages, and can't stay away from a source of water for very long. Just thought I'd shed some light on that idea of mine, for ya.**

 **Also, because of how huge they are in all forms of reality as we know it, whales (excluding narwhals) don't exist as sentient creatures in this story.**

 **Thanks for reading! :)**


	44. Tidal Troubles

"Don't look back: You're not going that way." - Anonymous

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"To find a new place is to find a whole new set of rules." - Anonymous

* * *

So is the journey better than the destination?

Personally, Nick would choose the pessimistic route; Saying how no one would make the journey unless the destination itself was worth it.

Knowing how stubborn and inconsiderate society could be with opinions, Nick often kept his mouth shut whenever opinionated questions reached his ears.

This time however, he had his answer as clear as could be.

"Ugh... I don't feel so slick right now..."

Hearing the fox's complaints from within his cabin at the bow of the boat, Haddock seized the chance to voice his own opinions.

"We've barely been afloat fer a quarter hour! If ye have plans on gettin' seasick before the _half-hour mark_ , I don't see how you could _possibly_ survive the trip to Pawaii, boyo!"

"Dutifully... N-noted... _Urk_..."

Nick then clasped his paws over his mouth, erratically twisting his head as he looked around before settling himself against the rim of the boat, hanging his head over the side as his body expunged itself of it's last meal. Being slightly queasy when it came to other mammal's puke, Judy cringed and glanced away from Nick so as to not see him in his moment of pain and disgust, and after listening to a few seconds of watery gargling noises, and painful wrenching sounds emanating from Nick's direction, Judy dared to glance back at him.

"Oh, Nick... Are you okay?" She asked, placing a single paw atop his shuddering shoulder.

The fox turned around, staring down the bunny with shiny red eyes and vomit-soaked fur.

"Never better, Whiskers..." Was all he managed to say before he returned his gaze to the ocean in front of him and hurled once again.

Fox, bunny, and narwhal alike had been sailing aboard the Trafalgar for nearly fifteen minutes at this point. While Judy and Haddock seemed to be fine, Nick on the other paw had soon found his head swirling and his stomach aching: Despite his previous bragging about wanting to own a boat, Nicholas Wilde secretly was no stranger to sea-sickness, as proven by his current condition.

The Trafalgar itself chugged along smoothly through the wine-dark waters of the Zootopian Bay, but the boat still rocked back and forth methodically, effectively causing the fox to succumb to illness.

All the while both mammals could clearly hear Haddock's hysterical laughter from the bow of the boat, his chuckles accompanied by high-pitched clicking noises.

"Ah, all ye land-lubbing mammals get sea-sick so easily... It takes a mammal of _true_ grit to captain a boat on _these_ waters! The coastline of Outback-Island is lined with many-a rocky cliff-sides, and the tides that crash upon those cliffs produce swells powerful enough to effect the waters as far out as even _this_ bay! It may have been smooth sailin' up until now, but it's only gonna get worse, boyo!"

Meanwhile, the fox had managed to haul himself to his feet, and was now recomposing himself as he spoke to Judy, who was standing just a few feet away from him.

"Don't worry carrots!" He reassured. "My throat feels pretty raw, but I'll be fine, I promise."

Haddock seemed to consider Nick's statement, as he silently nodded to himself upon hearing the fox's notion. The narwhal stroked his chin and spoke aloud;

"I reckon we'll reach Outback-Island in no more than another quarter-hour, lads. Sit tight fer just a _little_ while longer."

"Aye aye, captain..." The fox grumbled as he sank down and leaned his back against the rim of the boat, sitting atop the smooth floorboards that lined the deck.

Judy, after witnessing her husband puking his guts out over-board, had since decided to recline against his own side; Comforting him and trying to keep his attention away from how sick he felt, and onto other topics.

"Seems like this Haddock guy's a rather... _Colorful_ , character..." Judy mumbled to Nick.

Both mammals watched the narwhal as he steered the vessel with one fin, using his other to grasp a coffee-glass filled with water, which he took a small sip from before pouring the contents of the cup across his head.

"What was that for?" The bunny questioned, causing the narwhal to swivel his head and glare at her with one coal-black eye.

"Unlike ye land-lubbin' balls of fur, us _marine_ -mammals need to keep our skin nice an' moisturized, lest we wish to dry ourselves out! That's why we all live _here_ , in the Docks: Easy access to the ocean. Besides, there's good money to be made ferrying free-loading tourists like yourselves between the mainland and it's island districts, like the Outback, and even lovely Pawaii. Not only _that_ , but where do ye think you preds get all yer fish from? The Docks have _always_ been Zootopia's largest fishing community."

"And what does _your_ kind eat, huh?" Nick found himself asking.

He heard the narwhal emit a bubbly snorting sound from his blow-hole, almost like the question itself amused him.

"I'll tell ye, ain't _no one_ back in The Docks craves those nasty _bug_ burgers... _Insects_ aren't our _natural_ diet. For _us_ , it's _always_ been fish, oysters, scallops, clams, squid, and octopus. Virtually _all_ seafood, really. I myself really like them scallops! _Excellent_ source of zinc! Any more questions, boyo?"

"Yes, actually: What's with your horn? I've seen elephants, boars _and_ walrus with their _own_ tusks, but _that_ my friend is somethin' else!" The fox stated with gusto.

He then raised an arm and pointed to Haddock's horn, which itself spiraled out from the narwhal's face for nearly seven feet before ending in a sharp and pointed tip.

"Nick! You can't just ask a narwhal about their horn! It's as rude as touching a sheep's wool!" Judy hissed at him diligently.

"It's alright, lass... I don't mind. And fer the record, it isn't a _horn_ : This beauty be a _tooth_!" John claimed, tapping his tusk with one of his flippery arms.

"A _tooth_? You're kiddin' me, right?" The fox inquired, his eyes widened and brows raised in disbelief.

"No jokes _here_ , boyo. The male narwhal has one of it's front teeth grow and grow until it pierces our upper-lip, and continues to sprout 'till it reaches nice an' pointy!"

"Sounds like it hurts..." Judy grumbled, at which the narwhal bellowed a wheezing chuckle.

"Oh, it only stings a _little_ , lass... Nothin' to be worried about, really." John suddenly perked up and shouted. "Outback-Island should be comin' up here shortly, lads!"

Nodding to herself, Judy snuggled up a little bit closer against Nick, who was now thoughtlessly picking at his claws. Eyeing him up and down, the bunny noted how Nick looked much healthier now than he had earlier: Perhaps after losing his lunch, he was able to pass whatever sickness had been ailing him, even if it was temporary.

"Hey Nick, how are you feeling?" She started, hoping to initiate some form of conversation between the two of them.

"Well shiver me timbers, carrots! Such _consideration_!" He stated, causing Judy to stifle a few giggles. "I feel _much_ better now, actually... Thanks for asking, fluff."

Judy made a slight _hmming_ sound at the fox's reply before she buried her head into the groove of his neck. Nick accepted the action, and soon found himself resting his own head atop hers. He momentarily focused on the sound of her breathing; A steady in and out that soothed him greatly. After a few minutes of tranquil silence between the two of them, the bunny asked a single, but simple question that admittedly caught the fox by surprise.

"So, what was it you wanted to tell me earlier, Nick?"

"I beg your pardon?" He retorted quickly.

"Remember back on the monorail, how you were about to tell me something about..." She hesitated, biting her lip and lowering her ears. "About having children..."

It was then that the thought came back to him. He smiled wide and lovingly rubbed one of his paws against her shoulders.

"Yeah, actually: I never did finish with that did I now?" He chuckled to himself. "Well, what I meant was..."

He briefly paused, nervously licking at his own teeth and lips before resuming his explanation.

"Was that even though we can't have any children of our own... That we might be able to _adopt_."

"Adopt kits?" Judy asked softly.

"Yeah, adoption. We could visit a shelter, and maybe we could leave it with one more in tow."

The fox locked eyes with the bunny, and an instantaneous sense of longing and understanding seemed to pass between the two of them.

"You know, that might just be something we could do..." Judy murmured, all the while not averting her gaze from Nick's handsome and enticing emerald-colored eyes.

Suddenly and without warning, John Haddock's scratchy voice shouted out from the cabin with vigor, capturing both the fox and bunny's attention.

" _Land ho_!" The narwhal cried. "Outback-Island be in me sights!"

" _Ooo_! Where is it?" The bunny called out as she shot to her feet, helping Nick to his own soon after.

"Off the port-bow, one league north-east!" Haddock cried.

" _What_?" Both Nick and Judy blurted at once, causing the narwhal to groan aloud before responding.

"Little to yer left, Three miles _that_ way!" Haddock pointed with his flipper. "Learn yer nautical-terms, ye poxy curs!"

"My, my, captain! I thought you said no cursing! I'm offended!" Nick teased.

"Nick, leave the unicorn alone!" Judy added by whispering into Nick's ear, smiling as she stole a glance at Haddock. "Besides, I see Outback-Island! _Look_!"

Averting his gaze from the irate narwhal, who had turned around and glared at them both upon hearing the word _unicorn_ , Nick focused his line of sight on a blurry dark shape in the distance. After a few seconds of focusing through the crashing waves and watery mist that the ocean was spewing up, Nick soon found himself staring down a large and dusty-looking island.

Even from this distance, the fox could easily make out the massive, towering mesa that stood tall and rigid in the center of the landmass: It's rocks were smooth and packed together, all tinted an almost orange-ish shade of color in the noon-time sun. From the base of the mesa and outwards, a sprawling city of rock and sand urbanized the surrounding land of the mesa all the way to the cliff-side beaches, which were lined with craggy dark rocks, of which were constantly being pounded against by large and foamy waves; Rising up and shattering themselves against the rocky and elevated coast-line in a never-ending cycle of tidal erosion.

Overall, Outback-Island looked quite a lot like the Canyonlands in the Sahara-Square, with lots of buildings made of rock, adobe, and sandstone brick.

The rocky landscape itself had few trees, and those that did grow were curvaceous in shape, and sported branches with an immense range of length, each one covered in smooth green leaves. There were also tall and thick trees, with nearly white bark and craggy branches: Eucalyptus trees, no doubt.

From the cabin in front of them, fox and bunny alike heard their captain call out in poetic introduction;

" _Thar_ be the rollin' cliff-sides of the Outback, with red-rusted hills and peachy-pink skies, with wine-dark waters and foamy-white tides! I present to ye, Outback-Island!"

* * *

In a half-hour's time, the Trafalgar and it's crew had docked themselves in the Outback's public shipping port.

Their flippery captain, John Haddock the narwhal, promised that he would patiently wait for Nick and Judy to return from their sight-seeing trip. Judy herself didn't exactly trust him to the highest of degrees, but after seeing him pull out his folding chair and plant himself down with his pipe, she figured that he wouldn't be going anywhere without them, anytime soon.

Just before the fox and bunny disembarked from the Trafalgar, it's captain explained to them several important traveling tips for their new location.

"Alright ye land-lubbing fur-backs, ye best listen up nice an' easy here, 'cause yer gonna need to know a few things before ye go!"

"Do enlighten us, captain unicorn." Nick accepted with a coyish smirk directed at the captain, who made a deep and watery grumbling noise from within his gullet.

"Ye best drop the attitude, boyo... That sort of squalor will have ye drawn and quartered 'round these parts." He warned.

"Don't worry captain: Nothin' here isn't anything carrots and I haven't handled before, I assure you." The fox claimed with a half-lidded grin.

The narwhal made an unimpressed snorting noise from his blowhole, of which caused a few small streams of water to trickle out.

"Think what ye want, boyo. But do know this: The Outbackers are a suspicious folk, and if ye walk right in with the kind of swagger that yer carryin' high, then they'll judge ye proper. The Outbackers aren't the keenest of folk when it comes to free-loading tourists like yerselves, so don't draw any _u_ nwanted attention!"

"I think we'll be fine, really." Nick repeated once again.

"Thas' not what I meant, boyo. Many Outbackers are _against_ inter-species relationships. If they, say, see ye holdin' hands, er kissin' in their proximity, then they might drop an _unsavory_ comment or two, least to say."

"They don't like inter-species relationships?" Judy intervened, her ears raised high with interest and consideration. "Why not?"

"Like I said before, the Outbackers are a suspicious folk: Suspicious of anyone different from them, like tourists, and especially deviants from the cultural and biological norm, like inter-species couples and whatnot. Maybe it has somethin' to do with them livin' away from the mainland, and how they aren't as effected by the mainland's problems, simply by them living on an island eight miles into the open ocean. The locals and natives are all very unique, so to say, in comparison to mammals from the mainland."

"Unique?" The bunny asked, her nose twitching a single time.

"Aye, _unique_. The Outbackers are an exclusive culture, similar to the likes of the Meadowlands, and Bunny-Burrow: Different customs, societal norms and expectations and whatnot! Most residence on Outback-Island are a different _breed_ of mammal altogether: _Marsupials_ , they call themselves. They don't often take a liking to tourists, or anyone different from them, like inter-species couples fer that matter, so just be careful out there."

" _Aw_ , so you _do_ care about us!" Nick teased, placing a paw over his heart and feigning relief. "It's _so_ nice to be appreciated!"

Meanwhile, Haddock had snorted harshly, causing another jet of misty water to be spewed from his blowhole, along with a few tendrils of smoke.

"Jus' hurry up with yer sightseeing, boyo: I ain't got the patience to be waitin' fer ye past sundown... That should give ye plenty a' time to go out an' explore."

"We hear ya loud and clear, captain unicorn!" Nick confirmed with a salute across his brow.

"Call me that again, boyo, and I'll skewer ye both before choppin' ye up into chum fer the fishes!" Haddock cried, his blowhole emitting a watery grumble all the while.

"Aye aye, captain!" Nick said, unfazed by the narwhal's exaggerated threat. "We'll be back before sundown, we promise!"

And at that, both the fox and bunny strode away from the Trafalgar, arm-in-arm, bound for the uncertainties of what lied ahead on Outback-Island.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Oh man, I'm so excited for what I got in store for you all for the coming chapters! Fluff galore, new and interesting places, and plenty of heart is all soon to come to your prying eyes! Their vacation will continue, and when it reaches it's end, I think you all will enjoy what I got planned out! :D**

 **That being said, I'd like to mention once again that I _greatly_ appreciate _all_ the reviews, favorites, and follows that you all have left for me after all this time. Now (as of the release of this chapter), we're nearly at 1,000 followers! **

**That's a fantastic number that I've been secretly hoping for since day one.**

 **But please: If you have any friends that like to read fanfiction, or are interested in the Zootopia archive, do please pass my story along to them.**

 **I welcome all new readers with open arms, and would _g_ _reatly_ appreciate such an act if there ever was one.**

 **That's all I have for now, my friends: For the time being, I bid you a proper adieu.**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	45. Outback

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Just a quick lil' author's-note here, since I wanted to let you all know something _real_ fast! :)**

 **As some of you probably already know, I'm a _big_ fan of music, and have even served in the orchestras of multiple organizations that you may or may not have heard of, contributing in varying musical pieces with my trombone, including video games, public concerts and showings, etc.**

 **Point is, I _really_ like a good beat: Because of that, I like to envision certain scenes taking place in literary works with music alongside it!**

 **Of course, my fic is no stranger to such things: Remember that time in chapter 24 when I asked you lot to check out the organ music? This is just like that.**

 **So here's the gist: In this chapter, Nick and Judy do a lot of exploring on Outback-island, as any vacationing couple would. If you want to listen to a nice piece of Australian-esque music that just works _so well_ with those particular scenes, then be sure to check out the video on Youtube titled as follows:**

 **Baka - Outback**

 **Yup. That's it. Just type that into youtube, and it should be one of, if not _the_ first thing that pops up. I _implore_ you all to check it out if possible! :)**

 **That's all for now my friends! I hope you enjoy what I have to offer, and without further ado, here's to chapter 48 of When Instinct Falls, The Outback!**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"The air is the only place free from prejudice." - Bessie Coleman

 ***BONUS QUOTE*** (Because you lot deserve it!)

"Yeah, I'm a thrill seeker, but crikey, education's the most important thing." - Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter

* * *

Through exploration, one can discover a great many things.

It has been through the endeavors built by pioneers and explorers that new things are unearthed, new customs can be wrought, and new lands can be settled.

Though sometimes, certain things are best left undisturbed, for whatever truth they behold was never meant to be discovered.

After all, it was _curiosity_ that killed the cat.

* * *

Nick was the type of mammal who knew everyone: The kind that got around easily, and remembered places and faces not for consideration, but for his own personal gain.

However, staring upon this new and alien landscape, the fox was met with a peculiar and unfamiliar sense of unwelcomeness: He'd never been to Outback-island before, and knew personally not a single soul, or recognized any given face that he was presented with. He was admittedly outside his comfort zone, but he didn't let it show, of course: His personal motto of ' _never let them see that they get to you_ ' was still something that he supported and upheld on a near daily basis.

So now, he was walking arm and arm with the love of his life through the winding and rocky streets of Outback-Island... Cross that off as _two_ things he'd never been expected of...

When the fox had first seen the likes of Outback-Island from the deck of John's old boat, The Trafalgar, the island itself seemed to appear a _lot_ bigger than it _really_ was up close, now that Nick was on dry land and able to get a good look at the sights to see, which happened to be quite a lot.

As he judged from when he had first lain sight on Outback-Island, it was apparent even up close that many of the district's building's were built from rock, adobe, and even sandstone. Many of the structures were quite similar to the likes of the Sahara-Square, and the Canyonlands especially! Most of the rocks, ranging from the thick and solid boulders that dotted the sidewalks, to the massive and towering mesa that overshadowed virtually even the tallest of buildings on the island; They all shared one thing in common, which was their orange-ish tint in the beaming sunlight of the afternoon sky.

Strolling through the parks, both Nick and Judy kept careful watch of the land-scape around them, eyeing each and every thing that they could see in an effort to truly take in the majesty of their new location. Thankfully, most of the structures on the island seemed to be roughly sized to the likes of a small mammal such as themselves, and both fox and bunny alike were easily able to navigate the well-proportioned roads and side-walks.

Aside from the aforementioned buildings and other structures, the streets and sidewalks of Outback-Island were dotted with many tiny parks and green-patches, all of which were filled with moss-green grass and dotted across with trees of varying sizes, including root-choked Banyan trees and even the well-known Eucalyptus tree, with it's smooth, bone-white bark, and oval-shaped leaves.

Breathing in through her nose, Judy could smell the freshness of the air, and the minty, honey-like scent that was wafting from the leaves of the Eucalyptus tree. Seeing some of the titular leaves spread out across the ground at the base of some of the trees, the bunny was almost tempted to pick up and eat one; Reaching down and plucking a single eucalyptus leaf from between the blades of grass at her feet, but was quickly stopped by Nick, whom placed his paw around the bunny's wrist, his grip keeping her from popping the treat into her mouth.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, sweet-heart..." The fox said with eyebrows raised in apprehension. "Eucalyptus is _poisonous_ , I hear."

"It _is_?" She simply questioned, staring down at the sweet-smelling leaf clutched inside her paw. "But it smells so good!"

Nick let out a rambunctious, but brief string of chuckles at her comment. "That's probably the poison, carrots." He stated with half-lidded eyes and a crooked grin.

"He's right, ya know!" A female voice called out from behind them.

Turning around and staring down the sudden voice's source, both the fox and bunny's eyes locked onto the smaller form of what looked like a shrew, but a bit larger. The creature had a fur coat colored the hue of dead grass, and had multiple striped running down the length of it' head and neck, disappearing behind a simple blue T-shirt. She had quite large ears in comparison to her body, and her tail was pink-ish and bare of any fur. Atop her muzzle rested a pair of teeny pink glasses, of which she readjusted frequently.

"Eucalyptus leaves _are_ poisonous, and you should really avoid eating them... Only the _koalas_ can safely consume them, as a matter of fact!" She proclaimed cheerfully.

With her large ears held high, she then pointed to her left, causing Nick and Judy's eyes to follow to the sight of several gray colored, fluffy little creatures, all passed out in the cool shade of a humongous Banyan tree. Both mammals reasoned that they must've been koalas, and nodded understandably before turning their attention back to the stranger.

"Well thanks for the tip!" Nick laughed. "I have a feeling one of us would have eventually given in to that _delicious_ smell!"

"Yeah, those leaves _do_ smell _pretty_ darn good, but I'd still avoid trying to put one in your mouth, miss..?" The stranger began, ending off slowly with a question.

"Hopps! _Judy_ Hopps!" The bunny claimed with a smile, reaching down and shaking one of the stranger's tiny paws. "And you are...?"

"Amanda, but you can call me Mandy!" She giggled and shrugged. "Last name Cooper... I'm guessing that you two are tourists?"

"You got that right." Nick confirmed, all the while resisting the urge to call her _tiny_. "We're here on vacation from the mainland, and are just takin' a lil' pit stop here."

"Cool! Where are you two planning on heading?" Mandy squeaked. "The many islands here in the Pawcific ocean are just _choked_ full of fun things to do and stuff to see!"

"The Pawaiian islands, believe it or not... Even _I_ still can't believe that we're able to afford all of this with a _cop's_ salary!" Judy replied quickly.

" _Wait_... Cops... You're _the_ Judy Hopps?! That's _awesome_! A-and you must be Nick Wilde!"

At the notion of his name, the fox shot Mandy with an imaginary finger gun topped off with a swift click of the tongue, of which caused his pointed teeth to show through his lips.

"Oh wow... I can't believe I'm actually _meeting_ you two in person! This is _amazing_! Well, welcome to Outback-Island!" Mandy said as she threw her arms outward towards the sky.

"Thanks, Mandy." Nick started with a smile. "But I just _gotta_ know... What type of mammal _are_ you?"

His comment earned him a minor glare from Judy, who thought that asking such a question was rather rude. Thankfully, Mandy herself showed no visible sign of offense to the fox.

"I'm a bandicoot! My species is native here to Outback-Island, actually: We're marsupials!"

"Bandicoot, eh? I knew a bandicoot in high school... Guy by the name of Crash... _Man_ , he and I caused _so_ much trouble!" Nick muttered, his smile growing wider by the second.

His comment caused Mandy to snicker in response. She then momentarily pulled her glasses off of her brow and wiped the lenses clean with a handkerchief from her jean pockets.

"So is true that you used to be a _con-artist_ , Nick?" The bandicoot asked, placing her glasses back on her long and narrow muzzle. "I think I head a rumor about that, once..."

The fox simply shrugged. "Let's just say I was an _entrepreneur_ , okay?" He followed his response with a coyish wink directed at the female bandicoot.

Mandy made a noise that sounded like a mix between a _hmm_ , a laugh, and an exhale. She followed it up with a question of her own;

"Well, I have a question of my own for you two now!" Mandy looked from side to side suspiciously. "Are you an _inter-species couple_?" She near whispered.

The sudden question caught both the fox and bunny alike in surprise, as neither of them were exactly expecting such a sensitive inquiry. Throughout their time together, Nick and Judy had witnessed, and been subject to cruel acts in the name of racism and prejudice. When they were first dating and getting to really know each-other, Nick and Judy kept their relationship a secret as best they could, but were eventually exposed. Nowadays, both mammals were completely comfortable with displaying their affection for one another in public, whether it be kissing, holding hands, or hugging.

It took a _lot_ of time and effort to combat inter-species hate, but eventually, the prospect of such vile and racist thoughts was slowly eroded away until it was nearly non-existent, with only a few remote and buried pockets left. Now, nearly the entirety of the Zootopian population stands by the rights of inter-species couples.

But still, the threat of inter-species hate has _always_ been buried deep beneath the under-belly of the city and it's populace with occasional protests or acts of violence sprouting up here and there: All in the wretched name of hate. But still, Nick and Judy embraced one another for who they were, and thus, they answered truthfully and without fear.

"Yes, that's correct." Nick confirmed. "We're inter-species." He then reached out and placed a paw on Judy's hip before pulling her to his side with a smile. "We're _married_ too."

The bandicoot nodded in understanding, but a noticeably slight expression of concern was apparent upon her face. She quickly shook her head from side to side before saying aloud;

"I see... If you two really _are_ on vacation like you said, then you couldn't have chosen a worse time to come to Outback-Island."

Mandy's words were laced with a grim under-tone, and instantly piqued the interests of fox and bunny alike.

"Why not?" Judy found herself asking, her expression that of confusion.

"Well... It's just that there's been some protests going on here in the Outback, as of late. Some mammals are complaining to city hall again about how much they want inter-species marriage to be made illegal and banned. They usually blow off in a few days time, but _this_ one is bigger than usual, and has been raging on for over a _week_ already!"

"They must be pretty determined, huh?" The fox grumbled with pursed lips across his muzzle.

"No kidding! But it's more than just _that_ though: There's several magazine presses or something that are actually _encouraging_ it!" Mandy stated with lowered eye-brows.

"That's _horrible_!" Judy cried out, her mind completely taken back in disgust. "Why would _anyone_ support inter-species hate like that? Let alone some _printing_ press!"

"I'm not sure _why_ , exactly, but from what I've seen in the papers and heard from other mammals, is that the papers published some articles, or something, that had interviews from mammals who were against inter-species relationships, and it thoroughly detailed their opinions, but the paper itself also had quite a lot of biased things to add, too."

"Like what?" Both Nick and Judy asked at once.

"Like paragraphs that detail how inter-species relationships are bad for the population, and the economy, and how it's a blight on society."

"Well _that's_ not very nice." Nick added. "Still, we won't let that fact take away from our vacation, of course. Thanks for letting us know, Mandy."

"Good to know. Just stay away from those rallies if you come across any... I wouldn't want you two getting strung up, or something." The bandicoot proclaimed

"Will do, Mandy. Will do." The fox allowed himself a brief chuckle. "And don't worry about us: We can take care of ourselves pretty good, mind you!"

The bandicoot snorted a laugh. "Also good to know!" She began turning around slowly. "Well, it was really nice meeting you both, but I've gotta go now... Bye bye!"

Nick and Judy both bid their goodbyes and waved at Mandy as she walked off and into the distance, gone from sight and mind.

"Hmm... Kinda odd that some newspaper company would do something like that..." Nick started, referring to the spread of inter-species hate.

"Yeah, that _is_ odd, isn't it?" The bunny murmured, soon shaking her head back and forth. "But like you said, let's not let it get in the way of our vacation, shall we?"

The fox smiled and rubbed Judy's shoulder reassuringly with his right paw. "Indeed we shall! Or is it indeed we shall _not_?" He snorted. " _What_ ever..."

Judy snickered in response before breaking away from Nick, instead simply holding his paw within hers. And at that, the two of them continued down the path of adventure.

* * *

4:57

Within no more than just five minutes of casual strolling, they'd already came across their first protest sighting.

After continuing down the orange, stony path that wound through the Eucalyptus park, the fox and bunny eventually came across a large cobble-stone plaza, which was flanked by lots of shops and restaurants. On the far end of the court-yard, a big metal pedestal rose from the pavement; It was crowned with a large statue of what looked like some sort of dog-like mammal in an archaic tail-coat, with a tricorn hat topped upon his head, and an old-fashioned spy-glass raised to one of his eyes.

A fountain spewed in the middle: Intricate jets of water flew in and around the fountain's varying pools, creating a lovely sight to behold.

Unfortunately, the sight of the protesters was almost as ugly as the fountain itself was beautiful.

Surrounding the fountain, a considerably sized pack of varying mammals was gathered within the confines of the plaza, some holding signs with hateful words, such as ' _Inter-species is not welcome_ ', or ' _T_ _wo different mammals, one different problem_ '. Many of them were shouting and chanting, often repeating the same slew of words over and over;

"INTER-SPECIES IS A PLAGUE!"

"WE WON'T GIVE UP, WE WON'T BEG!"

"INTER-SPECIES IS A PLAGUE!"

The protesters repeated those exact same words in a rhythmic repetition, going on and on and on, but eventually simmering down in volume and intensity when what looked like some sort of wombat ascended the statue's pedestal and stood before the crowd, soon pulling up a mega-phone to his muzzle and speaking into it with vigor and gusto.

" _We_ are gathered here today, in Zydney Plaza, before the statue of the great Abel Thylarc, the discoverer of Outback-Island, to let our voices be _heard_!"

The crowd of protesters let out a loud and lengthy cheer, quieting down once the wombat with the mega-phone put a finger to his lips, soon dropping to utter silence in volume.

"Inter-species relationships in _all_ forms, is a _cancerous blight_ upon our society! It is a _virus_ , and like _all_ viruses, if _we_ allow it to spread, it will completely _eradicate_ our way of life!"

More shouts and cheers were emitted by the crowd, which jumped up and down in excitement. Neither Nick nor Judy could believe what they were seeing: It was atrocious.

"It prevents _our_ people, the great citizens of Zootopia, from having _children_! It pits one species against another in an unnecessary _and_ unnatural partnership built on _sin_!"

Both the fox and bunny couldn't believe the words that were coming out of that wombat's mouth: The both of them were utterly revolted by the lack of consideration.

"But _together_ , we can show city-hall, show _everyone_ that inter-species relationships are against the natural _and_ cultural norms of _all_ mammals! It's _wrong_ , it's _disgusting_ , it's-"

" _HEY_! _SHUT UP_ , YOU!"

The entire crowd turned around and glared at the small, single bunny who had dared to speak out against the rally and it's ideals.

"Who are _you_ to interrupt _our_ peaceful gathering?" The wombat spokesman asked. " _We're_ simply here to voice our opinions!"

"And _I'm_ here to voice _mine_!" Judy shouted in retaliation. 'What you're doing is _sick_! You can't just _tell_ mammals what they can or can't do, who they can or can't be or be with!"

Eyeing the glowering crowd of protesters, Judy could see all their eyes harshly staring her down. Some of them were booing at her and growling beneath their breaths.

From somewhere behind her, the bunny heard Nick hiss aloud in confusion; " _Carrots_! What are you _doing_?! Whatever you're thinking, stop thinking it!"

All of it failed to slow Judy down in her efforts.

"Anyone can be anything! _So what_ if inter-species relationships are a thing now? What have they ever done to _you_?" The bunny called aloud to the protesters.

"Inter-species relationships turned my daughter into a freak of nature!" One mammal cried out from the crowd.

"I can't go outside my apartment without seeing two different mammals kissing... It's _disgusting_!" Another shouted.

"How are we supposed to repopulate if inter-species relationships are a thing?" The wombat asked bitterly into the mega-phone from atop his perch on the statue pedestal.

"Inter-species couples are a _minority_! They're the smallest minority in _all of Zootopia_!" Judy yelled back.

She tried to state her opinions, but her voice was drowned out almost instantly by that of the crowd's, which easily overpowered the bunny and her voice. She saw a glass bottle fly out from the thick of the mob and shatter just a few inches to her left. From behind, she felt Nick grab her by the paw and quickly pull her away from the violating gaze of the crowd. The two of them ran around the gathering of mammals to the complete and opposite end of the plaza, ducking behind the statue of Abel Thylarc just in time to avoid another object thrown from the crowd.

Looking down at the shattered remnants of the projectile, Nick could easily tell that it used to be a _brick_ : He was astounded and completely encased in a sense of odium and disgust toward the protesters. Yet he knew when he was beaten, and one look at the crowd was all it took for him to tell that this wasn't a battle that they would be winning anytime soon.

In an attempt to distance him and his mate from the angry mob of protesters, who were now yelling and screaming obscenities and other hateful comments at them, Nick bolted straight to the building in front of him, pulling Judy by her paw all the way until the two of them reached the large wooden doors, which they pulled open and darted inside, entering a whole new world of blackness and confusion.

* * *

When his predator-based eyes had adjusted to the minor amount of darkness that encased the room, Nick looked around and scanned every corner of his new environment.

Apparently, this new location was some sort of museum, or gallery: With paintings, statues, sculptures, and other art-pieces strewn about across the lobby, which itself was large and spacious, ultimately shaped like a capitol T. The doors that they had entered from were positioned at the base of the T, and from behind them, Nick and Judy could hear the angry roars of the crowd, which thankfully didn't press onward and into the museum.

Nick looked to his mate, who was lying on her side across the floor with a paw on her side, just above her hip. "You alright, whiskers?" He asked, his tone tainted with concern.

The bunny shook her head up and down in a gesture of confirmation before pulling herself to her feet, wobbling slightly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She repeated vocally. "Tripped on the way in, but not hurt. You?"

"Aside from almost getting my head caved in with a freaking _brick_ , I'm alright." The fox answered with a half-lidded smirk that caused the bunny to roll her eyes.

"So... Where are we now?" Judy questioned with her eyes darting around the building's interior.

Scanning the gray-brick walls, the bunny could tell that the building was old as it was; Much older than, say, the buildings in the down-town area, at least. The floor was a smooth beige tile, and the room stretched outwards for about one hundred feet before coming to a dead end and splitting into the shape of a capitol T, with two smaller opposing hallways branching off from the edges.

Lining the cracked and weathered gray-brick walls, the fox and bunny lay witness to dozens of different paintings and other art-pieces, all of which were lined against the walls in a neat and orderly fashion. Stretching his back, Nick soon stepped forward and began venturing deeper into the gallery, making sure to carefully listen to any signs of distress coming from outside. He could still hear the loud and obnoxious cries of the protesters as they continued their rally right outside, but he managed to drown out their voices eventually.

Soon enough, the fox made his way to the very end of the gallery, right where the three hallways conjoined into one large room. In the center of that room stood another statue of that same mammal from outside; The dog-like creature, named Abel Thylarc, apparently. This statue was very similar to the one right outside, except that the statue inside carried no spy-glass, while the one outside did. Instead, the metal-mammal had one arm hanging limp by his side, while the other was positioned directly below his sternum, his fingers hidden inside the opening of his vest, and his head raised high and forward, as if scouting some new-found area or location.

" _Wow_... This place is... _Cool_..." He heard Judy mutter from behind him, just out of his line of sight.

"Yeah, no kidding... Check out this statue, here!" He requested, raising his paw and pointing to Abel's pedestal. "It's that same guy from outside."

The bunny paced over and stood by the fox's right.

"You're right! What type of mammal is he? I've never seen _anything_ like _him_ before... Do _you_ have any idea?" She asked him.

"Not a single clue, fluff-butt." He admitted. "I've never seen anything like _him_ either..." He leaned down near the base of the pedestal and pointed once again. "Look here!"

Following his gaze, Judy's eyes were met with the likes of a thick bronze plaque, jutting out from the side of the pedestal just a few inches from Abel's feet.

Judy leaned down and squinted as she took in the many words, gathering insight as to who and what this mammal really was. She read aloud for all to hear;

"Abel Thylarc, the discoverer and founder of the district of Zootopia, Outback-Island, was born sometime in the 1800's, in the Sahara-Square. During the 1850's, he set out aboard his vessel, The Endeavor, bound to find new land for the early Zootopian government to explore and colonize. He discovered Outback-Island, which he first dubbed The Outback, and then set out to explore it's land and claim it for Zootopia."

The fox whistled in impression. "Whoa, that was over _two hundred_ years ago! This guy's an old-timer, ah?" He said rapping his knuckles on the metal pedestal.

Smiling while rolling her purple eyes, Judy soon continued her exposition from the plaque.

"There, he met the indigenous mammals, whom he called The Outbackers, and made peace with them, soon settling deals of trade and commerce between the island and the early city of Zootopia. Some 10 years after it's discovery, the Zootopian government officially declared The Outback as a district of Zootopia, despite not being a part of the mainland. Abel himself was given the honor of officially naming the new district, and dubbed it as Outback-Island."

"Hmm, well _that_ explains some things. I'm guessing those _indigenous mammals-_ " He said with finger quotes. "-Were the first marsupials to inhabit the island before it's discovery."

"Yeah, like the koalas, or the kangaroos." The bunny added before clearing her throat and continuing her explanation.

"Only 5 years after his discovery became Zootopia's latest district, Abel Thylarc died of natural causes in his sleep. Abel being the last remaining Thylacinus, his species officially became extinct the night of his death. It was soon discovered that Abel himself had lineage tracing back to Outback-Island, but it is unknown how his ancestors managed to find their way to the mainland from the island, though recently, scientists and historians have suggested the theory of a small group of Thylacinus, Abel's ancestors, somehow crossing over to the mainland via a bridge of ice that connected to Outback-Island during the ice-age, thousands of years ago."

"So his species is _extinct_ , huh? Bummer..." Nick muttered aloud, almost disappointingly. "I guess that explains why neither of us have ever seen a mammal like _him_ before!"

"To this day, Abel Thylarc still stands as the greatest explorer Zootopia has ever seen. He is currently buried on the grounds of his estate, near the spot where he first set foot on Outback-Island."

Exhaling audibly, Judy stepped back and admired the metallic face of the statue, and took note of Abel's canine-like appearance. Engraved into the metal on the back of his neck, dark striped etched their way down before vanishing behind the collar of his coat. She also noticed that his head was crowned with a three cornered, old-fashioned hat.

"Interesting stuff..." Judy heard Nick murmur from behind her. "Well, we should probably keep going. See any exits that _don't_ lead out into an angry mob of protesters?"

"Afraid not... I guess we'll have to squeeze by, eh?" Judy asked, teasingly elbowing Nick in the shoulder. "Shouldn't be a problem, considering you're a _fox_ , after all!"

"Right you are, whiskers!" He agreed before grabbing her paw within his own "Alright, let's go on then... I just hope that they've run out of things to throw at us..."

* * *

5:46

After slipping by the crowd (thankfully _and_ completely unnoticed), the fox and bunny then made their way down one of the streets that connected to the plaza.

Carefully making sure that no one was following them with negative or hurtful intentions, the two of them eventually relaxed and took back to enjoying their time together as they explored the rocky orange streets of Outback-Island. Walking peacefully for some time as they took in the sight of the ever-setting sun, and smelled the sweet aroma of the Eucalyptus leaves, Nick and Judy soon came across a market, packed tight on a narrow and curving street. The side-walks and streets were lined with tents and canopies that blocked out the heating of the sun, and the many shops were tiny, but stuffed full of goods and other items, ranging from insignificant nick-nacks to expensive looking clothing.

They strolled down the nearest side-walk, eyeing the many items and objects that were for sale by the various vendors and merchants. Judy's sensitive ears detected a strange buzzing sound, and when she looked to her left, her eyes were met with the sight of an old, portly koala sitting on his haunches as he played some sort of long, wooden instrument, which was nearly as long as Judy herself! It's glossy and crooked wooden surface was painted over with symbols and other designs, and the shape of the thing made it clear that it must've been carved from a tree branch, or something.

"What is that thing?" The bunny asked upon the fox, whom turned around and faced her upon hearing her question. "I've never seen _anything_ like _that_ before!"

" _Ah_ , so naive, aren't you dumb bunny?" Nick jokingly questioned, earning himself a playful tug of the tail. "Whoa, _easy_ there, carrots! That spot's kinda sensitive, ya know."

"Just answer the question, dumb fox."

"Alright alright!" He chuckled. "It's called a didgeridoo, and was invented here on Outback-Island, I think. The original inhabitants of the island, the _marsupials_ , used it a lot."

The fox and bunny trained their eyes on the slender form of the instrument, staring it down for a few seconds before the koala that owned it started glaring at them, thus causing them both to flee the vicinity and continue down the market's path. They went on with their Outback-Island experience for some time, continuing to explore the narrow streets, admire the things for sale in the market, and even buying some chewable substance from a gum tree, which they both popped into their mouths and enjoyed for their entire walk around the town. They spotted many different types of Outbackers, ranging from platypus to kangaroo, all going about their day as usual.

It was a lovely experience, and one that Neither mammal would be forgetting anytime soon, for certain. Though they both still wondered what lay ahead of them in Pawaii.

* * *

9:21

Eventually, night had come upon them, and had descended their world into a sea of darkness.

Making their way back towards the public docking area, the fox and bunny were both pleased to see that the Trafalgar was still anchored in the exact same spot that they had last left it. Even their captain, the narwhal John Haddock, hadn't moved an inch from when they had first bid him goodbye all those hours ago. Apparently though, he had fallen fast asleep in his folding-chair, and was now snoring profusely from his mouth and blowhole, which leaked small drips of water upon exhalation.

Not wanting to awake him from his seemingly peaceful slumber, Nick and Judy both quietly maneuvered themselves across the deck, careful to avoid John's sharp tusk as they made their way towards the cabin, which had a couch that they could crash on for the night. As they were making their way to the bow of the boat where the cabin was located, Nick felt an obstruction in the smooth floor-boards of the deck with his foot, and his ears just then detected a sharp and audible **_crack_** sound that caused Judy's ears to rise.

Looking down at his left foot, Nick raised his leg slightly and stared down the source of the noise: He had stepped on and broken the thin stem of Haddock's wooden pipe.

The narwhal had slightly stirred at the sound of the cracking noise, and in his sleep, muttered; " _Boyo_..." Before snoring off once more.

" _Aw crap_..." He hissed softly beneath his breath, earning the bunny's attention "He's _not_ gonna be happy about that when he wakes up!"

'Don't worry about it now, Nick... We'll deal with it in the morning." Judy instructed quietly, to which Nick nodded in agreement.

The two of them carefully slipped into the cabin, closing the door behind them and snuggling up in the couch for the night, both eager and ready for the adventure to come.

Sleep soon found them, and with it came a blanketing flurry of dreamless tranquility.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I _sincerely_ hope that you enjoyed this latest chapter of mine! This one took some time to make, but I think it was worth it! :D**

 **As always, be sure to drop a review telling me your thoughts and opinions, and if you haven't already _please_ feel free to favorite and follow this story!**

 **The next chapter will be comin' up here soon enough, so stay vigilant until then, my friends!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: I'm looking for a comic-artist that might be able to assist me in recreating some scenes from my story! PM if you're interested in such a prospect! :)**

 **PPS: They'll finally get to Pawaii in the next chapter, and there will be _plenty_ of fluff/funny moments throughout their time there, which I'm estimating _might_ last for about 1-2 chapters, give or take. There will also be more music that I'll be suggesting for you guys too, so be ready for that as well!**

 **And last but not least, the coming 'Pawaii mini-arc chapters' will _all_ have an _additional_ POV (at the end of each chapter) from the perspective of an old character that I won't rename just yet. *wink * It will detail their own perspective and experience, eventually leading up to their reunion with Nick and Judy, so as to assist the fox and bunny in their next predicament. I have a feeling that you lot will _love_ it! I can't wait!**

 **:D**


	46. Jungle's Jailhouse

"The sun shines everywhere, not just at the beach." - Brande Roderick

 ***BONUS QUOTE*** (Gosh, I'm being very generous with all these quotes, aren't I?)

"What I learned in jail is that I can't change. This is the life that they gave, and this is the life that I made." - Tupac Shakur

* * *

8:02 A.M

The blanketing folds of sleep that had encompassed the fox and the rabbit had been nothing short of blissful, peaceful, and relaxing above all else.

Way for one cantankerous narwhal to ruin it.

"WHERE THE _DEVIL_ IS IT?" John Haddock screamed as he kicked down the door to the ship cabin.

Both Nick and Judy instantly awoke from their slumber, the bunny screaming as Haddock pushed his way past the two mammals, who had jumped off of the couch as the narwhal busted down the door. Nick had scrambled away in fear, tripping over his own two feet and falling to the ground, hitting his head on a nearby table as he went down.

" _Need..._ Nicotine!"

Haddock wheezed as he ripped open one of the cupboards that was attached to a cabin wall, flinging the little doors to the sides and stuffing his flippers into the cupboard, rummaging around for a few short seconds before pulling out a cigar that was half the size of Judy. The narwhal bit down on one end of the tobacco stick before igniting the other with a lighter. He inhaled slowly and deeply through his mouth before spewing out a cloud of smog from his blow-hole that filled the entire cabin with smoke.

Meanwhile, both Nick and Judy had fled the cabin. The fox had a paw clutched to his head, which was slightly bleeding from his unfortunate connection with the dining table.

A few seconds after exiting the cabin, the fox and bunny alike donned looks of apprehension and horror as they watched Haddock emerge from the smoggy cabin and glare at the two of them with beady black eyes. He inhaled deeply through his mouth before removing the cigar from between his teeth, and instead of exhaling the smoke through his blowhole, blew the cloud of smog directly into the faces of Nick and Judy, who coughed and gagged upon breathing in the vile and gassy substance.

"By _all_ the fires a' the black pit, ye two scoundrels best be grateful that I don't maroon ye here on Outback-Island fer breakin' me precious pipe!"

"What the heck is wrong with you?" Nick questioned as he swatted away at the smoke with his arms. "You nearly gave us a heart attack!"

"And ye _actually_ gave _me_ one when I woke up and saw me pipe split in two!" John retorted with narrowed eyes.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry about breaking your pipe, but did you _really_ have to do all that just now?" The fox cried out, pointing to the smoke filled cabin.

"A' course I did! I needed to reach me emergency cigar-" Haddock patted the cigar in his mouth. "-Before it was too late!"

"Before what was too late?" Nick repeated, a scowl stretched across his face.

The narwhal grinned in response before chuckling and turning back around, vanishing into the cabin. From within, Nick and Judy heard the Trafalgar's engine whir to like, causing the boat to groan and stir. A few seconds later, the narwhal emerged with his cigar still fuming, and positioned himself directly in front of the fox.

"Withdrawal." John claimed flatly. "How'd ye end up breakin' it, anyway?"

"I accidentally stepped on it when we boarded after getting back from our tour of Outback-Island."

Turning back around and staring behind him, Nick noted that the boat was still in the same place as it was the previous night, as The Trafalgar was still anchored in the public docking zone of Outback-Island. He could still see the orange-tinted mesa in the distance, it's massive and towering height dwarfing nearly every other building in the region.

"Well, it's good to see that ye two are back, but I'm afraid that I won't be takin' ye to Pawaii no more."

" _What_?!" Nick and Judy cried out in unison.

"Ye heard me loud and clear, _boyo_!" John spat mockingly. "I'm leavin' ye both here, and if ye want to get back to the mainland, you'll have to use the _public_ ferries."

"Why not?" Judy asked, concern lacing her words.

"Ye broke me pipe, obviously!" Haddock replied.

"That's _it_? Seriously? We broke your _two dollar_ wooden pipe, and you won't finish the trip to Pawaii because of it?" Nick growled angrily.

"Aye."

"That's ludicrous!" The fox exclaimed.

"It twas' very dear to me, boyo! You wouldn't understand!"

"Oh I understand alright... I understand just how much of a _nut-job_ you are!"

"Nick!" The bunny hissed from behind, earning the attention of all the mammals on the boat.

"Come on Carrots, you _gotta_ agree with me this time! The unicorn is being completely childish!" He barked, pointing to the narwhal as he did.

" _Unicorn_?!" Haddock bellowed, his blow-hole harshly spewing out a jet of water, along with wispy and snaking tendrils of smoke that he had inhaled from his cigar.

"Both of you, just shut up!" Judy shouted loudly, causing both the narwhal and the fox alike to quiet down.

"You're both being childish! Both acting like complete kits!" She exclaimed. "Can we _please_ settle this like _adults_?"

"Good idea, lass." Haddock agreed, rolling up his sleeves before bringing his flippers up to his jawline in a pugilistic pose.

"Not like _that_ , John!" The bunny cried out.

The fox grit his teeth in frustration, but willingly backed away from the bunny and narwhal. For a moment there, he was actually worried that he'd have to fight John, and took the chance to examine his opponent as best he could. Nick highly doubted that he'd be able to win in a fight against the narwhal, even with his police training and fighting skills: Haddock was simply too large, standing from head to toe at an intimidating seven feet tall, not even counting his tusk, which was equally as long; Jutting out straight from the narwhal's face and spiraling into a sharp and pointed tip.

Instead, Nick chose to swiftly calm himself down: He didn't want to disappoint his mate, and he _certainly_ didn't want to fight John over a two dollar pipe that he had broken.

"Alright, I'm sure that we can settle a way to make this work for the both of us." Judy claimed. "Nick, I think you know what to do."

Locking eyes with his mate, the fox sighed deeply before turning to Haddock and looking up at his own eyes.

"I'm sorry for breaking your pipe, John... I really am." He muttered lowly, but with truthful words.

"Apology accepted, boyo. Perhaps I _did_ overreact a _little_ bit there." The narwhal grumbled in response.

"See? Isn't that better?" Judy soothed from beside Nick. "Now, John, do you still want to take us to Paw-"

" _Nay_ , me dear. I still ain't takin' ye to Pawaii." Haddock interrupted, his words bitter as they were. " I think it'd be best if you two found yerselves another ship."

Out of the blue, an idea suddenly came to Nick. it was clear that Haddock had no intention of taking them, and that his stubborn nature wouldn't make the narwhal change his mind. Being the clever fox that he was at heart, Nick devised a plan to that would be able to get all three of them to Pawaii without paying a single cent.

"Ship? You call this _rusty tub_ a ship? Hate to break it to ya captain, but this rust-bucket isn't a ship."

Before Judy could protest his actions, Nick shot her with an expression that said something along the lines of ' _trust me, I know what I'm doing_.' Thankfully, the bunny seemed to understand, and kept her mouth shut before hurriedly positioning herself behind the fox and away from the irate narwhal, who was steaming at the blow-hole.

"Excuse me?" The narwhal rumbled lowly. "Ye best hold yer tongue, fox!"

"No no, here's the thing, captain... I don't think you refuse to take us Pawaii because you don't want to... _I_ think you refuse to do it because you _can't_." Nick stated carefully.

"What? A' _course_ I can!" Haddock growled. "Who're you to tell me that I can't?"

"Can you, though? I doubt that, friend. You see, this rusty tub of yours that you call a _ship_ just isn't up to the task! Simple as that!"

"What do you mean? The Trafalgar is the _mightiest_ ship that's ever sailed these waters, boyo! She can _easily_ get us to Pawaii!"

Nick smiled, knowing that Haddock's pride and stubbornness would soon be played to his _own_ advantage, by tricking Haddock into wanting to take them to Pawaii to prove that his boat could actually make the journey effectively.

And all it would take was two simple words;

"Prove it."

At the notion of the fox's last comment, the narwhal spewed a jet of water from his blow-hole more powerful than anything Nick had witness before then. The narwhal bit down so hard on his cigar that it split in half, sending burning bits of paper, dried grass, and nicotine haphazardly across the smooth wooden deck of the Trafalgar.

"How _dare_ ye!" Haddock roared loudly.

Turning around and spitting out the other half of the cigar from his mouth, Haddock stomped his way over to the ship's cabin, which by now had been cleared out of smoke, and grabbed the wheel of the ship, snarling his coming words with such intensity that fumes of smoke billowed from his mouth and blow-hole at the same time.

"I will not be doubted by some _pip-squeak_ tuft of ginger and his _irritating_ rabbit!"

He pushed a few buttons on the ship's control board, causing the boat to let out another rumble of awakening.

"I'm the master and commander of these seas, and I know these waters better than the barnacles on me mother's back!'

Haddock blow-hole sprayed another misty cloud of water droplets as the narwhal fiercely whirled the ship's wheel in the direction of the rising sun.

"I'll get the Trafalgar to Pawaii in no time at all, just ye watch, boyo!"

And at that, he pushed the ship into full throttle, causing the boat to lurch forward and take to the wine-dark waters of the open ocean a lot faster than Nick had expected: The Trafalgar was already sailing even faster than it had for entire journey to Outback-Island. The fox looked over to the bunny by his side, who had her mouth hanging ajar in awe.

Nick smiled as he watched the rabbit turn her head and lock eyes with him, her own expression soon morphing into that of admiration and impression.

"You sly fox, you!" She proclaimed, crossing her arms and throwing her hip out to the side as a grin spread it's way across her lips.

The fox simply shrugged and donned his favorite half-lidded smirk.

"Hey now, I was just giving captain unicorn the motivation that he needed! But I'll accept the compliment!" He crooned. "Let's go sit down, shall we?"

"Good idea." Judy murmured with wide eyes staring down the horizon, which was approaching a _lot_ faster than she had expected.

She heard Haddock let out a crazed laugh from within the cabin. Gulping down hard, she turned tail and made her way to the stern of the boat, where there were handle-bars located for maintaining grip in a situation identical to the one that she was experiencing right now. Standing right beside Nick, she decided to initiate some shred of conversation.

"How did you know it would work?" She questioned.

"Hm? You mean me hustlin' captain unicorn?" Nick asked, causing Judy to nod in confirmation, all while stealing glances at the cabin to make sure Haddock hadn't heard him.

The fox chuckled to himself. "I didn't. Worse case scenario, he was probably gonna impale me with his tooth and then chuck me overboard. Just old, rotten luck, I guess?"

The bunny rolled her eyes and smiled, administering a playful shove to the fox, who stumbled momentarily before regaining his balance.

"Careful Whiskers, you don't wanna knock me overboard, now do you?" The fox quipped.

"Dumb fox." She mumbled.

"Hey now, I thought you said that I was a _sly_ fox just a few seconds ago!"

"Yeah, but you talk so much that you simply can't avoid saying something dumb for more than a few minutes at a time, honestly."

"Mean bunny!" Nick cried out as he feigned utter disbelief and horror.

"You got that right, slick." She confirmed, pulling on his tie.

Nick let out a sigh before leaning in and planting a quick kiss on the tip of Judy's nose, which caught the rabbit by surprise; Her ears flinging themselves skyward and a blush suddenly flooding her cheeks and face with warmth. When Nick pulled away from Judy's face, he laughed when he saw her pupils, which were now dilated to the size of quarters within the purple pools that were her irises. Her pink nose twitched a single time before she shook her head and looked away, pulling at her ears in embarrassment.

" _Aw_ , fluffy feeling flustered?" Nick asked teasingly. "How _adorable_!"

Judy rolled her eyes before planting a light punch into the fox's gut, of which slightly knocked the wind out of him. Upon recomposing himself, Nick wrapped his arm around her shoulders and rubbed at her opposing side in a reassuring gesture. The two of them looked to each-other just as Nick voiced his own personal thoughts on their current situation.

"I reckon that we'll be in Pawaii here soon enough... Whaddya wanna do when we first get there" he asked.

The bunny took a moment to think over that question, which was definitely one that had been on her mind ever since she first heard of Pawaii back in Tundra-Town.

"Well, I suppose we should do what Ivar suggested, and talk to one of the hotel's right on the beach, and see if we can rent one of those beach-side huts for a few days."

"Sounds good to me. I just wonder how long we'll be afloat befo-"

"Land-ho, land-lubbers!" Haddock cried aloud from the cabin. "Pawaii be in me sights! Dead ahead!" He claimed.

Fox and bunny alike rose to their feet and looked out through one of the windows in the cabin, and in the distance, both of them could see the dark shape of some land-mass on the horizon, just below where the sun had risen up from the waves earlier that morning.

"Well... Hallelujah!"

* * *

7:36 P.M

 _Ugh... Get on with it._

His thoughts were as parched as his voice, with seemingly neither of which having been used in days on end.

The delirious cries of his fellow inmates plagued his sensitive ears day-in and day-out, and he knew from the get-go that this was not the place for him.

But that was nearly seven days ago: Now, Jack Savage was soon to celebrate the one-week anniversary of his world falling apart.

The first thing that went through his mind upon being tossed into a jail cell was how he had no intention on staying here forever: He'd heard of other offenders for the same things that _he_ had done getting life in prison, and some even being punished with sentences that exceeded centuries, well beyond the possible and realistic life-span of _any_ mammal.

His failed attempt to enact a Ponzi-Scheme on the good citizens of Zootopia wouldn't fly well with the jury, he was near certain on that: Some of them were probably even investors of his bank, and could have been effected by his actions in one way or another. He only hoped that the judge, alongside whoever his lawyer would be, would be able to assemble an unbiased jury for his upcoming trial.

Sadly, Jack Savage knew how twisted the system was... That bloody mayor and her conspirators... His chances of getting a fair trial were quite against him.

In the end, Jack Savage knew that his _only_ hope for staying out of prison, or at _least_ getting a reduced sentence, lay in the filthy-clawed hands of Grygorri Ratsputin.

 _That scheming rat... He and his bloody extortions. If he can't do it, than no one can._

Alongside his failed Ponzi-Scheme, Jack was quite aware that there was _another_ accusation that would be held against him in court; One that the city government of Zootopia wasn't fond of... One that on it's own, could end up throwing him in prison for the rest of his miserable and sickened life: The assault of one officer Judy Hopps.

 _Ah, now that was a doe._

Jack had been infatuated with her: When she first entered his office all those weeks ago, portraying herself as the dashing Alaina Ryder, Jack's heart had nearly stopped beating in his chest altogether. One look was all it took. He'd never been a believer of love at first sight, but if anything could have changed his mind in the slightest, it was her.

 _Where are you now, Judith? Out trying to save the world again, perhaps? Oh, if only I could speak to her one last time..._

He couldn't say he regretted what had happened between the two of them. The way he saw it, he had just been trying to secure one last experience with her before he fled the city, never to be seen again. Then again... He couldn't deny that he wished he could have done it some other way. He had tried to manipulate her into coupling with him, hoping to gain himself one last happy memory before he went into hiding, but when Judy had refused his advances, he had panicked, and attacked her. _That_ was what he truly regret.

Thinking back on it all, Jack Savage then remembered an old quote that Ratsputin had once told him in response to one of Jack's failed deals.

' _Some might say_ _villainy is nothing more than a point of view_.' The rat's croaky, knife-like voice would tell him. ' _The point of view of fools too mindless to seize opportunity_.'

Jack easily remembered the moment: It was when he had first met Grygorri Ratsputin, who had came to him after Jack's bank had failed yet another executive financial deal. Ratsputin had been an early shareholder of the rabbit's company, and had scheduled a meeting with him to discuss the various problems that faced the enterprise in its entirety. The rat told him that there was always an easier way to handle any given situation, be it a fight in the streets or an official business deal for a company. Ratsputin explained to Jack what he already knew: That his business was going through some veryhard times. What he _didn't_ expect was for Ratsputin to suggest that Jack simulate a Ponzi-Scheme.

He remembered calling Ratsputin a villain: Saying that anyone who would do such a fraudulent scam was nothing more than a villainous liar. He then remembered watching Ratsputin smile, his face almost sympathetic, as if he were feeling pity for Jack and all his troubles. But at the same time, his lips were contorted into a disturbing half-smirk, as if he was amused by Jack's sense of valor and righteousness.

That was a smile that could give anyone some pause.

' _I'm no villain, Jack..._ ' Ratsputin claimed. _'I'm a businessmammal, acquiring assets_! _You happen to be one of them_!'

The rat had claimed that villain was a peculiar word in his eyes: That it was used to describe someone who broke the rules, that took what they wanted, and that didn't care for anyone hurt along the way. Those were his exact words, the rabbit recalled. Ratsputin had calmly stated that everyone was a villain one way or another, but that only the most successful mammals were the ones who accepted their villainy, and embraced the attributes that made them who they were. Because of that fact, Ratsputin explained to Jack that in the end, there was no such thing as a villain: Only the difference between those who seized opportunity, and those who did not. The rat explained to Jack that if he was to get himself _and_ his company out of squalor, he would have to take risks, and perform questionable actions. That he would have to cheat the system, and commit fraud.

Most disturbing of all of Ratsputin's lecturing was without a doubt the way that the rat had called committing crime, ' _Seizing an opportunity_.'

Jack remembered pointing that fact out to the rat, who had simply laughed off the comment before adding on to it with his own.

' _You're a fool if you don't grasp at an opportunity when you see it. I offer you an escape, rabbit, but only if you return the favor on my behalf_.'

Ratsputin had left him soon after, leaving Jack alone in his office with nothing but the single bottle of scotch that the rat had given him upon his arrival. Jack had declined the gift at first, for during that time of his life, he didn't consider himself a mammal who enjoyed drinking alcohol.

Jack recalled how Grygorri had left him with one final piece of advice just before his departure.

' _Think on that while you sit here with your new friend_ ,' He had stated, pointing to the scotch bottle. ' _Drink slowly... It'll only be a matter of time before you're choking it down.'_

Ratsputin had been right on that account, in the end: Jack had been an alcoholic ever since.

Not only that, but he took the rat's advice to heart, and began working with rather questionable assets, including the likes of Vladzotz Fangpyre and Shahaz the Stinger.

"And look where it got me." The rabbit said aloud to himself, his eyes trained on the dull concrete ceiling above him.

His cell was clean and spacious, but _far_ from comfortable or entertaining: Jack spent most of his time lying atop his rickety bed, thinking back on old memories from his past. It was really just about all that he could do in his tiny cell, aside from perhaps initiating conversation with the other inmates that were brought in and carted out on a near-daily basis. This jail-house had been his temporary home for nearly seven days at this point, and he'd gotten quite used to it as it was. Most of the other inmates that came through were petty criminals who were being temporarily stored until they were released the following day.

Then, there was Jack, who was still awaiting word from the chief of police about his trial, which was apparently still being scheduled by city-hall and the council. Jack reckoned that as soon as an official date was registered, he'd be taken from this jail-house and shipped off to the county prison, where he'd be forced to wait until his trial was enacted. He knew that he would be face to face with other, even more unsavory inmates who had killed, raped, assaulted, and performed other unforgivable crimes. White-collar criminals were in a different category compared to mammals of that caliber, and Jack had a feeling that prison wouldn't exactly bode well for him and his health.

"Then again, I suppose I belong with them, don't I?" He quietly asked himself.

Jack didn't consider himself a criminal: He considered himself as a mammal that searched for and seized any given opportunities. Just like Ratsputin had told him.

The rabbit believed that he didn't belong in jail, but he also didn't consider himself as innocent: Thus, his mind sought to tear itself apart by going back and forth between one prospect and another, over and over and over again until his head hurt just from thinking about it. He would do _anything_ to get out of this _blasted_ cell! He sighed aloud; bored.

There was a harsh knocking at his cell door that jarred him from his restless thoughts. Jack looked over and locked eyes with chief Bogo, who's lumbering form had apparently decided to make the visit all the way from his precious office just to see Jack squirming in his cage.

"Ah, now do you need something, dear chief?" Jack questioned with a smug grin across his muzzle. "Our last conversation didn't go very well, now did it?

"I need you to be quite and listen carefully, Savage!" The water-buffalo grumbled lowly before looking around cautiously. "I have an opportunity for you to consider."

That notion had sent a light-bulb off in the rabbit's head.

Such an interesting choice of words... _Opportunity_... Jack reasoned that chief Bogo must have been recently visited by Jack's ratty friend, who likely tried to convince Bogo to give him a lighter sentence. The thought brought a smile to his face, and Jack realized from that moment forward that perhaps not _all_ hope was lost, as of yet.

"An opportunity?" Jack repeated, rising from his bed and pacing over to the cell doors. "What _kind_ of opportunity?"

The water buffalo grit his teeth and briefly looked to the left, away from Jack and towards the ground. The rabbit noticed that his fists were balled tightly, whitening his knuckles.

"I've been thinking... And I believe that you could be of assistance to us here at the ZPD, one way or another, at least." Bogo explained.

"You still haven't answered my question, chief!" Jack grabbed the bars of his cell door and gripped them hard. " _What_ - _Kind_ - _Of_ - _Opportunity_?" He repeated slowly.

"An opportunity that might get you a reduced sentence." The water-buffalo finally exclaimed.

Jack blinked a single time, his piercing blue eyes glazed over with bewilderment. A smile soon parted his lips, displaying his bone-white teeth.

"Oh, now _that's_ an opportunity I could work with, my friend." His eyes narrowed in anticipation. "You and I are going to do such good business, aren't we?"

* * *

 **Hello Everyone!**

 **I'm very much pleased to announce that our heroes have finally made it to the lovely Pawaiian-Islands at last! It'll be a fun experience, I'm sure.**

 **Anyhow, in all seriousness, I hope you lot enjoyed this latest chapter of mine, and everything that it had to bring to the table. Be sure to leave a review laying out your own personal thoughts and opinions in regards to the new chapter!**

 **I greatly appreciate such and all consideration on your parts! :D**

 **Also, on my Tumblr account, upplet, you'll be able to find some new art pieces that people have been sending in of characters and scenes. It's cool stuff!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	47. Beachside Dreams

**Hey Everyone!**

 **We have another rather detailed chapter here, with _plenty_ of scene description to go around. I think you know what _that_ means! More music suggestions! :D**

 **Upon docking at the islands, among the first things our trio comes across is the beach, obviously. This music is literally _the_ definition of beach. It fits _so well_!**

 **Just go to Youtube and type in the following: Beachside Dream.**

 **Yeah, simple as that. I'll leave it up to you lot if you want to listen to it or not, but do know this: I recommend it! :)**

 **This new chapter also has _lots_ of dialogue and other forms of chit-chat, so be ready for all that good stuff!**

 **So sit back, relax, fill a bucket with sand and plunge your feet into it as you unwind and enjoy the latest chapter of When Instinct Falls, _Beachside Dream_!**

 **(Yes, I did name it after the song. I thought that it fit well, so deal with it.)**

 **I hope you all enjoy this latest chapter of mine, and without further ado, let's jump into it!**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"Island days and island ways, surf and sand and sunny rays." - Anonymous

 ***BONUS QUOTE*** (I'm spoiling you lot with all these bonus quotes, aren't I?)

"Sometimes a deal with the devil is better than no deal at all." - Lawrence Hill

* * *

10:43 A.M

Sweet, sweet land.

Judy always thought that the ocean was beautiful as it was, especially accompanied by the likes of the setting sun. However, the island of Pawaii was truly something else.

Once the Trafalgar was close enough to the island to begin making out the more intricate details of it, all three mammals aboard the ship took to staring out at the tropical paradise that awaited them once they reached the public docks.

The clean, sandy beaches that ringed themselves around the circumference of the island were unquestionably a sore sight for any travel-weary mammal; With fresh, foamy tides lapping at the golden sand again and again in peaceful, watery repetition. Bordering the beach, a picturesque and bright-colored town was sprung up from neatly packed buildings and wooden sheds, with a smooth-paved street running right down the middle, leading farther down the beach for roughly half a mile before connecting with a pair of towering hotels, and a number of other resort-like get-aways from the every-day life.

Compared to the modern sprawl of the mainland city, this little town was quite tame, but it was still packed with mammals, and choked full of shops, restaurants, and even the occasional public market; With canopies of tents lined together to create one large roof that blocked the ruthless heat of the sun's rays.

Further beyond the town was a thick, flourishing jungle, with tropical birds flying in and around the sky-scraping treetops. Lush jungle plants and flowers bloomed among other vegetation, and of course, towering palm-trees were adorned with bundles of fuzzy brown coconuts.

In the distance, Judy could make out the large, curvaceous hills and mountains that were situated closer to the center of the island, where everything seemed to slant more upwards as it followed the sloping sides of the island's terrifying crowning feature: One mountain, with rocks as bare as bone and hills as treacherous as knives, rose higher than all the others. From it's peak, smoke fumed out in thick and coal-black clouds, raining ash upon the land below it.

Staring up at the intimidating mountain from the deck of the Trafalgar, which was now safely anchored in the public docking area, the bunny heard Haddock grunt aloud;

"Oglin' the likes of the volcano, aye lass?" Judy turned around to see the narwhal staring up at the mountain as well. "Quite the looker, ain't she?"

"Volcano?" She found herself asking John, who snorted from his blow-hole at the notion of the question.

"Don't mind her, she's just a dumb-bunny!" Nick called out from the nearby dock as he tied the boat's rigging to a sturdy post, ensuring that the Trafalgar didn't float away.

Ignoring Nick's teasingly annoying comment, Judy rolled her eyes once before looking back to the old narwhal, whose gaze was still trained on the mountain's rigid peak.

"Aye, volcano. Mountains that spew fire n' ash. This one here-" He pointed to the mountain. "-Be dormant fer the most part, but it still coughs and gags every once an' a while."

"So, it _won't_ be of any danger?" The bunny asked, nervously eyeing the smoke that emanated from the peak.

" _Nay_ , lass. Ye should be fine. Heck, I think ye can even get _tours_ a' the volcano, _and_ of the devastation it hath since wrought to the _other_ side of the island..." John trailed off.

"What do you mean?" Judy questioned, cocking her head to the side. "What happened to the other side of the island?"

The narwhal shook his head in denial.

" _Oh_ , belay that thought, lass... _I_ ain't the one ye should be askin' over _that_. Talk to one o' them _tour-guides_ , er somethin'... Ye can ask _them_."

And at that, Haddock began making his way back to the ship cabin, lumbering through the door before planting himself down in one of the nearby chairs.

"Wait, aren't you gonna come with us, John? Don't you want to see Pawaii, especially after coming all of this way?" The bunny inquired of the narwhal.

"I think I'd rather stay aboard the Trafalgar, lass... Besides, I don't really do too well on dry land." He replied.

"We're gonna be gone for two days, maybe even three!" Judy told him. "You're just gonna sit here the entire time?"

"Ayup. I got everything I need _right_ here."

Haddock claimed as he leaned over to the side and opened a small compartment on the wall that was choked full of tobacco, and piled high with alcoholic drinks.

"Just the necessities, o' course." The narwhal winked one of his shiny black eyes a single time before closing the door to the compartment. "I'll be alright, lass."

"Well, if you say so." She muttered.

Judy looked behind her briefly and eyed Nick as he stood aboard the nearby dock, putting the finishing touches down on the rope that secured the Trafalgar to the dock. Turning back and facing the old narwhal once again, Judy reached out and put one of her paws upon one of his flippers. The narwhal's skin was thick and slick to the touch; Cold as ice, but incredibly smooth. Haddock momentarily retracted his flipper, but relaxed when he locked eyes with the bunny, who had a warm smile across her face.

"Thank you for everything, John... Nick may not seem very appreciative, but _both_ him and I are very thankful for your hospitality."

Haddock stared down at Judy for a few seconds before blinking a single time and pulling his flipper away cautiously.

"I appreciate the consideration, lass... But if this be yer plan to try an' get me to come with you, then ye best run along. Don' keep yer fox waitin' on ye." He claimed slowly.

Nodding her head in understanding, the bunny stepped back and exited the cabin, sparing one last glance at the narwhal before waving at him and leaping off of the ship, joining her mate on the wooden surface of the dock. Landing easily on her two feet, she recomposed herself before pacing over to Nick and joining him in the walk to the beach.

* * *

11:03 A.M

The first few steps off of the grimy wooden dock and onto the smooth, warm sand felt like heaven on earth for Nick and Judy's toes.

Planting her feet into cakey, golden sand, Judy felt her toes curl up in a stimulus response; Sand granules sifting around her soles and in between her toes. It was wonderful.

" _Oh_... This is _great_..." She muttered slowly, her eyes closing over in relaxation.

As they continued down the sandy path, the fox and bunny eventually entered the tiny beach-side town, and promptly took to exploring the place like they would anywhere else.

The smooth stone that made up many of the town's buildings was colored yellow, with a pink-ish trim on the borders and edges. The two of them strolled past packs of other mammals, ranging from tiny mice to lumbering hippos. However, one thing that both Nick and Judy _did_ notice in particular about the merchants, shop-keepers, and restaurant owners was that most of them comprised of boars and mongoose.

"I'm guessing those are the locals." Nick proclaimed, all the while doing a 360 degree turn. "I wonder what they think of us tourists."

"They probably think we all smell like sewage." Judy replied easily.

"For your information, _I_ happen to smell like _violets_!" The fox retorted with a half-lidded smirk.

"Whatever you say, Slick." The bunny stated, pulling at the fox's tie; Wringing the fabric through her fingers as she spoke aloud. "We should go and find us a hotel, right?"

"Slow and steady wins the race, Whiskers: We're in Pawaii! Let's take things nice and slow, _savor_ the moment, and _enjoy_ ourselves!"

"Coming from the fox who chokes down every meal that gets put in front of him."

"Oh, now you're just being mean!" He poked Judy on the nose. "Quit being mean, fluff-butt."

Rolling her eyes and smiling all the while, the bunny released her hold on the fox's tie, and watched him as he readjusted it carefully. Meanwhile, the two of them crossed over a simple wooden bridge, putting them across a snaking stream that emptied out into the nearby ocean. Stepping back down in the sand, Nick voiced his thoughts with a smirk.

"Well, _I'm_ glad that we're _finally_ here, at least." He stepped forward and spread his arms out as if he were announcing something. "Pawaii... Home of the ugly floral shirt!"

"You'll fit right in!" Judy called out from behind.

"Yeah, no kidding. Maybe I'll be able to find me a brand new one o' _these_!" Nick claimed as he perked up the collar of his floral shirt.

"As if you need any more _god-awful_ Pawaiian shirts." The bunny mumbled teasingly. "You have enough already."

"My my, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were _incredibly_ jealous of my _outstanding_ sense of fashion."

"Okay, no need to over-inflate that ego of yours, slick."

"Well, to quote a certain dumb bunny that I know... Whatever you say." He shrugged and looked around. "I just hope that I can find a shop with some nice floral shirts..."

The fox's words sputtered to a quiet silence as his voice trailed off, and his feet halted in their tracks. He stared off into the distance with a vacant expression on his face; Glazed over eye-balls and a slightly ajar mouth. Following Nick's starry-eyed gaze, the bunny's line of sight settled upon the likes of another fox, standing directly in front of one of those open-air tourist shops: A vixen, to be precise. She was unquestionably female, with her robust curves and glossy orange fur. Her thin and sleek body was wrapped in a flowery patterned sun-dress, and the very top of her long and lustrous tail was strangely crooked, as if it had been stepped on or run over by a car.

" _Beautiful_..." Judy heard Nick mutter quietly before he began stepping forward, eventually breaking into a sprint as he ran straight towards the vixen.

"Wha...?"

The bunny trailed off as she saw Nick run straight past the vixen, nearly pushing her out of the way as he entered the tourist shop directly behind her. A few seconds later, he came into view holding an orange patterned floral shirt, with sea-shell designs printed into the fabric. Judy walked over and saw him examining the shirt like it was the most precious thing he had ever seen. Upon noticing the bewildered bunny, Nick strutted over to her and displayed the piece of clothing that he had found.

"Wow, look at this one, Carrots! It's beautiful!" He chuckled. "Course, not as beautiful as _you_ , but it'll do nicely. Really brings out the green of my eyes, don't ya think?"

Judy blinked a single time before doubling over breaking into a fit of laughter. After her moment had passed, she wiped away the tears of amusement that had started to well up in the corners of her eyes, and locked her gaze upon Nick, who was looking at her strangely.

"Uh, what's so funny?" The fox questioned.

"Oh nothing... Don't worry about it, slick." Judy turned her head and looked around for the vixen, soon spotting her some distance off, walking away from the tourist shop.

 _Yeah, that's right. Run along now, foxy._ The bunny mentally chided.

Meanwhile, Nick had purchased the floral shirt from the shop vendor, and had slung his new prize over his left shoulder as if he was carrying a towel.

"Maybe you're right, Whiskers..." Nick started coolly. "We should probably get a hotel, or somethin' here soon."

"Or we could do what Ivar suggested, and get one of those teeny huts by the beach!" Judy added.

"Aren't those like, super expensive?"

"Ivar said that we'd be able to afford one even with our current salaries. I hope he isn't wrong!"

"I hope so too, fluff. Whaddya say we go and find out, huh?"

* * *

11:34 A.M

" _Five hundred_ bucks a night _?!_ "

"I'm sorry if the price upsets you sir, but that's just the way it is."

"Well the _way it is_ is outrageous!"

"I apologize sir, but there are other mammals waiting in line behind you. If you don't wish to purchase a beach-side cabana, than you can always get a room. If not, then _leave_!"

" _Fine_. We'll take a room."

" _Excellent_ choice, mister...?"

"Wilde. Nick Wilde. _And_ Judy Hopps."

"Alright then, here are the keys to your room, sir. Enjoy your stay at the Pawaiian Paradise Inn and Resort."

Grumbling to himself as he snatched the keys away from the boar lobby-receptionist, Nick took Judy by the paw and pulled her along in the direction of their room. The hotel was nice as it was: With clean, glossy tile floors and gold-colored columns supporting the weight of a pair of spiral staircases that led to the second floor, where their room was located. As they entered the room, a sweet smell filled their nostrils, and the plush interior brought a smile to Judy's face. She looked up at Nick, who was still frowning irritably.

"Aw, don't be like that!" Judy teased the fox with a smirk of her own. "We may not have been able to get a cabana, but hey, glass half full; This hotel is _gorgeous_!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Whiskers... I was just really lookin' forward to livin' right on the beach." Nick replied.

"The hotel is practically _on_ the beach, Nick." The bunny proclaimed, pointing out through one of the nearby windows to the sandy beach, which was some 20 feet away.

"Okay, I get it, I get it." The fox mused as he ruffled Judy's head. "No need to spell it out for me, cotton-tail."

"Well, you _are_ a dumb fox, so I can understand you needing some help with spelling every once and a while."

"Heh... _Sly_ bunny."

"You know what you are already." The bunny stated with a smirk before she stuck their room key into the lock on the door, swinging it open and stepping inside after Nick.

* * *

12:07 A.M

After settling down in their new hotel room; Which itself was small, but nice as it was, the fox and bunny set out for the beach right outside of their hotel complex.

Although it lacked the sheer magnitude of pleasure that the first time had, both Nick and Judy were quite content with sticking their feet in the sand once again, and feeling the warm granules as they sifted between and around their sensitive toes. Eyeing his mate up and down, Nick smiled at the sight of her fluffy bunny tail, which wiggled tenaciously in the breezy wind. She was wearing a purple-colored, two piece swimsuit that Nick thought complimented her eyes very well.

The two of them swam in the cool waters of the ocean, went cliff diving off of some nearby rock structures, chased each other across the beach, and even joined in on a volley-ball game with a pack of other beach-goers. It was a fun experience overall, especially the volley-ball match; Mostly because they had a giraffe on their team, which had helped.

After romping around on the beach for roughly another half an hour, Nick heard a name that he never thought he'd hear again.

"Mr. Leyfur?"

The voice that asked was male, unmistakably. Whirling around and scanning for the source of the noise, Nick locked eyes with a white rabbit, standing some 30 feet away.

"Dyvim!"

"Felix!"

Both the fox and rabbit ran up to each other and grasped their paws together in a firm hand-shake.

"What in the world are you doing _here_?" Nick asked

"Why is your fur _orange_?" Dyvim questioned

"Okay okay, one at a time, ladies." A female voice jokingly called out from behind Dyvim.

Breaking their hand-shake, Nick watched as Dyvim stepped away to reveal Natalia Blackthorne, who must've been traveling with him, no doubt.

" _Nat_! You're here too! Oh, man, this is _such_ a coincidence!" The fox managed through wheezing chuckles. "You two were the _last_ mammals I'd expect to run in to here!"

"Well, we're just here on vacation, that's all." The male rabbit replied.

" _Wait_ , have you two finally...?" Nick pointed to them both before overlapping his arms.

"Oh, yeah! We're dating, as a matter of fact!" Dyvim stated as he wrapped his arm around Natalia's shoulder and pulled her to his side.

"Ah, so the chase is finally over, eh?"

"Heh, I guess you could say that." Dyvim said, scratching at the back of his head.

"Hey Nick!" Judy called as she ran over to the scene. "Friends of yours?" She asked, gesturing to the black and white rabbit.

"Yep, good friends back from Sector-A, actually! _This_ is Dyvim Whitetail, and _that's_ Natalia Blackthorne. Remember how I told you about them? The prides of Sector-A!"

"I remember, yeah. Nice to meet you!" Judy stuck out her paw and shook with Dyvim and Natalia. "I'm Judy Hopps!"

" _The_ Judy Hopps? Well, it's _our_ pleasure, ma'am!" Natalia exclaimed. "You're kind of a hero in bunny culture, you know."

Judy giggled as she rubbed at the back of her neck. Nick smiled at the sight of the flustered bunny, but soon diverted his attention back to Dyvim, who had cleared his throat.

"So _Felix_..." The male rabbit started almost mockingly. "I think you have a _lot_ of explaining to do."

"No kidding." Natalia added, crossing her arms as she glared at Nick.

"Yeah, I guess I owe to two an explanation, don't I?" He asked, to which the black and white rabbits nodded in agreement. "Well, for starters, I'm not _really_ a gray fox."

" _Obviously_." Dyvim stated. "So you're really a red fox?"

"Yeah, I was actually undercover in Jack's company with a completely new identity. I'm afraid Felix Leyfur doesn't, and never has existed. I'm Nick Wilde."

"The first fox cop?" Natalia questioned, causing Nick to nod his head in confirmation.

"Yup. Zootopia's first fox cop. Like I said, I was undercover, and was _really_ working for the ZPD, trying to collect Intel on Jack Savage and his business practices."

"Oh, so _you_ must've been behind his arrest!" Dyvim cried out. "The entire building has been gossiping about it ever since!"

"Yeah, my wife and I, Judy here," Nick patted Judy on the head. "Hauled in Savage on account of fraud, aggravated assault, and..." He trailed off, locking eyes with Judy.

"And resisting arrest." She finished for him, smiling when she felt the fox give her paw a reassuring squeeze. "He's in jail now, where he can't hurt anyone anymore."

"Well, I guess that makes sense. I had my suspicions from the beginning, honestly: No _office-coordinator_ would _ever_ be _that_ determined!" Dyvim stated with a toothy grin.

"What can I say? I had to get a job done." Nick said with a shrug. "Least we're here on vacation now, I suppose."

"That's respectable Fel- _I_ mean, _Nick_." Natalia started before chuckling. "I'm gonna have to get used to that!"

"Oh, I'm sure that you will eventually, Nat." The fox claimed before clasping his hands together. "So what brings you two here to Pawaii, anyhow?"

"Same as you: We're on vacation, of course! We came here to get away form the crowd of the city, so we could relax and unwind in tropical paradise!"

"Ain't that what everyone comes here for?" Nick asked, causing the crowd of mammals to snicker in response.

"You got that right, slick." Judy added before facing the other two rabbits. "So you two are a couple, I'm guessing?"

"We sure are!" Natalia responded as she nuzzled noses with Dyvim.

"Good on that, I say. I was shippin' you two ever since I first set foot in Sector-A." Nick commented.

"I hope that you didn't start some _betting pool_ with the other office workers like _Clawhauser_ did with us back when _we_ were first dating." Judy started.

"Uh, no comment."

Rolling her eyes, Judy placed her paws on her hips as she looked back to Dyvim and Natalia before asking them yet another question of her own.

"Say, are you two staying in _that_ hotel over there?" She pointed out to the rabbit couple, who nodded in confirmation. "Oh, cool! Nick and I are staying there too!"

"Hmm, that gives me an idea, actually!" Dyvim proclaimed, earning the attention of all the other mammals.

"Let's hear it, Divvy." Nick said. "Suggestions are always appreciated."

"Well, Natalia and I were planning to visit The Crags tomorrow... Would you two like to join us?"

Nick and Judy looked to each other momentarily before they both nodded in agreement.

"I don't see why not! It'll be fun!" Judy stated. "Though, what're The Crags?"

"Oh, you don't know? The other side of the island... It's completely destroyed!" Dyvim claimed.

" _What_?" Judy found herself asking.

"Yeah! The other side of Pawaii is a barren wasteland that all the locals call The Crags: That part of the island is completely encrusted with dried lava!"

"Ooo, sounds cool... And kinda dangerous."

"Nah, it isn't dangerous unless you get too close to the lava flows... Or the volcanic gas... Or all the sharp rocks..." Dyvim trailed off slowly, looking nervously into the distance.

Judy recalled how their narwhal friend, John Haddock, had been about to tell her something about the volcano before he had trailed off and forced Judy to vacate his old boat.

"Yeah, our ship captain told me about that.. Well, sort of. Point is, it sounds like a cool place. We should go there sometime!"

"I'm up for it." Nick added lazily.

"Well, I guess it's settled! We'll find you tomorrow, and we can discuss things from there. Until then, I say that the four of us enjoy the beach life!" Natalia vocalized happily.

And at that, the four mammals set out back to the beach, enjoying the rest of their day with idle talk, volley-ball, and sweet shaved-ice cream.

It was lovely.

* * *

8:01 P.M

"That's all? _Really_?"

"Yes, that's it. Of course, I could always retract the offer if you're not willing to comply..."

"No no! It's fine! I'm willing to comply! I'm willing!"

"Good. It should be another two days or so before they get back, so go ahead and get nice and comfy here in your cell while you wait for me to summon you to my office."

"Just two more days?"

"Give or take."

" _Ah_ , good business, good business... I'll be waiting... Run along now, chief."

The water-buffalo snorted harshly from his nostrils, giving the rabbit one last stink-eye before he backed away and left the cell block.

Jack Savage allowed himself a triumphant laugh as he gripped against the cell bars and shook the cage door in excitement.

" _Yes_!"

Sighing heavily and pacing backwards, he fell over onto his bed, facing the ceiling as his lips parted in an exultant grin. He couldn't believe it: He would be able to walk free once again, even if it wasn't for very long. Jack felt as though all his prayers had finally been answered. The only thing that could make any of this better was if he could get out of jail for good, but sadly, he'd have to leave that fact for Ratsputin to deal with, one way or another... Assuming that the rat would forgive him for what he was about to do...

 _I don't want to end up like that pathetic sheep. What was her name... Smellwhether, I think it was? Imbecilic little lamb, trying to play her piece of the game too early._

He shook his head from side to side, ridding his mind of those vile thoughts.

Instead, he took to focusing on something else: Something that would keep his mind away from the thoughts of what Ratsputin might do to him if he took it all the wrong way.

As he usually did whenever he was stressed, he calmed himself with deep breaths in through the nose and out from the mouth. Jack's mind pondered back to just a few weeks ago, back before he was arrested and his world went to shit. He reminisced on feeling so much power, looking out through the windows in his office as if he owned the city. He remembered how picturesque Alaina had looked when he had walked in on her staring out the windows; The way the sun-light bent around her well-sculpted body, casting an equally curvaceous shadow across the walls of his office. She had been beautiful, and deep down, Jack regretted having tied to manipulate her into mating with him. At the time, he had been hoping to acquire one last moment of intimate recollection before he fled the city of Zootopia for good. Alas, all that had gone down the drain with his hubris.

He lightly banged his head on the cell bars a single time, causing them to rattle metallically.

But for now, he was still locked up in this blasted cell, with nothing substantial to do to pass the hours aside from staring at the ceiling or sleeping. Reasoning that he'd stared at the ceiling for long enough already, Jack turned over on his side and faced the wall, closing his eyes and beckoning forth the dark folds of sleep to envelop him. He _hated_ the limited amount of activities that were available in the jail-house, and he knew for a _fact_ that he wouldn't just sit back and let his body and mind waste away in this wretched cell.

He grit his teeth hard, his ears detecting the sound of his incisors grinding against one another in an almost painful fashion.

 _I will not die here._

Sleep came soon after, and he welcomed it with wide open arms. His conscious gifted him with bright, vivid dreams of freedom, all of which caused him to smile in his sleep.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I _certainly_ hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! Do be sure to leave a review telling me your thoughts on it! I'd _adore_ knowing whatcha think of my work! :)**

 **As always, if you haven't already, be sure to drop a favorite and/or a follow: We're _so close_ to 1000 followers! Let's make it happen, my friends! :D**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: If any of you feel like contributing some fan-art to the story, then all you need do is let me know! I welcome the opportunity, of course.**


	48. Ash and Ecstasy

"The arrogance of man is thinking that nature is in our control, and not the other way around." - Ken Watanabe

* * *

4:29 P.M, _The Next Day_

Time and time again, adventure kept finding it's way into Nick's life, whether he wanted it or not.

Thinking back to years ago when he first met Judy, the fox reminisced on the way that she had taken him on an unforgettable adventure, even if said adventure nearly got him killed half a dozen times. Though of course, that event had been _forced_ , for the most part: He _needed_ that carrot pen from her, and he had _no_ intention on going to jail because of it. He accompanied her on the mission solely for the prospect of staying out of jail, and at the time, he truly cared nothing for Mr. Otterton, or any of the other reasons that made Judy want to follow through with the case, as crazy as it was in the end.

His cynical and sardonic mindset considered the journey as nothing more than a wild goose chase for a pointless end goal.

It was only after the adventure was over did he truly begin to realize that it was so much more...

So much more than a wild goose chase, or some pointless police investigation that he wanted nothing part of: It was a voyage of self change, and self acceptance.

For Nick Wilde, it only took six months, a savage jaguar, and a 48 hour goose chase to make him finally let go of his previous mindset. Sure, he _was_ still cynical, and sarcastic, and still considered himself an asshat at times, but in comparison to his _previous_ philosophies, his new ones were completely extraordinary. His adventure with Judy had not only forced him to explore all sorts of new locations and regions, but it also forced him to rethink and rewrite his old ideals.

The change had been made, and for the first time in years upon years, something had finally gotten to the fox: Judith Laverne Hopps had succeeded where all others had failed.

Those were his thoughts surrounding his first adventure with her: It was an unquestionably life changing journey. But what of all the _other_ endeavors?

Well, after having his old psyche gutted, he began to appreciate the world he lived in for more than just a place to eat and sleep. His many following excursions would lead him all around the world he knew, from Tundra-Town to Sahara-Square, to the Nocturnal-District and even the far away Outback-Island; All of these new and exciting places to experience with not only his new mindset, but with the love of his life.

In the end, that made every single one of his adventures all the more enjoyable.

* * *

"Alright, you ready to hit the road, slick?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, carrots."

"Good, because _you're_ driving."

"We don't have a car here, whiskers."

"Oh right..."

"Dumb bunny!"

"Shut your trap, scruffy!"

The fox and bunny shared a good laugh, soon recomposing themselves as they made their way down to the hotel's parking lot, where they had originally planned to meet up with Dyvim and Natalia so that they could make way to the other side of the island. Personally, Nick wasn't sure what would be so interesting about a bunch of dried up lava, basically nothing more than rocks, but Dyvim had assured him the previous day that The Crags was a truly unique place, and that visiting it would be worth the trip.

Checking the current time with his trusty mobile device, Nick was pleased to note that all four of them; Natalia, Dyvim, Judy, and himself, had arrived at the rendezvous point right on time. Nick's good friend, Dyvim Whitetail, had generously offered to drive the four of them to the other side of the island in his rental car, so once they all had converged, they set out for the opposing side of the island, which Natalia claimed would roughly take a half hour to reach.

All clambering in the vehicle before it set out to the nearest road, they soon found themselves traveling down a long and winding asphalt road, which itself was surprisingly clean free from damage such as cracks and tarnish. Even though they didn't take the scenic route, their current one was undeniably entrancing, with the smooth road leading them through rocky gorges overgrown with thick, healthy vines, and alongside steep cliff-sides that dropped straight down into the crashing ocean, some three hundred feet below.

All the while, the pack of adventure-bound mammals occupied their time by delving into a variety of questions, especially in regards to Nick and Judy's undercover mission.

"Lemme get this straight..." Dyvim started at Nick, raising his paws as if he were about to swat a fly. "You two were investigating Jack Savage for fraudulence and theft?"

"That's pretty much the gist of it, yeah. We uncovered a whole lot more than just Jack's business scams though: He was also working alongside two of Zootopia's most wanted."

"Wait, you mean crime-lords?"

"Right on, Divvy." The fox confirmed. "The crime-lords of the Sahara-Square and the Nocturnal-District, respectively: One feisty pangolin, and one psychopathic bat."

"Bat?" Natalia asked with raised eyebrows. "What's a _bat_?"

"See Nick?! I _told you_ I'm not the only one!" Judy suddenly cried out, causing the fox in question to bark a hearty laugh.

"Oh you bunnies... Always so naive..." Nick sighed lazily.

His comment effectively earned a sharp glare from every single passenger in the car. Tugging at his collar, the fox readjusted his weight in the car seat before correcting himself.

"What I _meant_ , uh, was that you all are so darn _curious_! Always asking questions!" Nick snorted audibly "Life in the Burrows must be a _real_ joy-ride, eh?" He asked sarcastically.

"Just answer her question, dumb fox." Judy stated with a coyish smirk.

"Right right, so anyway: What _is_ a bat?" He started slowly. "Well, I'd say that a bat is a winged mammal with _lots_ of sharp teeth, pyromaniacal tendencies, and a _really_ ugly face."

"They typically stick to the Nocturnal-District... That's why you rarely see them above ground." Judy added.

"Exactly. Now, as I explained earlier, the highest-ranking criminal in the Nocturnal-District was a vampire bat named Vladzotz, and he's _no_ stranger to brutality, I'll tell ya that much. Oh, and then there's the crime-lord of the Sahara-Square, a pangolin who went by Shahaz the Stinger. That was his street name, apparently."

"So they were both involved with Jack Savage's hedge-funds?" Dyvim inquired timidly with perked up ears. "D-did you stop them?"

"Vladzotz isn't in the crime business anymore, we think, and Shahaz got captured in his desert compound during a police raid."

"So, what ever happened to Shahaz?" Natalia asked curiously. "Did he go to jail?"

Truthfully, neither mammal officer was present during his trial or his imprisonment, but both _had_ heard stories and seen pictures. Judy decided to answer Natalia's question;

"He sure did. The ZPD's never arrested an animal quite like _him_ before. We can de-spine porcupines and hedgehogs for safety reasons because _their_ quills are easy to pull out, like hair, almost. But Shahaz's scales were _fused_ to his body: There was no way we could pull them all out without killing him, or at the very least, causing him a whole lotta pain."

"He deserved it for slicing up your paw, honestly." The fox added.

" _Nick_! It wasn't _that_ bad, really."

"What? He almost turned you into shredded-bunny!"

"Well, yeah, but he doesn't deserve a horrible death like that." Judy retorted.

"Don't we all?" Nick replied jokingly, rolling his eyes and smiling.

Groaning irritably (with a smile) to herself, the bunny decided to continue with her story.

"So as I was saying, the ZPD still had to figure out a way to deal with Shahaz, so they offered him a choice: He could either let them dull all of his scales with a file so that he wouldn't be a threat to the other inmates, _or_ he could keep his scales sharp, but have to stick-out his entire sentence in solitary confinement, all by himself."

"And what did he choose?" Dyvim inquired with raised eyebrows.

"He chose solitary confinement: He didn't want his scales to be ruined."

"Probably because he has them all engraved with that old story, remember?" Nick hypothesized with widened eyes.

"Oh yeah! I never considered that..." The bunny cleared her throat. "So they ended up throwing Shahaz all by himself into one of those padded rooms, but _that_ didn't go well."

"Why not?" Natalia questioned.

"Because he tore up all the padding, completely destroying the room. They tried again by putting him in a _concrete_ cell all by himself, but he used the walls to sharpen his scales, which is a big problem, not to mention the fact that the walls now look like they've been attacked by a tornado of knives... I've seen the pictures: It's a scary sight."

"Yup. So that's the story of the living, breathing knife-rack that almost killed us both, everyone. Any more questions?" Nick concluded sardonically.

"Yeah: Are we there yet?" Judy grumbled, shifting her weight.

"Almost Judy, almost." Dyvim reassured. "We still got a couple more miles left to go."

"Fine by me!" The fox claimed, flicking out his favorite pair of shades before resting them atop his muzzle. "Say, how about you two tell _us_ a story, huh?"

"What do you want to know?" Dyvim inquired.

"Hmm... I dunno, _anything_ , really. Maybe you can start off by telling us about what you two have been up to after all this time."

"That works! I guess I should start from where you and Judy here left us. After news got out of Jack's arrest, it was a pretty tense environment, believe it or not."

"How so?" Nick added, raising his shades off of his muzzle slightly.

"Think about it Nick: Jack left behind a _multi-million_ dollar company, with no heir to his seat of power! He didn't have any children, and all of his rich business friends and associates wanted a piece of what he left behind him when he was carted off to jail. See the problem here? _Everyone_ was fighting over who should control the company, and the issue was finally resolved when the Executive-Assistant was given full reign over Jack's old position: _He's_ the new CEO now."

"Ah, I see... So now everything's back to normal, yes?"

"Not exactly... Jack was running a _horrible_ fraudulence on _all_ of his biggest business partners, from Bugga-Berger to Snarlbucks! None of them were too happy to find out that large portions of their investments were going straight into Jack's pockets, and some of them threatened to break away from our company's finances and partner with one of our competitors, like J.P Maregon, or the Lemming Brother's Bank of Zootopia. Our bank's want all those big corporations to keep their ties with _our_ company because it makes _them_ money, so now we have this _awful_ chain of threats and demands, circling between the corporations that want their money back, the banks that want the corporations to stay, and our company, which is caught right in the middle of it all."

"And that's not even counting the _individual_ threats and demands from civilian families and investors that got swindled by Jack's conniving schemes." Natalia added.

"Yeah..." Dyvim grumbled. "And _that_."

"Sounds like you guys really deserve this vacation!" Nick stated with a crooked grin, causing Dyvim to let out a half-hearted chuckle.

"At least there's _that_ , I suppose..."

"So, speaking of vacation, are you two going anywhere _else_ , or are you just vacationing here in Pawaii?" Judy asked.

"Ooo, good question!" Natalia claimed. "We went to the Marshlands just a few days ago, actually. Right Div?"

"Eh, nice place to visit, but I wouldn't wanna live there." He replied, flexing his fingers as he continued to drive the car. "You two ever been there before?"

"Twice before; Once on a date, and once on a police chase. Interesting place, but I personally can't _stand_ the smell..." Nick responded, scrunching up his nose all the while.

From what _he_ remembered of the titular district, the fox recalled that the Marshlands was a swampy and watery place, much like the Rainforest-District, but with far less precipitation and lush, vibrant plant life: Most of the Marshland's flora consisted of ferns, root-choked mangrove trees, and slimy moss. There were lots of bogs and festering cesspools of lichen, but if there was one thing that truly made the Marshlands different from all the other districts, it was the swamp gas, which was collected in large quantities and used for powering various mechanisms, including some vehicles.

Nick remembered clearly how they collected the gas: Big and super stretchy balloons would be filled to the near point of bursting, then would be floated/driven off to wherever they were consumed. The mammals that gathered the gas would also use lots of metal cylinders and air compressors to suck the gas straight out from the ground beneath the Marshlands. In the end, all the gas siphoning left a muddy and sour-tasting aroma lingering in the air all around the district: You couldn't go _anywhere_ there without smelling it!

"Yeah, it's definitely not the most _enticing_ place, but it never hurts to do some exploring, huh?" Dyvim said with a smile, eyes still trained on the road ahead of him.

"You got _that_ right." Natalia agreed. "And after we visited the Marshlands, we took a detour in the Meadowlands, too."

"Sheepville, you mean?" Nick added, his smirk only heightening the question's mockery. Dyvim laughed before responding.

"Uh-huh... That place is full of 'em! They're _everywhere_!"

"I doubt it's as bad as Bunny-Burrow, though."

"Oh god no." All three rabbits said at unison, effectively causing the entire car to burst into laughter seconds afterwords.

The four mammals continued down the winding and clean road through the jungle for some ten minutes longer before the landscape started to change, and quite drastically at that. The green mountains quickly disappeared, until the only feature in sight was the towering form of the massive volcano, which blocked nearly a quarter of of the blue sky. All of the lush and tropical vegetation had vanished, and was replaced by crumbling, jet-black rock, which was inlaid with wave-like designs as if the rock had been mushed like putty before it had hardened, which wasn't that far off from the truth, apparently.

"Welcome to the Crags, everybody." Dyvim announced.

Thin fog began to envelop the landscape, enclosing the mammal's line of sight until the only thing they could see was the desolate landscape that they were currently treading upon. Thick and towering spires of rock rose from the ground like broken ribs, jutting towards the sky as if to challenge it. In the distance, sparse amounts of craggy black trees grew through the cracks in between the hardened lava, their creeping forms visible through the hazy fog like ghosts.

"It's so... _Barren_..." Judy murmured, her gaze far-off as she stared out through the window, eyeing the desolate landscape as it rolled by.

"I don't exactly see any other tourists, Divvy... What's up with that?" Nick found himself asking the male rabbit, who sighed carefully upon hearing the fox's question.

"Most mammals don't like feeling as if _nature_ is on top... They like telling themselves that they're the most powerful force on the face of this world, but we know better..."

"We do?" The fox added.

"We _should_." Dyvim corrected. "Nobody likes seeing this place because it's a reminder of who's _really_ in charge, here."

"And who would that be?"

"Isn't it obvious? Look around you, Nick... This place used to be a lush and tropical paradise, but now it's been reduced to a smoldering wasteland... _That_ right there-"

Dyvim continued, pointing his paw out towards the looming peak of the volcano, which belched smoke and ash at a seemingly constant rate.

"-Leveled the _entire side_ of this island, and it's perfectly capable of finishing the job."

"Well look at _you_ , junior vulcanologist." Nick joked, causing Judy to snort a snickering laugh.

"Nah, I'm just a guy who actually appreciates the stuff that puts us in our place." Dyvim replied as he stopped the car on the side of the road and opened his door, stepping out.

"Well, are ya coming?" He asked the others. "Let's go and check this stuff out, shall we?"

" _Indeed_ we shall!" The fox agreed, unbuckling his seat-belt and joining Dyvim outside the car as he did.

Joining her husband along with Dyvim and Natalia respectively, Judy stepped outside and immediately felt a blast of hot, arid wind that caused her ears to flop around haphazardly in the aforementioned gust. Stepping off of the gravel road and onto the dried lava, she heard the material hiss and crack beneath her toes, and quickly jumped to another slab of rock just before the previous one crumbled into bits.

"Watch your footing everyone!" She heard Nick call out in warning. "This stuff doesn't seem to be the most stable type of material."

"Right you are, Nick. But as a point of fact, this dried, ropy looking lava is called pahoehoe."

" _Pahoehoe_? Interesting term... Are you sure you're not a vulcanologist disguised as an office grunt?"

"Nick! Be nice!" Judy exclaimed, but faltered when she noticed that Dyvim was actually laughing.

"No no, it's alright. And like I said before, I'm just a guy who knows about this stuff. Besides, it isn't my first time coming here, actually: I came when I was fifteen years old."

"So that makes you our tour guide!" The fox coughed and rubbed at his neck. "Well, I guess you've _already_ been doin' a pretty good job at _that_ , so..."

The mammals continued their expedition across the landscape for some ten minutes longer before they came to a halt at Dyvim's call.

"Everyone, come this way, over here!" He called out. "Just above this ridge!"

Eyeing his location of choice, Judy could see smoke rising from the spot just behind the ridge, and decided to follow Nick and Natalia, eventually reaching the peak of the ridge.

Her jaw dropped so hard that she was surprised she didn't dislocate it.

Looking from the top of the black-rock hill, Judy stared down at a small-sized valley that stretched for what must've been a few miles, at least. Right in the center of the valley, a massive hole opened up, dropping for a good hundred feet into the depths of the gorge. Being able to clearly see inside the ravine, Judy found herself staring down at a boiling, fiery lake of magma; Red hot lava sloshed around violently within the confines of the pit, harshly spewing waves of magma back and fourth, releasing smoke and other volcanic gas into the air.

Plates of melting rock floated on the surface, consistently breaking apart and reforming like a puzzle, almost. Judy wasn't quite sure what she was seeing at that moment of time, but she knew without a doubt that that pit was _no_ place for: She had _zero_ intentions on being roasted alive now, or ever.

"We're not going down there, are we?" She asked timidly.

"Of course we are! We're gonna sacrifice you to the volcano gods, right Dyvim?" Nick teased with a grin, patting the male rabbit atop the shoulder.

"Nah, too far away and too dangerous... I say we head back to the car and head back to the hotel. We've had our fun, wouldn't you agree?"

"I know _I_ would." Judy muttered as she backed away from the edge of the ridge and began making her way back the way that they came.

"So, Mister vulcanologist..." Nick started in regards to Dyvim. "Would you mind explaining to us what exactly that was back there?"

" _That_ was a look inside the center of the world." Dyvim began slowly. " _Real_ vulcanologists and scientists think that _that's_ what happens beneath the crust of our world."

"Interesting stuff, I say. _Do_ go on."

"They think that _billions_ of years ago, the world was just like that in the beginning: Fiery, with lava pooling on the surface in ocean-sized amounts. Well, that's _one_ theory..."

"You know... I think you'd make a _pretty good_ vulcanologist." The fox added.

"Thanks, but no thanks: I'll stick to office work, mind you."

" _Bor_ -ing!"

"It's not _that_ bad, Nick." Dyvim retorted.

"Whatever you say, rabbit. Whatever you say." Nick said with a coyish smirk plastered across his muzzle. "Let's get back to the hotel now, shall we?"

* * *

7:38 P.M

Upon arriving back at their hotel, the only thing on Nick's mind was sleep, slumber, and more sleep.

After they bid their goodbyes to Natalia and Dyvim, the fox and bunny set foot inside the likes of their own room before closing the door shut for the night, separating them from the undulating blankets of shadows that grew only larger with each passing second. Wanting more privacy to themselves, Nick took the time to lower the blinds and reposition the curtains on the windows so that no amount of light peeked in, and no one could see inside whatsoever.

Turning around and facing his mate once again, he raised an eyebrow before bidding out his coming question.

"You hungry, carrots? I dunno about _you_ , but _I_ could use some grub... _Literally_... "

"I'm _starving_! Let's get something to eat!" Judy agreed, picking up the nearby hotel phone. "Room service?"

"Gladly!" Nick stated in agreement. "I'll take anything that isn't rabbit food."

"Says here they have fresh caught fish from the ocean... Sounds _exotic_!" Judy responded, looking at a nearby menu.

"I'll take it! You can get whatever _you_ want, of course: We're on vacation!"

Smiling to herself, Judy dialed the room service number before ordering their food, which consisted of Nick's fresh-caught fish, and a vegetable soup for herself.

Joining Nick at the tiny dining table, Judy couldn't help but feel a slight sense of deja-vu.

"Doesn't this remind of our first night undercover? Remember?" She asked the fox, who looked up from his phone and shot her with an imaginary finger gun.

"How could I forget? It was our anniversary! Besides, we had unforgettable sex that night, didn't we?"

"Ugh, you're _such_ a jerk."

"Hey now, _you're_ the one who encourages it!" The fox retorted.

"Case in point." The bunny replied quickly, a sly smile spreading across her face.

"You know you love me!"

Judy responded with a light-hearted _hmm_ sort of sound at the notion of the fox's comment.

"So, what'd ya think of all that lava back in the Crags?" Nick casually asked.

"Oh, well I thought it was pretty neat: _Definitely_ not something you'd see _anywhere_ in the Burrows, or in Zootopia as a whole!"

"You could say _that_ again... I was really blown away by it, and it's a pretty scary thought, actually..." Nick trailed off, eyeing the carpet floor of their room.

"What is?" The bunny questioned curiously.

"Well, just what Dyvim said about the volcano and how powerful it is, and the fact that it could literally blow this island sky-high any second..."

"Well, I highly doubt that we'll have to be worrying about that, slick."

"Right, I know... But it still makes you realize just how insignificant we really are..."

"What're you, a philosopher?" Judy asked jokingly, causing the fox to bark a laugh.

"Far from it, carrots. I was just thinking, really. Nothin' wrong with that, is there?"

"Not at all!" She replied with a smile. She then looked to her left towards the door, where a knocking sound had emanated. "That's probably our food!"

She stood up from her chair and made her way towards the door, which she promptly opened before being greeted by the delivery-boar, who required her to sign a few things before the food was on the table and the door was closed once more. Seating herself beside Nick, the bunny immediately began to eat; Taking slow and careful sips of her vegetable soup, which itself was quite hot on it's own, not counting the spiciness that was topped off with the added green chili.

They didn't talk very much while they ate, as they were both quite invested in their respective dishes.

Eventually, all the food was gone and the two mammals then cleaned their plates before Nick excused himself to take a shower.

It was a nice night.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I certainly hope that you enjoyed this latest chapter of mine! be sure to drop a review telling me whatcha think, especially on the more... _Intimate_ , scenes...**

 **Anyhow, I'm pleased to see how all of this vacation 'mini-arc' stuff turned out, and I personally cannot wait until Nick and Judy get back to the city! From there, they'll have quite a lot of new and interesting stuff to deal with!**

 **Along the way, they'll see the reemergence of old faces, the coming of new places _and_ new characters, and old questions will _finally_ be answered and resolved!**

 **I'm _so excited_ about this coming arc, and I certainly hope that you all are too, of course! I have _big_ plans with _lots_ of moving parts, but fear not, for the solutions are _just_ around the corner!**

 **Speaking of just around the corner, we're nearly at 1000 followers! _Almost_! Aside from the lemon that I threw in during the final moments of this chapter, I also have _another_ gift for you lot to celebrate the coming of such an _outstanding_ achievement. I _truly_ couldn't have reached this far without you guys, and I'm _greatly_ appreciative of everything we've accomplished as a team! _Thank you_!**

 **Sometime here soon enough, I'll be writing a complete bonus chapter for your prying eyes to enjoy! It's something I've wanted to do for a long time, but never got around to, obviously. The bonus chapter, titled _Inferno_ , will follow in the footsteps of Vladzotz as he escapes the fires of his crumbling mansion, flees the Nocturnal-District, and finds refuge in Shahaz the Stinger's compound in the Sahara-Square, where he makes the painful recovery from his injuries.**

 **I think it'll be _really_ interesting to see what it would be like to follow things from the perspective of Vladzotz and his shattered mind. Can't wait to finish it! :)**

 **Of course, the sooner we get to 1000 followers, the sooner I can reveal the bonus chapter to you! Do feel free to favorite/follow if you haven't already: Each and every one is _greatly_ appreciated, one hundred percent!**

 **That's all I really have for you lot as of now, so stay tuned for chapter 52 and the bonus chapter, both coming your way soon! :D**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **:)**


	49. Inferno - Bonus Chapter

**Hello Everyone!**

 **I just want to quickly take the time to welcome you to the first bonus chapter of my Zootopia story, When Instinct Falls!**

 **Alongside that, I think you all know what else is coming. That's right: More music! Check this one out!**

 **Davy Jone's theme song**

 **Yup. That's it.**

 **If Vladzotz had a theme song, it would probably be this. Davy Jones is actually an inspiration for Vladzotz's personality, so that's a bonus! The song starts out _really_ slow, but trust me, it turns _really_ intense in later on. ****I recommend perhaps listening to it as you read, but whatever floats your boat, honestly. :P**

 **Without further ado, I present to you chapter 50 of 'When Instinct Falls', _Inferno._**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"It is through the eyes of our enemies that we become whole." - Anonymous

* * *

It took the bat's eyes a full minute to open.

His world was so hot, so confined, and it smelled of smoke and burning things. To raise just his head off of whatever material was beneath him robbed the bat of his stamina, and his skull was so heavy that he thought his neck would break just trying to support it. Chilling waves of pain radiated across his body, concentrated in a line down the length of his spine, and the back of his head and neck.

Vladzotz pushed up with his bony wings, lifting his battered body off of the floor; The required effort strained his injured skin and forced him to groan uncontrollably in piercing agony. He felt a hard and rigid weight pushing back against him from above, and he reasoned that it must've been part of the collapsed roof that had buried him in this wooden tomb. The bat's skin felt both incredibly hot and incredibly cold at the same time, and he knew without thinking that he had suffered some burns from the fires around him.

He grated his razor sharp fangs together until droplets of blood began pooling against his lips, but it did no good: His head drooped as he stopped to rest, gasping for breath, spewing out droplets of red liquid from his mouth as he exhaled. He breathed in deeply, inhaling entire lungfuls of air, but gagged and wretched horribly; Coughing all of it back out and leaving a burning sensation lingering on his tongue and in the back of his throat. The bat sputtered his next breath: Breathing in slowly to avoid the noxious gas.

Looking down at the spot where he had been laying unconscious, he spotted drops of scarlet fluid dripping from his chest and stomach, and he realized that he had been soaking in a pool of his own blood. That same fluid was also running down the bat's face like a tribal warrior's tattoos, and dripping from the sharp tips of his fangs, plopping constantly onto the hard surface of the floor-boards below. Vladzotz was so weak, so delirious, and the bat feared that his aging heart would give out at any moment, and that he would perish. His mind was drowning in confusion and pain, and many of his short-term memories were too blurred to be recalled.

But, there were a select few that stood out, and even in his grave condition, rage flared up inside of him in unparalleled amounts: And so, he remembered.

" _Fox_... You... _You_ did this... T-to me." Vladzotz coughed horribly. "I _will_ find you... One day..."

Deadly revenge: He desired it, he craved it, and that slimy vulpine was going to pay the ultimate price. Vladzotz was beaten down and on the verge of dying, but he wasn't dead yet, and as long as there was a single shred of life left in him, he was not going to give up until he was standing over that fox's corpse, with his still-beating heart crushed to a bloody pulp between his elongated fingers.

The bat had no clue where the fox was at this point in time, but once he escaped this hellish prison, it would only be a matter of time until they crossed paths once again.

So, he set his sights on just that: Escape, and he prepared his body for the grueling task of finding a way out. Vladzotz had lived too long and seen too much to quit now, and the bat couldn't rest until his mission was complete. He inhaled a deep breath, holding back the tears that came as his chest and spine exploded with searing pain. The bat suppressed his rage and squinted his beady eyes, dragging one foot along the ground and setting it down in its proper position. He did the same with the other, and pushing up with his arms, ordered his body to stand using every ounce of will that he could muster. Chilling pain borne from his bruised back gripped the bat's shoulders and squeezed against his spine, and he hissed in a mixture of pain and relief as he felt the remnants of the ceiling fall from his back and clatter against the floor: He was free from his prison.

The hardest part was over, and now all he had to do was put one foot in front of the other until he found a way out.

Vladzotz took a few careful steps forward, but staggered to the right; His legs buckling and dropping his weight, causing him to slam against a nearby wall and slide halfway down before his massive claws dug into the boards, bracing him, keeping him from falling back down. Vladzotz growled before heaving himself off of the wall and staggering to his feet. With his fangs bared and his two red eyes shining bright with malice, Vladzotz limped for the only opening in sight; A doorway to another room where a flickering orange glow poured in. Every step was near impossible, and the bat was crawling so slowly that he wondered if he would ever make it even that far. When at last he had reached the first exit that he would have to pass through, Vladzotz paused and purposefully hyperventilated to consume the oxygen that he needed to continue his journey.

Looking around at his new environment, the bat noticed that the ceiling was no longer visible, having been cooked to a crisp by the roiling flames visible through thin areas in the otherwise dense smoke. From the hole in the mansion's roof, Vladzotz could see the soothing blue glow of the Nocturnal-District's glow-worms, and he then realized that the opening was his only way out: He had not the energy in his legs to walk around and search for a terrestrial exit from this hellish mansion, so he only hoped that his powerful wings would be able to carry him to safety.

The clock was now ticking, and he knew that the whole place would come crashing down sooner later, and if he was still inside when that happened, there would be no hope for him at all. Grinding his fangs together and growling deeply, Vladzotz spread his wings, encompassing nearly the entire length of the room in leathery darkness. Just as he prepared to jump up and attempt to fly out, a white-hot sensation of pain radiated from his left wing the exact second that it stretched to it's maximum point. Retracting his stinging arm, Vladzotz examined the flaps of skin that webbed between his fingers, and growled in anger: The skin that made up his left wing was in tatters, with strips of flesh dangling loosely between long rows of bony fingers, and tiny holes peppering themselves throughout the spots that weren't completely shredded.

The skin that stretched between his left wing nearly looked like it had been attacked by a tiger, but Vladzotz knew better: Lining the edges of his wounds, simmering embers dotted the flesh on his wing, burning through what little skin was left. His entire left wing was almost completely burned away. But still, he refused to give up: His wing may have been in tatters, but he reasoned that there was enough skin left to support his weight as he tried to flap away.

The bat grit his teeth even harder and steeled himself for the coming onslaught of pain that would accompany his attempt at escape.

Vladzotz lept into the air, performing a sort of mini-jump as he beat his wings down with all the strength that he could muster. The bat's shoulder muscles fatigued almost immediately, and screamed silently to relax. Stinging pain shot through both of his wings, and his body went limp in mid-air, gravity taking over. He only dropped seven feet or so, but to him, it felt like the farthest fall in all of his life. Landing hard on his chest, Vladzotz's back arched as he roared in pain and anger. His guttural wretches cracked and trailed off to a hoarse groan, and he sank back down, lowering his muzzle until he was laying spread-eagled on the ground, just like when he had first awoken.

He lay there for an eternity, boiling tears streaming down his face, paralyzed and unable to even twitch: He knew that some of his ribs must've been broken from the fall, since the prickling sensations of pain in his chest seemed to emanate in greater quantities than ever before. The room vibrated around him, coupled with the thunderous roar of crumbling stone and wood. A blast of heat swept over the bat, and he felt stinging licks of pain splash against his back, limbs and face, and from the agonizing, burning sense of pain that radiated from all over his body, Vladzotz knew that he must've been on fire.

A sudden burst of adrenaline surged through the bat, his primordial survival instincts kicking in at full power.

Vladzotz tied a rope around his consciousness to prevent himself from blacking out, knowing that if he did, there was a chance that he would never wake up. With clenched eyes streaming tears, and bared fangs dripping blood, Vladzotz raised his body up off of the ground and struggled to his feet and wings, fending off a combined wave of sickening pain and burning rage as he stood up. Steeling his mentality, Vladzotz attempted his previous maneuver once again, and succeeded; Flapping his wings half a dozen times and lifting himself several feet off of the ground, and flying up nearly half-way to the opening.

A moment later, his arms gave out from sheer exhaustion, and he fell once again, only this time managing to plant his claws into the wooden boards of the wall just below the opening in the roof. Ragged and covered with soot, the bat's wings ached and stung as he carefully pulled himself up and readjusted his grip against the wall. As he breathed in deeply, smoke from a nearby tuft of flame, along with a few burning tendrils of fire, were inhaled through his maw. Gagging in pain and agony, he inhaled again in an attempt to gather more oxygen, but he only served to breathe in more smoke, ash, and even fire. It felt like he was inhaling shards of glass with each mandatory breath, but he dared not let go of his hold on the wall, knowing that he would never be able to climb or fly back up if he fell back down to the ground once again.

Meanwhile, the smoke was accumulating, sinking lower and lower, and would probably suffocate the bat before the building caved in and crushed him out of existence.

Gathering the pitiful stamina that was left in his aching muscles, Vladzotz sucked in a lungful of air through his nostrils to combat the stinging pain in his mouth and throat, and then swept one of his wings in front of him, his claws digging into the boards of the wall. He noticed that the fur and skin on his right wing was ablaze, with tongues of flame lapping against his fingers and shoulders, but it failed to deter him from his mindset. He flapped his arm around to put out the fire. Then, putting one wing in front of the other, Vladzotz dug his large talons so deep into the walls that the wooden boards cracked beneath his weight.

The injured bat clambered up the wall all the way until he had made it to the rim of the opening, which stood as a twisted mess of melted wood and brick, hunching over and panting madly. When the pain level was under control and he was fit to move again, Vladzotz jumped off of the rim, spreading his wings and taking to the sky of the Nocturnal-District, his form hidden in a massive smokey cloud. After tiring his wings out from flapping so hard, Vladzotz steadily spread his wing-span until he was gliding easily.

A rumble resembling thunder shook the bat's hyper-sensitive eardrums, coming from the direction that he had came. Vladzotz tried craning his neck around to gaze back at his crumbling mansion, but a sharp knob of pain in his nape prevented him from doing so. Flapping even harder, the bat eventually gripped against a large stalactite that was hanging down from the roof of the Nocturnal-District, using his feet to hang upside-down from the pointed tip of the stalactite. As soon as his grip was fastened to the rock, the bat swatted his wings around, putting out the small amounts of fire that had been ablaze upon his fur and flesh. He then looked down at what was once his only home.

Despite his inverted vision, Vladzotz was still able to see his home just fine from all the way up in the cavern's surface: Castle Fangpyre had completely collapsed, and was now nothing more than a smoldering ruin of charred wood and melted brick. Vladzotz was a brutal and unrelenting mammal, but the sight brought tears to his red eyes; The salty droplets streaming down his forehead and falling from the tips of his fuzzy ears. His age-old home was gone, and behind the veil of smoke and flame, the bat could see the rows of police cars that were piled up in the streets. He couldn't see them in great detail, but knew that they were there from the blurry flashes of red and blue that dotted his vision.

Vladzotz wasn't certain on whether or not his arch-nemesis had survived the fire, but he did know of a way that he could find out: His vision may have been lackluster, but the bat had a very special ability, a sixth-scent that made his species the ultimate predators of the night, able to sense what other mammals could only imagine: Echolocation.

Breathing in slowly and steadily, Vladzotz closed his eyes and sectioned off all of his senses with the exception of his sense of sound. He compressed his tongue against the back of his throat, ignoring the stinging pain that accompanied it, before quickly flexing his jaws and uttering a high-pitched clicking sound. Vladzotz listened very carefully, waiting ever-so patiently for the sound waves that ricocheted off of the ground far below. His ears twitched slightly, and in his mind, the bat was able to make out the forms of around two dozen or so police officers, most of them searching through the wreckage of his fallen mansion.

Keeping his jaws ajar, Vladzotz clicked multiple times in a row, intent on forming a better image of what was happening down below. Echolocation was useful as it was, but tricky at the same time: He had to keep clicking, because once simply wasn't enough to form a coherent idea of what his sound waves were bouncing off of. It was like taking a single picture: He knew what the environment around him was like in that single moment in time, but if he wanted to get a better look, he's have to click more than once, almost creating a sort of slide-show for him to judge the movement, distance, and shaped of the things around him.

When the sound waves had bounced off of the cavern below and returned to Vladzotz's waiting ears, he felt himself muster a full body shiver: He sensed the outline of a small creature, he wasn't sure what, picking up a tiny metal object from the wreckage of his home. The bat's eyes flew open, and he knew without a doubt that someone had discovered his locket. Closing his eyes, he clicked again and waited for the returning sounds.

Upon sensing them, he came to the conclusion that whoever had found his locket was now looking inside of it.

Rage began to build inside of him, but it soon dwindled, only to be replaced by sorrow. He knew that there was no way that he'd be able to recover his prized-possession: The world needed to think that he was gone. And so, with tears quietly streaming down his face, Vladzotz released his hold on the tip of the stalactite, spreading his wings and gliding off into the dim-glowing cavern sky of the Nocturnal-District, which the bat knew would soon be erupting with cheers upon learning the knowledge of his supposed death.

* * *

3:04 A.M

Pain wracked across his shoulders and neck, each flap nearly causing the bat to black out.

It had been roughly a half-hour since he had escaped from the burning fires of his own mansion, and he was feeling no better than when he had first awoken surrounded in flame. Now, Vladzotz was steadily gliding over the mountainous landscape that surrounded the entrance to the Nocturnal-District, which he had fled just minutes earlier. Looking down on the land below him, Vladzotz could see the lights of cars and other vehicles as they drove down the winding roads that led to and from the city of Zootopia, the sky-line of which Vladzotz could see in the distance, just above a ridge of towering green mountains.

Slowly lowering his altitude, he was soon enough flying just a few dozen feet above the surface of the road. His wings were tired, aching, and stinging with pain: He knew that he could carry on for only a few more minutes before exhaustion finally surpassed his motivation to live, and he would fall to the ground. He had to find a car large enough to support him, and he would land upon it, resting as the metal machine carried him the remainder of the way to Zootopia.

But then what? He was one of the most wanted criminals in the entire land, and the ZPD had a bounty on his head that exceeded thousands of dollars. Even if he went to a civilian hospital, or begged assistance from random mammals he encountered, if they didn't recognize him as the crime-lord of the Nocturnal-District, they would surely be too frightened to bother lending aid: Most mammals on the surface had never seen or even heard of bats before, and would no doubt think he was some sort of monster.

His options were as limited as his stamina was low: He had to make a choice with both.

He considered holing up in some abandoned warehouse somewhere, but knowing the ferocity of his own wounds, he brushed that thought away: He needed medical attention, even is it wasn't up to hospital standards. He continued pondering his new predicament for a few more minutes until the light of an eighteen-wheeler passing below him jarred him from his ceaseless thoughts.

The sides of the truck's cargo-hold were painted over with bright red words; _Sahara-Square Sundries_

The bat's eyes widened and his ears twitched in sudden realization: This eighteen-wheeler was part of the fleet of trucks that shipped Shahaz the Stinger's illegal goods back and forth between the various districts. Smiling wide to himself for the first time in what felt like years, Vladzotz figured that Shahaz could help take care of his injuries and assist him in his recovery. He and the pangolin crime-lord had done business in the past, and had even worked together to create the Sahara-Square Sundries shell company.

An old memory tugged at the back of his mind: One that caused him to growl with hatred and disgust.

He remembered loaning money to that pathetic vermin of a mammal, Jack Savage. He remembered how the rabbit had lost all of his money, and had yet to deliver full compensation for his recklessness. Vladzotz would take great pleasure in visiting the rabbit businessman once again. But first...

Vladzotz aligned himself with the truck, and dropped atop the roof of the cargo-hold, his body thumping hard against the white-colored metal. He hissed as another wave of pain encompassed his torso, each of his individual broken ribs throbbing in pain and discomfort. The agony was relentless, and he almost blacked out, but quickly pulled himself back into consciousness: He had no intention on dying today.

Lying still on the cold, smooth surface of the truck's roof, Vladzotz clicked his jaws together and activated his sense of echolocation. He listened closely for the sound waves, and grinned when they returned to his waiting ears. He gathered that the Zootopia border to the Rainforest-District was growing closer with each passing second. Of course, if he were to get to Shahaz the Stinger's compound, he'd have to pass through two other districts just to reach the Sahara-Square, where the pangolin's compound was situated.

Gritting his teeth together, Vladzotz slowly and carefully raised himself up and took to the night sky once again, all the while breathing in rapidly to negate the growing pain in his aching chest. The bat understood that if he were to reach Shahaz's compound, he'd have to do it in the least attention-getting way as possible, which happened to be flying across the mountains in the Rainforest-District, and cutting across Savannah-Central to reach the Sahara-Square. If he had lain across that truck the entire drive through the city, then he would have undoubtedly been noticed by civilians and perhaps even policemammals: He could not allow that.

And so, he took to the safest route, and continued flying across the land, his stamina rejuvenated from his brief period of resting, and his sights set on the Sahara-Square

* * *

4:37 A.M

Vladzotz had continued his flight across the city of Zootopia for nearly an hour and a half at this point.

His body was bursting with unbridled amounts of pain and exhaustion, and it took every ounce of his will to stick to the skies: He knew that he was almost there.

The bat kept is fangs bared and his eyes peeled wide open in an attempt to keep from passing out. He concentrated on things that made him feel happy and alive: His family, his locket, and slaughtering mammals that got in his way.

He imagined what he would do the the conniving fox once he got his claws on him again... A burst of adrenaline surged through him, reigniting his sense of ambition.

For roughly ten more minutes of agonizing pain and boiling rage, the bat kept on flying until his destination was in sight. He flew over the massive air-conditioning walls that separated the Sahara-Square from Savannah-Central, and as he did, spotted the dim glow of Shahaz's compound in the distance. He smiled with glee and picked up his speed, despite the gnawing pain in his abdomen, back, and wings. He chuckled maniacally to himself, and began descending in altitude as he approached the ware-house.

Out of the blue, the adrenaline rush that had been coursing through his veins had abandoned him, and when it left, a wave of exhaustion settled over his mind and body with such intensity that he felt his heart slow down, his wings cease to beat, and his eyes close shut: He passed out cold in mid-air, some ten feet above the sandy ground and another twenty yards from the compound.

The last thing he saw as he went down was a pile of wooden crates and sandbags, quickly approaching as his body plummeted right towards them.

* * *

6:11 A.M

For the second time that day, the bat's eyes took nearly a full minute to open and focus to his new surroundings.

 _Wait_...

His vision was more lopsided than usual, he noticed. Sitting up, Vladzotz raised his wings to his face and patted down at his left eye-socket: Nothing but pain and lumpy tissue hidden beneath a veil of bandages and cloth: Vladzotz was missing his left eye.

Using what little he had left of his true sense of sight, he took to examining his new environment. He was in a small, but spacious L-shaped room with strange patterns lined into the wallpaper. Peculiar markings drawn in paint were plastered in random spots around the walls, including symbols that resembled stars, eyes, and the sun itself. The room was filled with hundred of candles varying in size, color, shape, intensity, and yes, even smell.

The bat was lying atop a mountain of throw pillows as diverse as the candles. At first Vladzotz wondered why his shirt was missing, but the claw-marks on his chest reminded him that he had purposefully torn off his own shirt back when he was trying to kill the fox in his mansion... That seemed like days ago, thinking back on it...

Now, his chest and abdomen were bandaged up in wraps upon wraps of cloth and other tissue. His ribs still hurt, but the rest of his body was surprisingly lacking in pain.

"Oh good, you're awake." A sandy and raspy voice grumbled from behind the bat.

Carefully twisting his vision to the behind of him, Vladzotz's line of sight came to rest on the form of a pangolin, hunched-over in posture as he sat broodingly in a small stool just behind the mound of pillows that the bat was lying atop. The pangolin had his beady eyes locked onto the bat, and he stood up from his stool upon locking vision with him.

"S-Shahaz?" Vladzotz wheezed slowly, trying to pull himself to his feet but ultimately to no avail.

"Silence, Fangpyre. You best not wear yourself out. Save your energy, my friend." The pangolin replied flatly.

"W-where...?" Was as far as the bat questioned before sputtering into a fit of horribly painful coughs.

"This is my office, Vlad. Welcome to Sahara-Square Sundries. The workers heard a crashing sound outside, and when they went to investigate, they found you laying unconscious in a pile of broken boxes and sandbags just a few yards away from the entrance to the ware-house. We brought you inside and tried our best to patch you up: You were bleeding all over the place, and your wings had some really nasty burns on them. Oh, and you're missing your left eye. _That_ we couldn't fix."

"Fix?" Vladzotz murmured softly.

"Yes, fix. We stitched up some of your cuts, put cream and bandages on your bruises, and wrapped your eye in some cloth as well. Lucky for you, we had just recently received a shipment of opium concentration from Al Catpone's jungle hide-out, and were able get some morphine out of it. We injected you so that the pain wouldn't be too bad when you woke up, but don't get too comfortable, because we don't exactly have very much of the stuff."

Shahaz's tongue poked out from his narrow muzzle, wiping away at his snout before retracting with a wet slurping sound. He reached over to his left side, which was out of Vladzotz's line of sight, and soon pulled out a pouch of dark-red liquid attached to a hypodermic needle, which in turn was pricked into Shahaz's left arm; Stuck in the small gaps between his scales. He pulled out the needle in his arm before removing the pouch from the needle's stalk. The pangolin then poked the bag with one of those brightly-colored, twisted sippy-straws.

"Drink." He simply requested, holding the bag above Vlad's face. "You need to drink."

"Is that... Your-"

"Yes, Vlad: It's my own blood. Now drink."

The bat drank deep from the bag, completely draining it before settling back down into the mound of pillows and sighing heavily.

"T-thank... You." He wheezed, watching Shahaz as he maneuvered himself around Vladzotz and made his way towards the room's exit.

"You're most welcome, my friend. Now rest... I have some business to take care of downstairs, and I'll be back in a few minutes."

And at that, the pangolin swung open the door and exited the dimly lit room, leaving Vladzotz alone with his own shattered thoughts.

He soon fell asleep, his mind free of dreams, but full of eagerness for the future.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this lovely bonus chapter! It took quite some time for me to make, but I'm _eternally_ pleased with the outcome! :D**

 **Be sure to drop a review telling me whatcha think! Do answer this: Do you feel sorry for Vladzotz at all?**

 **I might actually make more bonus chapters like this one in the future, detailing certain events, places, people, and so on. We'll see! :)**

 **I'm also proud to announce that When Instinct Falls has reached a whopping 1000 (give or take) followers! That's _amazing_! If I could give each and every one of you a firm hand-shake and a pat on the back for your efforts and support, I would definitely do that. **

**Thank you all _so_ much. :)**

 **That's all for now my friends! Thank you once again for _all_ the support that you lot have given me, and I'll see you in chapter 53, comin' your way soon!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: Do keep in mind that the events in this chapter take place right after chapter 24, and _before_ Nick and Judy go undercover in Jack Savage's company.**

 **:)**


	50. Homecoming

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Just before we jump into this brand new chapter, I have a few things that I want to tell you lot real quick.**

 **For starters, I just want you to be aware that this chapter does jump around quite a lot, so be prepared for that. We'll be swapping between Nick and Judy's perspective, Bogo's perspective, and even a flashback in Nick and Judy's perspective! This chapter's got a _lot_ of interesting stuff in it, certainly!**

 **Secondly, I have another music suggestion for those of you that are into that kinda stuff. Later on in this chapter, we get a scene of interaction between chief Bogo and our scaly friend Shahaz the Stinger, who's design I based off of old Arabic and Persian culture, to an extent. This song reflects that fact masterfully.**

 **Ancient** **Arabic Music - Arabian Winds**

 **Yup. That's it. I think some of you might like it, so feel free to check it out if you feel so inclined.**

 **Oh, and _one_ last thing: Just wanted to let you know that this new chapter takes place roughly a day after the events of chapter 52.**

 **That's all for now my friends, and without further ado, I present to you chapter 53 (Can you believe it?) of When Instinct Falls, _Homecoming_.**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"Every reunion gives a hint of resurrection." - Arthur Schopenhauer

* * *

Home is where the heart is.

For the longest of times, Nick had always despised that old saying. For most of his life, he'd been homeless and hungry on the merciless streets of the city. His home was underneath a run-down bridge that was subject to weekly flooding. How could anyone truly call that a home? No, to him, it was just a temporary refuge; A place not that he could call home, not even a place that he could call safe, but a place that he could call his own.

For years, that bridge was the only home that he ever knew, if a home counted as several tons of mossy rock. He would spend his restless nights lying atop his rickety, makeshift bed, staring up at the bottom of the bridge, which was swamped with damp patches of moss and crawling with insects ranging from spiders to roaches. He hated it, but never complained a single time: He didn't want anyone, even himself, seeing that this nasty old bridge actually got to him.

As with pretty much everything else about him, this mindset too was altered upon meeting his beloved carrots.

Over time, he began to realize that as long as he had her, he would always be happy. And why wouldn't he? She'd saved his life numerous times, and completely changed his life around for the better. Now, instead of sitting cold and hungry beneath a crumbling bridge, he had the privilege of visiting faraway places like Pawaii, and Outback-Island. His life wasn't full of abundance or wealth, but his true calling was nothing more than standing by the side of his beloved mate, Judy Hopps

In the end, that was all that he would ever need.

* * *

10:46 A.M

Inevitably, all good things must come to an end.

The fox and bunny had spent the last two days of their life on the tropical island of Pawaii; Enjoying themselves through luxurious relaxation and passionate indulgence. It was their own paid, private vacation, and they both thoroughly believed that they had earned it. Through blood, sweat, and tears, the two of them had rewarded themselves with a well-earned break.

But now, said break was concluded, and it was time for a homecoming.

After checking out of the hotel, Nick and Judy bid their farewells to Dyvim and Natalia before promptly making their way back to the island's public docking area, where they could only hope that the Trafalgar was still safely anchored. Strolling paw-in-paw down the length of the smooth-wooden dock to the place where they had last seen the narwhal and his ship, the fox and bunny reared around the stern of a pristine white yacht, and came to face with the end of the dock.

Scanning around the grungy wooden-dock section where the Trafalgar was last seen, neither Nick nor Judy could see the old boat: The Trafalgar and its captain were gone.

"Great... Just _great_! That two-timing unicorn _marooned_ _us_ here! How're we supposed to get back home now?" The fox growled, balling his fists and throwing his paws in the air.

"Now hold on, Nick..." The bunny reassured. "He wouldn't just _leave_ us here, would he? We weren't even _paying_ him, so it's not like he took our money and ran or anything."

Judy's ears twitched slightly, her keen sense of hearing detecting a deep and bubbly snoring sound, emanating from just behind a stack of barrels and crates to her right. Rearing around the boxes of cargo, Judy's amethyst eyes rested on the form of their ship captain, John Haddock, passed out and curled up behind the barrels, cradling a large bottle of wine in his arms. The narwhal inhaled through his mouth, snoring deeply before exhaling from his blow-hole, causing bubbles to form around the edges.

"Uh, Nick... I found our captain." Judy muttered, briefly glancing at the fox as he made his way over and groaned at the sight of the dozing narwhal.

"What the _heck_ happened here?" Nick questioned, to which the bunny shrugged.

The fox bent down on his haunches and hovered his left paw over the narwhal's head, snapping a few times before standing back up and crossing his arms.

"Mornin' captain..." He started upon seeing the narwhal stir and lift his head up slightly. "Any particular reason why the ship is gone?"

"The ship? We're _on_ the ship!" Haddock grumbled before lolling his head back onto the wooden surface of the dock.

Milliseconds later, the narwhal's beady-black eyes flew open, and he spewed a jet of misty water straight from his mouth and directly at Nick and Judy, dousing them from head to toe. Haddock stumbled to his feet and rubbed at his eyes before whirling around in every direction, scanning the environment around him as he searched for the Trafalgar.

" _The ship is gone_!" He sputtered in bewilderment.

"Gee, _really_? I had _no_ idea!" The fox grumbled, looking down at his soaked clothes.

"John, what happened to the ship?" Judy questioned, all the while ringing the salt-water out from her long and floppy ears.

The narwhal looked around irritably, eyeing the fox and bunny with looks of distrust before grumbling beneath his breath and leaning down to pick up his wine-bottle.

" _Well_ , the ship is, eh... _Gone_... Why is the ship gone?"

"You mean you _don't know_?" Nick growled as he squeezed the salt-water out from his tail.

"I don't remember anythin' about anything, boyo." The narwhal replied, clutching at his brow. "It's been a _crazy_ few nights." He chuckled to himself.

"So you don't know what happened to it at all?"

"Is that it over there?" Judy interrupted, pointing to a spot some one hundred meters out into the water.

Having captured the attention of the fox and narwhal alike, both mammals took in the sight of a sunken ship; It's blue-white stern sticking out of the water, with the words, The Trafalgar, pained on the very end. John groaned and put his flippers to his face, rubbing furiously at his eye sockets.

"Aye, that's her alright... _Gah_!" He slammed his fists on his knee-caps in a bout of frustration. "She be scuttled!"

"Scuttled?" The rabbit inquired.

"Sunk. Destroyed. _Taken_ by the sea... This be her watery grave." Haddock trailed off, reaching out to the ship with one of his flippers as if to try and touch it.

"Is there no we way can save it?"

"Not now, at least... I can probably ring up one of me friends and see if we can pull her out, but _that_ might take a few days time."

"You think you can pull it out? Is that even possible?"

"Aye, if we have enough harnesses and maybe a few empty buckets, it should be an easy task... This ain't the _first_ time I've accidentally sunk her..."

"You're kidding, right?" Nick added with raised eyebrows.

"No jokes here, boyo." The narwhal pointed to the wreck. "An' from the looks of it, I reckon that she's only sunk about one-third a' the way down... I can probably salvage her."

"Great. So how are we supposed to get back to the mainland now, huh?" Nick asked with his arms crossed across his chest.

"You two can take a public ferry... I-I think I'll stay here and, uh... And stay here." The narwhal grumbled, his eyes locked onto his sunken home.

"Absolutely _not_!" Judy piped out. "We're not just _abandoning_ you here, _especially_ since you just lost your home!" She stated, pointing to the wreck of the Trafalgar.

Nick walked over behind Judy and placed one of his paws atop her shoulder, and sighed while pinching his brows with his other paw.

"Carrots, if captain loose-cannon here wants to stay behind, then I don't think we should hinder his hiatus, you know what I'm saying?"

"Ah, nuh-uh! We're _not_ leaving him here!" Judy retorted.

The fox was about to drop a sarcastic comment of his own, but faltered when Haddock grunted audibly in an effort to acquire their attention.

"Alright, I'll come with ye... I suppose that ye _do_ have a point there, lass: No sense in me standin' around an' waitin' for some miracle... Let's head back home then, shall we?"

* * *

8:53 A.M

Bogo wasn't the most patient of mammals, but when it came to his own personal work, he was always willing to go the extra mile, one way or another.

For the sake of completing an assignment, issuing a new directive, or in this case, acquiring information, he was quite the determined mammal. After Grygorri Ratsputin's surprise visit, the chief of the ZPD began trying to acquire as much information as he could to use against the rat when the time came. If he was going to have to outsmart a blackmailer of all mammals, he'd have to have some intelligence of his own to counteract Ratsputin's devious schemes.

By this time, he'd already visited Jack Savage twice, and had done some research of his own in the ZPD's archives. He hadn't exactly uncovered very much on Ratsputin, since Jack wasn't feeling very talkative, and the archives were limited, but still, every little bit of information counted. Now, he had only one more lead to follow in this personal investigation of his: He needed to talk to Shahaz the Stinger.

Although the water-buffalo had been present during the pangolin's incarceration and imprisonment, he hadn't visited the Zootopia County Prison ever since. Truthfully, he didn't want to make the trip, but he knew that if he wanted to get the full spectrum, he'd have to find Shahaz. Bogo figured that the pangolin crime-lord must've had some sort of connection to Ratsputin, much like Jack had, and that he might be able to shed some more light on the rat. The water-buffalo had spoken with the prison's warden earlier that week, and had scheduled himself an appointment with Shahaz, who was being held all by himself in one of the farthest reaches of the prison.

So now, walking down the long, bleak, and narrow hallway of the prison's eighth cell-block, the water-buffalo steeled himself for his meeting with the pangolin.

He reared a corner to his left, and it was then that he heard the scratching noises.

Bogo had been warned by the prison guards to stay as far away from Shahaz's cell as he could, since the pangolin still had his scales intact and as sharp as ever before.

The water-buffalo wasn't afraid of Shahaz, but even _he_ began to feel rather uneasy as the noises grew louder and louder with each step closer to the end of the cell-block. The sounds were hard on the ears, and were about as appealing to listen to as a knife being dragged across a chalk-board, save for the fact that what Bogo currently listened to was even worse; Like one hundred blades being scraped down a pile of rocks. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to know that the noises source was none other than Shahaz himself.

Peeking his line of vision around the wall of a nearby cell, Bogo's eyes locked onto the form of a smaller creature pressed up against one of the cell's walls. It's sand-paper colored flesh looked coarse to the touch, but thankfully, Bogo didn't have to get any closer to make out the rest of the mammal's details. The pangolin had his back to Bogo, and was shifting his weight consistently; Dragging and scraping his back and spiny shoulders along the length of the concrete wall, etching chalk-white lines into the gray-colored material.

Scanning around the pangolin's cell, Bogo resisted the feeling of bewilderment that grew upon him as his eyes traced along the length of hundreds, if not thousands of bone-white scratch marks, each one long and bearing the texture of chalk. The walls of the cell looked like they had been attacked by a tornado of knives, but Bogo knew better: The grand architect to this art-project was standing just a few feet in front of him.

Analyzing the strange marks and mysterious symbols painted and etched into the pangolin's back, Bogo noticed that the pointed edges of Shahaz's scales were even _sharper_ than the last time that he had seen him, with nearly every scale ending in a sharp, but almost jagged point. The water-buffalo reasoned that the pangolin must've kept his scales as sharp as he could manage back when he was on the streets, but now that he was locked up, the only thing he could really do was sharpen them even more.

Now, many of the bony and pointed plates on his body seemed to be even sharper than before, though not quite as fine or intricate. They looked extra rough around the edges.

"I used to use a file..." A grainy voice mumbled, catching the water-buffalo's attention. "Now, all I have is _this_."

Shahaz raised up one of his clawed arms, and lightly dug his talons into the nearest concrete wall before scraping down it's length and creating a terribly discomforting noise.

"The guards told me that I was to be expecting a visitor sometime today, but I had no idea that it would be the _chief_ of the ZPD himself." The pangolin concluded.

"Well, if you'll pardon the sudden introduction, I came here for a reason, Shahaz: You." Bogo responded steadily, keeping his eyes trained on the back of the prisoner.

"And to what do I owe the occasion, chief?" Shahaz asked as he turned around and locked eyes with the water-buffalo. "Company is such a rare thing to come by here in solitary."

Bogo grunted and crossed his muscular arms. "I just have a few questions for you, and then I'll be on my way." He claimed with an expressionless face.

"Ah, well then go right ahead: I have all day... For the next thirty years." Shahaz grumbled.

Despite his stony poker-face, Bogo had to resist chuckling aloud at the pangolin's sardonic comment. Clearing his throat and straightening himself out, Bogo's hazel-colored eyes locked onto Shahaz's orange ones, and he breathed in heavily through his nostrils before explaining his predicament to Shahaz, who listened carefully with intent and interest.

"I need you to tell me everything you know on Grygorri Ratsputin." The water-buffalo ordered, to which the pangolin snorted and made a slurping sound with his long tongue.

"That's a name that you're not supposed to speak, chief... You know that, don't you?" Shahaz crooned, tilting his head slightly to the side as he did.

"I _know_ what I said, and I know who _he_ is: He's nothing more than a shifty newspaper mogul!" Bogo retorted with balled fists.

"Oh, but you wouldn't have come to me for advice on dealing with just some shifty newspaper mogul, now would you?" The pangolin repeated in a mocking tone.

"Take care your words, pangolin." The chief warned.

Unimpressed, Shahaz slashed his claws down the nearest concrete wall, interrupting the water-buffalo with a horrid noise like nails grinding on chalk.

"You embarrass yourself, chief..." Shahaz hissed harshly. "Trying to hide what is so plainly obvious."

A battle of wills was being held between the chief and the crime-lord; each mammal staring the other down with hate. Bogo maintained his sturdy poker-face all the while.

The pangolin then paced over quickly and grasped the thick iron bars of his cell between his sharp and pointed claws, rattling the door slightly before speaking aloud quietly;

"He visited you, didn't he?"

"How could you tell?" Bogo asked softly, lowering his head closer to Shahaz's height. Meanwhile, the pangolin chuckled in that raspy voice of his and leaned out even more.

"For as inscrutable and hard to read as you are, it's quite obvious that your usual dominant attitude and expression has been dealt a small blow. Small, but noticeable. You're a hard mammal with a thick-skin, and it would take something _really_ forbidding to unsettle someone such as yourself. There's only _one_ mammal I know who has such an ability."

"Ratsputin." The water-buffalo finalized, his voice impossibly soft.

"That's right. He has _quite_ a way with words, doesn't he? Able to unnerve mammals with even the strongest of wills. He came to you, no? What did he say?"

"He told me try and rig Jack's imminent trial... To try and keep him out of jail, or at least reduce his sentence."

"Hmm... Interesting. And you aren't sure why?" Shahaz inquired with raised eyebrows.

"No. I _do_ know that he's one of Jack Savage's largest shareholders, so I can see the appeal of wanting to keep him out of jail, but what I _don't_ understand is why he would go to such lengths as to blackmail the chief of the ZPD! His attempt to threaten me into subservience seems _flawed_ , and there's something _off_ about it... Something I'm not seeing."

"You have to be careful with that one... The rat is a trickster, and I truthfully wouldn't be surprised if he _purposefully_ made his plan flawed just to mess with your head."

"He would go through _all_ of that, and even risk getting himself _arrested_ , simply to mess with my head?" Bogo repeated, his teeth grating together in frustration.

"Possibly, but like I said, he's a trickster... Enjoys confusing his victims into a state of paranoia and agitation for his own personal amusement."

"I'm _not_ his puppet!" The water-buffalo growled broodingly.

"Still, if he left a hole in his scheme, then there's no doubt a reason behind it. He _wants_ something from you... Something _more_ than just your attempt to keep Jack out of jail."

"And what more could he want?" Bogo asked, causing Shahaz to lick his scaly snout with his long and slime-coated tongue.

"Your _attention_... It's the _only_ plausible answer! Think about it, chief: He comes to you with a _purposefully faulty_ threat... One that he knows will confuse you, make you paranoid. One that isn't enough of an incentive to make you bother trying to arrest him, but _just_ enough to make you want to talk to him again. One that will make you send a very _certain_ vulpine and lapin out trying to question him. _Why_ do you think that is?"

Bogo was silent to a count of ten, of which caused the pangolin to laugh dryly and without humor.

"He's using _you_ to get to _them_." Shahaz concluded, his raspy voice filling Bogo's ears with certainty and dread.

"What does he want with them?" Bogo questioned. "Why would he go through _all this effort_ just to speak with Wilde and Hopps?"

"Ah, now that's a question that you need to answer for yourself, chief."

The pangolin backed away slowly from the iron-barred door, not breaking eye contact with Bogo a single step of the way.

"So you don't know, do you?" The water-buffalo asked slowly, to which the pangolin sighed and shook his head from side to side.

"I've met Ratsputin only thrice before, and never for more than a few minutes at a time. My knowledge of his inner-workings is limited, so I can tell you nothing more than what you already know. If you've learned anything from this meeting, dear chief, you'll take these coming words to heart: The greatest trick that the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn't exist. Think on _that_ while you piece together the remainder of this ridiculous puzzle of yours."

And at that, the pangolin sat down in the corner of the room and curled himself into a ball, his pointed plates jutting out in every possible direction.

"Thank you for your time, Shahaz." Bogo grumbled before raising his hoofs to his face and wiping away at his eye-sockets.

He then set out back in the direction that he came, bound for anywhere that wasn't riddled with mystery and uncertainty. As he paced through the narrow concrete halls of the cell-block, he thought back to his conversation with Shahaz, and what it meant for him. Some of his questions were answered, but now even more had been unearthed.

In the end, the pangolin was right: Bogo had intended on sending his two best officers out in an effort to question the rat. Deep down, he had a slight feeling of doubt, knowing that this wouldn't be the first time that Ratsputin had been interrogated: The ZPD, city-hall and the council... _All_ the higher-powers of the city had tried questioning him before, but to no avail. There simply wasn't enough proof to prove that Ratsputin had been behind the various scandals that his newspapers had printed all along, so he always ended up getting away scott-free.

The water-buffalo wasn't sure why, but for as far as he could remember, city-hall and the council had never issued a search-warrant for Ratsputin's home in an attempt to see if he held any physical evidence of his blackmailing scams. They'd tried multiple times before, but suspiciously, it was always either discontinued or ruled against. Bogo suspected that the rat must've been behind _that_ as well, to a certain degree. If he was, then perhaps Ratsputin was hiding something... Something that he didn't want city-hall to know about.

Bogo had many questions of his own, but to keep from driving himself to madness, he focused on what was directly in front of him: He needed to speak with Nick and Judy.

* * *

11:30 A.M

Nick wasn't a fan of the open ocean, especially after his sickening experience with the journey to Outback-Island several days past.

But thankfully, the public ferry was a much smoother ride; It was a large red and white boat with multiple stories, and actually chairs for sitting down. Nick was very much pleased with that last fact, since the best thing that the Trafalgar had to offer when it came to bracing was the railing itself, which was slippery and rusted over.

Speaking of the Trafalgar, the fox couldn't help but notice that it's captain seemed to be taking it's destruction surprisingly well. Sure, John Haddock was still just as crude and cantankerous as ever, but if he had any hard feelings over the loss of his ship, he certainly didn't show it. The narwhal was quite happy enough on his own just by sitting down with a thick cigar and a large bottle of wine, which he took occasional sips out of.

The three mammals had all positioned themselves on the highest level of the ship, which was relatively free of crowds and clutter. Nick and Judy stood by the railing and gazed out into the vast expanse of water that lay ahead of them. Meanwhile, Haddock was sitting cross legged on the deck, reclining against the railing some ten feet away from the fox and rabbit, peacefully smoking his cigar.

"So, what _exactly_ happened to the ship anyways, huh John?" Judy found herself asking out of the blue.

"Good question, lass! I'll be sure to let ye know when I remember it!" Haddock replied as he exhaled through his blow-hole, emitting a large cloud of smoke from his cigar.

"Lemme get this straight... You _completely_ forgot how you crashed your _own_ ship?" Nick added with a face of cynical disbelief and disapproval.

"Aye." The narwhal responded simply. "Me memory's as blank as the sky itself." He claimed, nodding up towards the clean, cloudless blue sky.

He took a quick swig from his wine bottle before breathing out heavily from his mouth and placing the container back down on the hard wooden surface of the deck.

"What about ye then? What'd ya end up doin' fer the past three days on that lovely little island, hmm?"

Nick and Judy looked to one another and smiled, their thoughts suddenly filling to the brim with memories of their latest adventure, ranging from paragliding, surfing, and even just relaxing in the warm sand on the beach. They reminisced on the passionate indulgence that they had undertaken on their second night of vacationing, and thought back to their most favored of moments that took place on the island.

"Oh man, we had an _absolute_ blast!" Judy stated with bright purple eyes. "We did _all_ sorts of fun stuff, and I think it's safe to say that we might be coming back in the future!"

The narwhal snorted without humor.

"Comin' back? Well if ye do, yer gonna have to find a new ride, because _I_ ain't takin' you again!" He grumbled, causing the fox and bunny to snicker.

"What's so funny?" The narwhal growled.

"Oh, nothing... We're just thinking back on our favorite memory from Pawaii, thas' all." Nick lied.

"And what would that be, eh?" Haddock inquired with raised brows.

"Good question, lass!" Nick mimicked in his best impression of the narwhal, who glared broodingly at the fox. Chuckling to himself, Nick took to answering John's question.

"Well, _my_ favorite moment was the Luau... Now _that_ was some fun stuff!"

Nick remembered the moment quite well in his mind: It was the third and final night of their stay in Pawaii, and the hotel that they were residing in was hosting some sort of party right down on the beach in the late evening. Curious to the point of excitement, Judy had ended up practically dragging her mate down to the sandy beach, where many of the hotel's guests and employees were already enjoying themselves with a myriad of activities, ranging from food and fine drink to surfing and even dancing.

He remembered the setting of the scene, with tall tiki-torches glowing with soothing orange flames, and countless beverages and snacks to indulge in at the buffet, including a strange dish that consisted of nothing more than a thick and creamy gray-substance called poi, apparently. Judy didn't particularly appreciate the taste, but Nick adored it, and wound up choking down three bowls of the stuff before settling down and talking with Dyvim and Natalia, who were both also attending the party.

It was all very enjoyable, but perhaps the fox's favorite moment of all was when the music started riving up, and everyone started to dance. He remembered seeing some Luau performers come out and lead the occasion, with their grass skirts and crowns of colorful flowers. After losing Judy, Nick spent some time searching around for her, and eventually spotted the rabbit outfitting the very same style; With a thick and flowing grass skirt, her fluffy chest bare with the exception of the green cloth that wrapped around her breast and underneath her arms.

Together, the two of them danced the night away to the sound of native music mixed with a little bit of modern beats. It was a lovely as it was.

"Attention all passengers," A loud and robotic-sounding voice suddenly jarred Nick from his day-dreaming. "We will be arriving at The Docks in approximately five minutes."

Clearing his throat before looking around across the horizon, Nick came to sight with the outline of the city, erect and shining in the distance. He spotted the grungy dock-town directly in front of the boat's path, and soon began feeling a sense of excitement building up in his chest: He couldn't wait to tell all their friends about their vacation!

Soon enough, the public-ferry anchored down in The Docks, and Nick and Judy bid their final farewells to John Haddock, who promised them that he'd be alright without the Trafalgar. The experience of their entire vacation, from Outback-island to Pawaii, had been one of great pleasure and enjoyment, and in truth, it almost saddened Nick to leave behind John... _Almost_...

Still, the narwhal assured them that they'd meet again in the future, one way or another. In the end, it was a day that Nick and Judy would be looking forward to.

But until then, they longed to set foot back in their old apartment. The fox and bunny promptly boarded the monorail and set out back to the mainland city, where their home awaited them patiently. Though, much to the surprise of both mammals, they had received a single phone-call from chief Bogo himself soon after boarding the train.

Eager for what awaited them, they answered the call and listened, all the while watching the beautiful city sky-line pass by through the glass-windows of the speeding monorail.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I certainly hope that you like this new chapter (even if it took _forever_ to be released), and as always, do be sure to leave a review telling me your thoughts!**

 **Eh, I apologize if the chapter seems to end in a rather abrupt or sudden manner, but I was ready to call it quits right around there, so I did. The next chapter more than makes up for it though, with immense slews of dialogue, scene description, and quite a lengthy word-count. You lot will be in for quite a treat! :)**

 **You know the usual: If you haven't already, feel free to favorite and follow this story of mine: Each and _every_ one is _highly_ appreciated! :)**

 **I'm incredibly excited for the next chapter! We get a whole new slew of information, topped off with some awesome scenes that I know you'll love! :D**

 **That's all I got for you lot as of now, really. Stay tuned for chapter 54, comin' your way soon (Hopefully sooner than it took for you all to get this one)!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	51. Pawns and Kings

"You have to learn the rules of the game, then you have to play better than anyone else." - Albert Einstein

* * *

2:32 P.M

Setting foot off of the monorail and back to where their vacation started, Nick and Judy entered the lobby of the Grand Central Station with high-hopes and even higher curiosities.

The two of them had received a call from chief Bogo via the likes of the fox's mobile device just a few short minutes earlier, and judging from his tone of voice, he seemed to have been quite anxious. They were some-what lucky to have caught his most recent call right when they boarded the train back at The Docks: The water-buffalo had left a slew of unanswered calls on Nick's phone throughout the ferry-ride back to the mainland. The fox was surprised that he didn't manage to catch a single one of them, but just ended up blaming it on the jarring and rocking of the boat as it made it's way across the sloshing waters of the Zootopia Sound, no doubt interfering with his phone's vibration.

Upon answering Bogo's most recent call, Nick's ears were at first met with a sort of surprised silence, as if the caller on the other line hadn't expected him to have answered. With a hoarse and reverberating grunt that must've been the chief clearing his throat, the water-buffalo instantaneously took to the conversation at hand; Bogo hurriedly explained to the fox that he needed him and Judy's immediate attention back at the ZPD Head-Quarters. Not very surprisingly, the water-buffalo didn't get around to actually explaining what he needed the two of them for in the first place, but the fox dared not question a direct order from the chief. The last time that he had, well, didn't bode well for him: Assigned to ticketing for a week. After ending the brief call and the conversation along with it, Nick turned to Judy with a coyish smirk across his russet-colored face.

"Looks like we're needed back at head-quarters, for whatever reason." He explained. "Chief buffalo-butt needs our assistance with something, apparently. He didn't say just what."

"New case, you think?" Judy replied with raised ears and wide ears.

"Perhaps... It would explain the vagueness, that's for sure."

"He's never called us _directly_ to deal with a new case though, has he?" The rabbit added. "Maybe this one's more personal, assuming it even _is_ a case."

They both quietly pondered the likes of their new situation until the tram doors slid open and the vessel came to a smooth halt. Nick and Judy stepped away from the monorail and ascended an escalator before being presented with the sight of a busy Grand Central Station, as any public landmark would be at noontime. Dozens of mammals ranging in size, shape, and color were going about their day in various ways, from relaxing in groups around the benches, to ordering food and drink from the many available services.

Careful with their footing as they passed through a crowd of mice and shrews, the fox and bunny exited the train station and set foot on the grounds of one of the city's most prominent parks before making their way in the direction of the ZPD Head-Quarters, which was located conveniently close to the site of their current strolling and bantering.

"Ah, it's good to be back home, ain't it?" Nick began as he whirled around and eyed the glittering sky-scrapers and colorful architecture that surrounded the both of them.

"Sure is, Slick... Though I must admit, I _do_ miss the natural feeling that Pawaii gave off." Judy conceded.

"Natural feeling? Do explain, my dear."

"Well, I mean sure, it reminded me of the Rainforest-District..." The bunny quickly began. "But there was something more untouched and natural about Pawaii..."

"As in?" The fox inquired.

"As in it didn't feel constructed, or refined: It was near-completely wild, and didn't feel like it was _built_ by mammals." Judy stated, pointing towards a metal palm-tree.

Nick pursed his lips and nodded in understanding. "Granted. Though, I wouldn't exactly say that that's a bad thing." He claimed with lopsided eyebrows and lips parted in a smile.

Eventually, their destination came into sight: The ZPD, with it's shining glass domes and orange concrete pillars, stood tall and erect in the nearest of distances, some one hundred yards or so away. The fox and bunny continued with their walk until the reached the very base of the building, and entered through the doors, with Nick politely opening and holding one for his mate, who thanked him with a warm and reassuring smile. Following her inside after she had entered, the fox let go of his hold on the glass door and set his gaze on to the comparatively towering form of Clawhauser, who as always, stood jovial and embracing behind the blue counter of the receptions desk and kiosk.

Waltzing over to the front desk, Nick leaned casually against the smooth counter-top while his mate inquired the carb-loaded cheetah of their previous summoning.

"Afternoon, Ben!" The bunny started in an effort to acquire Clawhauser's attention. "You didn't happen to forward a request from chief Bogo asking for our presence... Did you?"

"Oh, hey there officer Hopps!" The cheetah then turned to Nick and waggled his fingers. "Lookin' smart, Wilde! You two expecting chief, or something?"

"Yes, actually: We got a phone call from him earlier today asking for our help with something. Did he tell you about that? I mean, you're usually the one who does that stuff."

Clawhauser placed one of his spotted paws beneath his flabby chin, resting the weight of his head as he looked to the domed ceiling and thought over the fox's single question.

"Nope!" He simply stated.

"Nothin' at all?" Nick added curiously.

"Not a single shred!" The cheetah assured before waving his hands in the direction of the chief's office. "Well, you should probably get to it... It might be urgent! Go on then!"

Waving goodbye to Clawhauser as he shooed the two of them away, Nick and Judy then set out towards Bogo's office, their curiosities and interests even higher than before. As they made their way to their new destination, they both encountered and bid brief greetings to a multitude of other ZPD officers, including Mchorn, Fangmeyer, Grizzoli, and even officer Trunkaby nonetheless. Chatting for no more than a few seconds at a time as they paced through and around the crowds, the fox and bunny soon enough came across the entrance to the water-buffalo's office. Through the hazy glass window, they could see the shadowy out-line of the chief's lumbering form, along with the likes of a secondary shadow, of which the latter seemed to be conversing with, as both Nick and Judy respectively could hear two very distinct and different voices inside the office.

"Alright you, prepare yourself. Clawhauser just phoned me saying that they've _finally_ arrived, so I want you to be on your _best_ behavior, absolutely _nothing_ out of line! Got it?"

"You underestimate me, chief!" Another voice responded in a genteel sort of tone. "Manners maketh mammal, as I've always said."

"Well you should say something else, you filthy hypocrite." Bogo growled.

"Oh, there's no need for such malignant criticism... I just hope that those two arrive here before my lavish amount of patience starts to falter."

There was something about that suave-sounding voice that made Judy feel a sense of nausea and discomfort: It sounded dreadfully familiar, and her conscious told her to back away from that office and run as far away as possible. She felt insecure and at risk, as if whoever was behind that door with chief Bogo had nothing but malicious intentions. Judy felt a pair of cold fingers trace themselves up the length of her spine, and a single face to match the voice appeared in her mind. She shook her head from side to side, mentally refuting that idea, as not only was it simply not possibly, but she truthfully didn't want to believe it.

The bunny swiveled her head around slightly and locked eyes with Nick, who's face was scrunched up in an expression of confusion and curiosity. Swallowing hard, the fox knocked twice on the smooth wooden surface of the door before placing his right paw on the handle; Twisting it as he pressed his weight against the door and swung it open.

Quickly scanning the entirety of the room, Judy's amethyst eyes traced the form of chief Bogo as he sat at his desk, before gliding over to the opposing side, where a simple green and brown wooden chair was situated. Leaning nonchalantly against one of the chair's legs, a male rabbit stood with a saucer and a single cup of tea in his paw, the steam floating off and brushing against the tips of his long and erected ears. The rabbit's fur was a pristine and pearly-white color, with pure-black slashes painted across his cheeks and the back of his neck and ears. His lean body was covered with an oil-black suit and slacks that were both equally as dark as his myriad of fur-patches.

A single, tiny blue flower was pinned to the right side of his chest, complimenting the piercing turquoise color of his eyes, which stared directly into Judy's from across the room.

"Glad that you could join us, Alaina, or should I say, _officer_ Judy Hopps?" Jack Savage nodded before gesturing to Nick. "Oh, and you too... What was your name again?"

Jack smirked, all the while calmly taking a deep and drawn-out sip from his cup of tea.

" _YOU_!" Nick shouted aloud before darting directly at the rabbit.

The fox swung his arm forward and plowed a single clenched fist directly into Jack's stomach, causing the rabbit to fold over like a chair, a spray of hot-tea spewing from between his lips and right into Nick's face. Staggering back and growling in anger and pain, the fox rubbed the scalding droplets of tea out of his eyes before stepping forward and socking Jack in the face, a loud and satisfying crunch accompanying the action, causing the male rabbit to flail backwards and topple to the floor. With his fangs bared and his claws extended, Nick pounced atop the writhing body of Jack and raised his arm, preparing to bring down his claws upon the rabbit's face.

Just as he was about to arc his claws downward, Judy grabbed him from behind and pulled him away, her eyes clenched shut so that she wouldn't have to look at his snarling face.

" _No_! Nick! _Stop_! Please!" She begged into his ears, effectively calming him down. "Don't do this, Nick... Don't do this. It's not worth it."

Nick squirmed in Judy's grasp until he managed to free himself, readjusting his tie and collar as he breathed in and out and glared at the form of Jack Savage, who was unsteadily pulling himself to his feet. He wiped away the blood from his lips and nose with the back of his wrist, all the while staring angrily at the fox who had attacked him.

"You reckless _chomper_!" Jack hissed before cracking his neck, clenching his fists, and stomping towards Nick in an effort to hit him back.

Fortunately, Bogo had hurriedly made his way to the opposing side of his desk and plucked the irate rabbit off of the ground, holding him in the air with one of his hooves.

" _THAT'S ENOUGH_!" The water-buffalo ordered, his voice effectively silencing every other mammal in the room. "There will be _no_ fighting _or_ arguing in my office!"

Jack writhed and squirmed, throwing his arms back and forth and kicking his long legs in Nick's direction. Eventually, he gave up and relaxed, dangling his arms, legs, and head as the chief glared at him. Breathing in through his nostrils, Bogo leaned down and set the rabbit back on the ground before backing away and eyeing the scene cautiously.

" _Thank you_. Now, officers Hopps and Wilde: I didn't bring you two here to start some _skirmish_ in my office! You're here for a reason... An _important_ reason, at that."

"And what would that be, huh?" The fox growled in frustration. "What could possibly be so ridiculous that it would involve _him_!" He said, jabbing a finger towards Jack Savage.

"I'll get to that, now can you _please_ calm down, officer Wilde?! This is a formal and cooperative meeting that's _just_ between us four! _Compose yourself_!"

"But why him? _Why_ him?" He pointed at Jack again and again. "You _know_ what he tried to do to her!"

Judy's ears fell to the back of her head, and she tried to avoid Jack's piercing gaze. She could hear the pain in Nick's voice and see it in his expression: It deeply saddened her.

"I completely understand, officer. I don't expect _any_ of you to like this, but this is an important matter that _needs_ to be dealt with... I fear for the safety of the public..."

"The _public_? What have _they_ got to do with anything?" Nick questioned.

"It's _more_ than just that! But yes... I fear that the sinister workings of a single and deadly mind are about to come to fruition... Workings that threaten the safety of many."

"Why don't you just send the _other_ officers then? Why drag _us_ into this, huh?" The fox retorted angrily.

"Because... You two are the best for the-" Bogo started as he sat back down in his chair, but was interrupted when Nick snorted audibly in disagreement.

"Oh _come on_ , Chief, don't pull that crap on us! You've got plenty of other officers that are just fine to deal with whatever this nonsensical new case of yours is, this time!"

"No, you don't understand!" The chief assured, visibly trying to control his anger. "You and Hopps are not only my _best_ options, but quite frankly, my _only_ options!"

"And why is that? What makes us so _special_ then, huh?"

"Because if you _don't_ accept this, then you'll be _putting yourselves in danger_!" The water-buffalo yelled aloud, rising from his chair.

Silence enveloped the entire room for the count of ten.

"Danger? What sort of danger?" Judy found herself asking. "What's this really about, chief?"

The chief sighed heavily before lowering himself back down into his chair. He cupped his hooves to his muzzle and wiped away at his eyes. Nick noticed for the first time that there were purple-tinged bags of exhaustion forming beneath thee water-buffalo's hazel-colored eyes, which were blood-shot and grimy with crust. Bogo spoke out loud;

"I have reason to believe... That you two are in danger. And that the only way to ensure your safety, is by sending you against the very mammal that threatens it."

"And how would you do _that_ , hm?" Nick inquired with raised eyebrows.

"Well, I suppose we'd start by sending you to city-hall, and then..." Bogo hesitated with a grunt. "Forget it. I can explain to you what needs to be done and why later on."

"Fine. But why does it involve him?" The fox asked, jutting his chin towards the male rabbit.

"He is here to help fill you in on the details. He's part of the problem, you see, and knows it better than most others."

"So then what now?" Nick concluded, his demeanor much more relaxed and calm than earlier, now that he had time to compose himself. Chief Bogo then explained;

"Now, you need to learn what you're going up against... Several days ago, I was visited by a rat, known as Grygorri Ratsputin. He heavily implied a _threat_ towards me, and I have reason to believe that you two are involved, one way or another. I didn't arrest him. First, I need you both to find him and to try to question him about his motivations."

"You were threatened by a _rat_? Heh, kinda lopsided, if you ask me: What kind of rodent could possibly threaten someone like yourself?" The fox mused with a half-smirk.

"A _very dangerous_ one, officer. I'll leave it to Mr. Savage here-" Bogo gestured towards Jack. "-To explain everything he knows about the rat, since he's met him in the past."

"Whoa whoa, now _hold_ up!" Judy made a time-out symbol with her arms. "Did you catch this creep on camera?"

The water buffalo shook his head. "I'm afraid not. This office doesn't have any cameras. I prefer my working environment to be _private_ , mind you." He claimed, sitting back.

"Ratsputin... I've heard that name before! Jack mentioned it the morning that we arrested him." The female bunny exclaimed.

Nick felt his fists curl up tightly and clench as he noticed the male rabbit in question stifle a very slight and humorous snort, as if he were in on some sort of stupid joke.

"Really now?" The fox grumbled, glaring at Jack. "Well then, how about we have this creep explain to us just exactly who this Ratsputin character is?"

Jack narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, you flatter me officer. "He said sarcastically. "But yes, I agree: If we're going to get anywhere with this, we might as well start from the beginning, eh?"

Jack smiled before clearing his throat audibly.

"Grygorri Ratsputin... That's a name that few hear. Very secretive. He's a shareholder in my own company, but is also the head of multiple major news outlets that you may or may not have heard of, such as ZNN. He takes advantage of his power in the media to blackmail, manipulate, and worm his way into all kinds of places... Allegedly. Whenever he threatens someone, he often uses his control over the papers to spread his black-brokered gossip across the city, that is, if the victim in question doesn't bow to his whims."

"So, he's a corrupted newspaper-dude who blackmails citizens?" The fox interrupted. "This guy's starting to sound like a _real_ piece of work, huh?"

"Right you are. He's a ruthless media-magnet who holds the world's sins in the palm of his paw. He doesn't, and won't hesitate to use that knowledge to bring down anyone, anywhere, even in city-hall. Even _here_ , in the ZPD. He may not be some psychopathic crime-lord that relies on brute-force like a very certain bat that some of us might be familiar with, but he's no less dangerous than any one of them. Also unlike them, Ratsputin doesn't kill: He _ruins_. Lives, careers, mammal's wills to live. He's quite dangerous."

"Holds the world's sins in the palm of his paw? Great, so he's a blackmailer, sure, but how does he even find out or get hold of all this information in the first place?" Nick asked.

"Like I said, he's wormed his way into all _kinds_ of places over the years! The rat's got his fingers dipped into every type of pie from here on to Bunny-Burrow! He's got eyes and ears all across the city that gather information from the most prominent of mammals, including politicians, doctors, lawyers, and countless others. When it comes to your more Average-Joes, he's been known to threaten them and their families in exchange for knowledge and scandalous information. It's been assumed that he stores all of this gathered information on both hard _and_ digital copies somewhere in his home for safe-keeping, where he can sift through it and learn all that he can to use against his victims... If you believe the rumors, at least."

"I guess that makes sense. It _would_ explain how he knows so much. But where exactly do we feature in this? I still haven't heard anything about us being of any use in this."

"Well, chief Bogo wants you to go after the rat to question him, of course. Alongside this, he's been having some recent visitations down at city-hall, and you'll be the ones to investigate into that, to perhaps see if Ratsputin is up to anything shifty down there. The Chief is quite suspicious of him. Besides, Bogo thinks that _you_ , Nick, are the only one who can actually manage to stand up to Ratsputin and his intellect: He's a fast thinker and talker, and it'll take someone who's equally as willful as him to do the job right."

"City-hall? What's this creep doing _there_ that needs investigating?" The fox asked with raised eyebrows and pursed lips.

"The chief and I believe that Ratsputin is up to something down at city-hall... Something big, and something dangerous. Neither of us have any idea in the slightest on what that might be, but if _one_ thing here is crystal clear, it's that _any_ sort of meeting or agreement between Ratsputin and the mayor is nothing short of a bad omen for us all."

"So lemme get this straight..." Judy stated. "You think that the mayor herself is working with, or being _threatened_ by Ratsputin?"

" _Exactly_ , my dear. The evidence is clear as it is: The mayor doesn't hold private meetings with just anyone off of the streets, as I'm sure that you know. Most of her meetings are listed as a part of her public schedule, and there's absolutely nothing that contains Ratsputin's name! It's clear that he doesn't want to be seen, and wants to keep his conversation with the mayor hushed-up for whatever reason. He's no doubt up to something devious..."

"Okay, this is really interesting and all, but why are _you_ telling us all of this, anyways? Aren't you all buddy-buddy with the rat?" Nick added.

At the notion of the fox's question, the male rabbit chuckled heartily before briefly glancing at chief Bogo and presenting him with a coyish sort of wink.

"Good question, friend! For starters, I am not Ratsputin's friend. He was merely a shareholder in my company, which is why the dear chief of police here wanted me to fill you in on him and his work. Also, I've been offered a reduced-sentence in jail for my accomplice-testimony here. The more information I give, the shorter my time behind bars!"

" _WHAT_?!" The fox found himself shouting. "That's ludicrous! You're insane, and you _deserve_ to waste away in prison for the rest of your life! And I'm _not_ your friend!"

"That's not all, actually! Alongside my oh-so generous accomplice-testimony, I'll _also_ be lending my efforts to the likes of your investigation."

Jack Savage smiled wide, showing off his pristine and pearly-white teeth.

"You best start to consider me as a friend, officer Wilde... After all, I'll be _right_ by your side _every_ step of the way!"

"Uh, nuh-uh! _Absolutely not_!" Nick shook his head from side to side as if he couldn't believe it. He then turned towards the chief. "You want us to _work_ with this scum-stain?!"

"I'm sorry, but we need his help. He's the only one we could find who knows Ratsputin personally, and his assistance could prove to be more than useful." Bogo replied softly.

"Useful? Does he even know how to handle his way around a fire-arm?" Judy cried out, pointing towards the male rabbit, who scoffed at her remark.

"Oh _please_... I know my way around a weapon, I assure you."

Furrowing her brow as her jaw dropped, Judy took to grinding her teeth together as she watched Jack take a few steps closer, closing the distance between the two of them.

"Don't you belittle me." He muttered, staring into her eyes.

The tension between the two rabbits felt hot enough to melt ice. The fox glared at the water-buffalo, who stared back with disappointed eyes. Nick spoke aloud;

"That's it _._ We're done here! I'm sorry chief, but you'll have to find someone else to do your dirty work. Here we are, just back fresh from our vacation, and you try to throw us right into this new and completely absurd case? No disrespect intended sir, but you're as insane as Jack Savage if you think that we'd _ever_ possibly work with him!"

Nick approached Judy before lightly pulling her away from Jack, and standing between them.

"I'm sorry to say it, but we choose to _deny_ your case, chief." The fox claimed. "You can go ahead and throw Mr. Savage here back into his jail cell... Where he _belongs_."

And at that, Nick opened the door and exited the room alongside his mate, whose choose not to utter a single word.

The fox made sure to slam the door on his way out.

* * *

8:04 P.M

After abandoning the ZPD Head-Quarters, the fox and bunny both promptly made their way back to their apartment, where they could at last be at peace.

Upon arriving, the both of them settled down for some time within the warm, soft folds of their bed. Buried in blankets for nearly six hours, they awoke to the soothing sound of rain as it pattered softly against the nearby glass window to their bedroom. Feeling much better than earlier, Nick and Judy slowly gathered their bearings and recomposed themselves as they gradually awoke from their extra-long nap before meeting in the living room, both intent on the discussion of dinner and the coming night of activities.

"So, got any plans, slick?" The bunny found herself asking the fox, who shrugged nonchalantly in response.

"I think I got one worth considering: Whatcha think on the both of us headin' to Tundra-Town, and gettin' some grub and a few drinks at Honey's tavern?" He replied easily.

"Sounds good to me!" Judy claimed jovially. "I'd _love_ to try one of those Vanilla-Vodka-Floats that that walrus, Ivar, was drinking the last time we saw him! Sounds good."

"Hmm... Speaking of Ivar, I wonder if he's at Honey's right now... Huh."

"Oh, right! Yeah! If he is, we should tell him all about our vacation! He'd like that." The bunny stated with a smile.

"Good plan, Carrots. We should also be sure to thank him for introducing us to captain unicorn, of course."

"You're such a jerk, you know that, don't you?"

"What, and you're only just gettin' that now?" The fox teased with a half-lidded smirk, effectively causing the bunny to roll her eyes. "Well, let's get going, shall we?"

* * *

8:34 P.m

The monorail ride to Tundra-Town had been smooth and beautiful, as always.

In the distance, the colorful ribbons of the Aurora-Borealis stringed and flowed across the length of the sky, lightening the otherwise darkened district of Tundra-Town with a colorful and prismatic glow of purple, blue, green, and yellow. The train plowed through packs of snow that had blanketed across the length of the tracks, and soon enough, the fox and bunny found themselves stepping out and entering the Tundra-Town Station, with it's gorgeous architecture and icicle drenched structures, each building completed with caps of glowing stars, or pointed and sloping roof-tops that jutted up straight towards the dark and expansive sky-line.

Immediately setting off towards the direction of Honey's tavern, Nick and Judy eventually came to sight with the small brick-building, positioned directly next to the frosted-over park where Judy had first entered in that fighting cost some time ago. After all they'd been through since then, that single and particular memory felt like a million years old.

Pushing against the smaller-sized door that was specially designed for mammals of comparatively tinier sizes, the two of them promptly stepped inside and dusted off their snow-cakes clothes before making their way towards the bar-counter, where they both spotted Honey chatting with a number of different mammals who sat and stood against the wooden surface of the counter-top, ranging from polar-bears to teeny-tiny arctic shrews and mice.

Scanning the cozy environment of the the tavern's interior, the bunny happened to steal a brief glance at their old friend, Ivar the walrus, who lounged in one of the larger sized booths situated near the back of the room. Mug in hand, he conversed rather loudly and boisterously with another mammal whom sat opposite to him. The walrus's accomplice was equally as large and just as booming, with his deep and watery voice reverberating audibly across the room, which itself was packed with all sorts of other customers. The mammal in question had sleek-looking and navy-blue skin, with not a single trace of fur dotted anywhere across his flesh. He adorned a blue trench-coat and corresponding cargo pants, and in one of his flippery hands, he held a bone-white pipe, of which that he brought up to his face and breathed in through quite often enough.

Though, just like last time that she had seen him, the mammal's most crowning and defining feature was without a doubt his massive, six-foot long horn, jutting out and spiraling straight from the narwhal's face until it ended in a sharp and pointed tip.

"Nick, look! It's Ivar _and_ Haddock!" Judy pointed out to the fox, who looked over in their general direction whilst nodding to himself. "We should go and talk to them!"

"Maybe later... I wanna stop and bid a lovely good evening to my favorite badger, first. Hey Honey!" Nick called out, knocking on the wooden counter-top of the bar.

The badger looked over and locked eyes with Nick, who shot her with a single imaginary finger gun, all the while donning his custom and favored half-lidded smirk.

"Nickster! Welcome back, you!" Honey cried out, opening her arms in a gesture of greetings. "It's great to see you again!"

"We've only been gone four days, you know... It ain't like we've been to the moon and back, or anything like that."

"Right right, I know... I'm just happy to see you!" The badger claimed with a crooked smile. "Tell me, you two enjoy your little vacation, huh?"

"Oh, it was an absolute blast!" Judy responded, her fingers tapping against the counter-top. "We did all kinds of fun stuff, like surfing, dancing, and even paragliding!"

"I almost died." Nick claimed. "My parachute had a _hole_ in it!"

"It was no bigger than a shrew, you dumb fox." The bunny retorted with a sly smile.

"Was not!"

"Whatever you say, sweet-heart." Judy stated before turning back towards Honey. "Think we can get some drinks? I'm pretty thirsty, actually."

"Don't forget about hungry... We're hungry too." The fox added.

"Well, I'll be glad to fix you both up somethin' or another! Anythin' on your mind tonight, in particular?"

"Got any bug sandwiches? I'm _really_ in the mood for one of those bad boys. Oh, and we'll both take a Vanilla-Vodka-Float as well. You want anything to eat, carrots?"

"Actually, I'm not feeling very hungry, as of now... I'm still up for that Vanilla-Vodka-Float, though!" Judy admitted.

"Alright, comin' right up! You two can go ahead and take a seat right anywhere you'd like!"

Thanking Honey before excusing themselves from the bar, Nick and Judy promptly took off in the direction of the far back, where Ivar and Haddock were both still chatting loudly. As they approached the table, they noticed another mammal that had been out of sight from her previous perspective due to the narwhal's hulking form. Tucked into the back of the booth, a middle-aged male seal was listening intently to the walrus and narwhal's conversation, and occasionally threw in a lone comment of his own accord.

"Evenin' fellas." Nick began once he reached the base of the booth, effectively causing all three of the marine-based mammals to look down at him with mixed expressions.

" _Nikolai_!" Ivar cried, slamming his meaty fists atop the table in excitement.

" _Boyo_!" Haddock grumbled a little bit too loudly, a stream of smog spouting from his blow-hole all the while.

"Sorry, who?" The seal added, his brow raised as he stared down the fox in question.

"The name's Nick Wilde, nice to meet ya, chap." The fox said as he gave a brief salute to the seal, whose expression morphed from confusion to that of aggression.

"Wait a minute, I-I _know you_! You're t-that con-artist _fox_ who sold me those venomous sea-urchins! YOU COST ME MY DREAM, YOU _JERK_!"

The seal growled audibly before trying to clamber across the top of the table and get to Nick, who slightly backed away from the scene in apprehension. Thankfully, John Haddock held the irate seal down before he could get very far, and being as big as he was, easily shoved him back into the groove of his seat in the back corner of the booth.

"Belay that, Yuri!" The narwhal ordered gruffly. "There be no sense in startin' any scuffles here... It's in the past, so just let it go!"

"Huh. That's the second time that someone has tried to murder me today."

Haddock coughed harshly before turning towards Nick and Judy, looking down at them from his comparatively towering height.

"Do excuse him, a' course... He's had a lil' too much to drink tonight. Besides, ye aren't exactly the most savory sort of mammal, Mr. Wilde, so his actions be of no surprise."

"Right, no need to bring it up, captain." Nick turned and gestured toward the seal. "So you're Yuri, huh? Yeah, I think I recognize the face... Just a little bit, at least..."

"Thas' right! I'm the bloke who fell for your conniving trick! And _you're_ the bloke who owes me a new restaurant!"

Yuri once again tried getting up from his seat, but Haddock shoved him back down as easily as he had the first time.

"So, what brings you back to seediest bar in Tundra-Town, comrades?" Ivar questioned, pointing to the fox and bunny. "You must have returned from vacation, I presume."

"Yeah, we just got back this morning, actually." Judy answered with a warm smile.

"Did you enjoy it?" Ivar added quickly.

"We sure did! Though compared to this place, Pawaii was _so much_ warmer... Tundra-Town makes me want to head back! My tail is freezing off!"

"You just need more meat on your bones!" The walrus claimed. "You don't eat enough, little bunny. Ivar is worried about you."

"I eat _just_ fine, thank you very much!" Judy retorted, crossing her arms across her chest and throwing her hip out to the side.

"Maybe a _little_ too much sometimes, honestly." The fox joked.

"Nick!"

The bunny reached over and bopped him upside the head before rolling her eyes and turning back towards their flippery-friends.

"But yeah, it's good to see you all again, it really is. Mind if we join you three?"

"Of course not!" Ivar stated boldly and with vigor.

"Knock yerself out." Haddock agreed flatly, not really leaning to one option or the other.

"Yes..." Yuri grumbled broodingly.

Nodding to herself, Judy lept up into Ivar's seat before gesturing at Nick to join her.

"So, I noticed that you got yourself a new pipe there, captain." The fox started, pointing towards the narwhal's smoking utensil.

"Aye... It's a keeper, as long as it doesn't get _snapped in half_." Haddock emphasized, glaring directly at Nick, whom simply shrugged in response.

"Oh, are we _still_ goin' on about this? That was ages ago, and besides, you got yourself a brand new one! We cool?"

"I suppose we are... I suppose we are."

There was a brief period of awkward silence, but it was quickly (and thankfully) broken by the gleeful voice of Honey, who stepped up to the booth and handed out the previously ordered food and drink to the likes of Nick and Judy, both of whom reached out to obtain their newfound beverages. As the badger set down the mugs, she said aloud;

"Here ya are, Nicky! _One_ Crispy-Cricket-Sandwich, and _two_ Vanilla-Vodka-Floats! Enjoy!"

Honey then strolled off back to her station at the bar, but not before giving a single wink to the crowd of mammals crammed in the booth. the fox and bunny alike instantaneously dove into their beverages, with Nick choosing to save his precious sandwich for later. As they drank the sweet and chilling liquid, Ivar took the time to voice his thoughts.

" _Ooo_ , that drink is Ivar's favorite!"

The narwhal scoffed a grunt.

" _Everythin_ ' here is yer favorite."

"Ivar disagrees! He _despises_ the tomato-salad!" The walrus thundered. "Ivar can't live off of cutsie-little _rabbit_ food... He is _warrior_ and _champion_!"

His hazy yellow eyes darted back and forth between Judy and Nick.

"Eh, no offense, little bunny." He concluded with a sheepish smile.

"None taken! Just... Be sure to remember what I told you last time about using the word _cute_ around us bunnies." Judy reminded the walrus, who nodded in understanding.

"That's right: Calling other mammal species names is degrading and disrespectful." The fox joked.

"Comin' from the fox who keeps callin' me _unicorn_." Haddock grumbled, clearly not noticing Nick's sarcasm. "Don't be a bloody hypocrite, boyo."

"No need to blame the fox for being a hypocrite, Johnny." Yuri piped up. "I read from a newspaper article about chompers like him that it's hardwired into their biology!"

"Woah there, little bit uncalled for, don't ya think?" Nick muttered quickly.

"Yeah, that's not very nice!" Judy added. "You should apologize!"

" _Apologize_? Why should I? It's a known fact! And besides, if _anyone_ here needs to apologize, it's him! To _me_!" Yuri retorted angrily.

"I've already said, I'm no longer the fox that you remember me as!" Nick reassured the seal. "And what do you mean by _known fact_? That's complete and utter _hog-wash_!"

"Why would the papers lie? It's obvious that foxes are shifty - You're living proof of it! Don't tell me you aren't. Oh, and _you_ may think that you're all righteous just because you're a police officer, sure, but _I'll_ always remember you as the crook that cost me my career! You need to be thrown in jail for all of the horrible things that you've done!"

The seal's sudden and peculiar choice of words made Nick's mind flash back to the moment earlier that day when he had first seen Jack Savage. He had looked so calm and collected, so suave and sophisticated, despite all the horrible things that _he_ had done, including financial fraudulence, and even the attempted assault of Nick's wife, Judy.

That momentary thought, topped off by all of the fox's growing anger and distaste, pooled out of his conscious and into the form of frustrated words;

"No, you know what? _You're right_! Maybe I _should_ go to jail! Heck, I think I'll go there _right now_ , actually!"

Nick stood up and jumped down from his side of the booth, landing concisely on his padded feet before walking off towards the exit. Looking frantically between Ivar, John, Yuri, Honey, and her husband himself, Judy mumbled in worry as she too lept off of the booth and ran after Nick, soon catching up to him and grabbing tenderly at his left paw.

"Nick, where are you going?" She inquired, concern lacing the roots of her words.

"I'm just going for a short walk... I'll be back in a little bit, so just stay here, Whiskers."

His reassurance effectively caused the bunny to slow down and halt in her tracks, staring at Nick as he exited the tavern before making her way back towards the booth.

* * *

9:27 P.M

The dark recesses of night were, and always had been, Nick's favorite time of day.

Back when he had lived on the streets, he had spent many a lonely nights walking quietly by himself through the various parks throughout the city, staring at the stars and pacing alone with his vivid and picturesque thoughts. He'd think back upon many different things, including his day, his mood, and his role in life. He didn't consider himself a philosopher, but he sure liked to imagine himself as one whenever he walked along the winding paths of whatever park he was exploring that night.

Now was no different.

Exiting right out of the warmth of Honey's tavern, the fox stepped out and into the frigid cold of the night. Huddling his arms even closer against his sides, Nick noticed that the snow-fall had lessened, and now only a few drizzling snow-flakes fluttered down in small-sized flurries of individual white specks. After leaving behind the tavern, he made his way straight, directly into the property of the very same park that Judy had participated in that boxing match with Ivar some four days past. He smiled, thinking to himself.

That day had been memorable as it was, but now, Nick felt miserable and unwanted.

Perhaps he should have known better to reject against Judy's comforting reassurance, but in all honesty, he really just wanted to be left alone: He didn't want any of those other mammals, including his own wife, to see that something had effectively gotten to him. Yuri's tasteless accusations were insulting as they were, but what really took the cake was the brief remembrance of the way that Jack Savage had both looked and acted back at chief Bogo's office in the ZPD Head-Quarters.

Nick grit his teeth together and clenched his fists as he growled beneath his breath: He wanted to hurt that rabbit.. _Badly_...

He continued walking for some time, each step that he took taking him even deeper into the snow-caked depths of the park, where fuzzy conifer and pine trees sprouted thick and tall right up from beneath the snow-covered ground. Eyeing their towering majesty, Nick sighed longingly to himself and closed his eyes, taking in a deep and relaxing breath.

"Ah, hello there, good sir." A not-so pleasant sounding voice called out from the fox's left. "What brings you out at this near-deathly hour of night, might I inquire of you?"

Bracing himself for the sight of a mugger, Nick slowly turned toward the direction of the croaky, knife-like voice, and instead found himself staring down a large rat, sitting on the opposing side of a public-park stone table. The rat had a long and angular muzzle, with a pair of twin snaggle-teeth protruding from symmetrical sides on his lower jaw, which itself was lined with a prickly beard, and his chin crowned with a curled goatee. His eyes were pure-black, like most rodents, but they seemed to reflect a cold, and chilling sense of calculation and intelligence, as if he were silently judging the fox who stood in front of him, scanning him over and analyzing everything that he could gather.

His outfit seemed quite old-fashioned and out of the ordinary, consisting of a long and billowing black cape positioned over a sturdy court-suit, which itself was intricately lined with golden-colored cog and gear-like designs inlaid in the very fabric itself. A lengthy black cane leaned delicately against the side of the table, directly next to the rat's left foot. The pink flesh that made up his long tail was bare of any sort of fur, and it swung slowly from left to right, lightly stroking against the concrete pavement beneath him.

Strangest of all, from the top of his head and the back of his neck, an absolute _mess_ of hair sprouted up, clumps of it gathering together to form spikes that lined themselves down the length of his hair, the tip of which very nearly reached the base of his tail. Overall, the rat looked roughly the same size as Judy, but was still far smaller than Nick.

The fox sighed, recognizing this mammal as no mugger. He was too old and small to be of any physical threat to him. Yet still, there was something suspiscious about him...

"Um, I'm just going on a stroll, that's all." Nick replied truthfully. "I just wanted to get some air... What about _you_?"

"Well, I come here at this exact time nearly _every_ night, as a matter of fact. I enjoy the freshness of the night-sky, the solitude that lingers in the air, _oh_ , can't you just _feel it_?"

"I-I guess... So, you just come here and sit in the park all by yourself?" The fox asked with a single brow raised in apprehension and distrust.

"No, not exactly. You see, I certainly do come here and sit by myself, but whenever there's a random passerby, I often ask them a single, yet simple question." The rat claimed.

"And that would be...?"

"Tell me, Nicholas Wilde... Do you like chess?"

That last statement caught the fox off-guard, and he briefly coughed from choking on his own saliva.

"Wait, how do you _know_ me?" He asked hastily.

The rat chuckled at the notion of the fox's question, but simply waved it off with his right paw as if it didn't matter.

"No need to fuss over that! A mammal of _my_ age knows _many_ things... Besides, you're Zootopia's first fox police officer! _That_ counts for something."

"Yeah, I guess you're right... But who are _you_?"

"Oh, just an interested party." The rat replied with a crooked grin. "My identity is irrelevant, really, but I believe that you still haven't answered my question, Nicholas."

"Chess, you mean? _Er_ , well, I've played it before, but I can't say that I'm very fond of it... _Or_ very good at it either..."

"How exciting! I simply _must_ ask of you to join me! I _adore_ a good game of chess!" The rat claimed jovially. "Here, come, come! I welcome the amusement!"

Looking back in the direction that he had came from, Nick shrugged to himself, reasoning that a single game of chess couldn't hurt. He walked over to the table and sat down on the opposing side of the rat, who had pulled out a clean and simple wooden chess-board, of which the two of them promptly assembled in the proper fashion before starting. All the while, he was wary that this might have been some sort of set-up; with the _real_ mugger popping out and sticking a knife in his back as his attention was focused on the old rat and his game. Yet still, there was no surprise attack: No mugger jumping out from behind, and no trickery or cons. Just one old rat and a chessboard.

"Here now, _you_ can be the white pieces, and _I'll_ play as the black pieces!" He offered. "White may own the first move of the game, but I just _love_ being black! Being bad!"

The rat sputtered into a series of wheezing chuckles as he rubbed his hands together and stared greedily at the chess-board. After some time, he must've noticed the fox's sense of discomfort and confusion; His finger tracing the edge of the board and his eyes locked onto the varying pieces as if he were wondering what their purposes were.

"I don't exactly remember what some of these pieces do, or how they work." He admitted to the rat, who simply nodded in understanding.

"Well, I'll be glad to explain it to you. That right there... Is the pawn!"

The rat pointed to a row of tiny white pieces at the front of Nick's territory.

"They are rather insignificant as they are, admittedly, but can be used _quite_ effectively by the clever mammal."

He then pointed out to a pair of castle-shaped pieces on corresponding sides of the fox's back row.

" _Those_ are rooks, or more commonly known as castles. They move in a _straight_ path in _all_ directions, with the exception of diagonal, of course. And speaking of diagonal..."

Nick's ratty opponent then singled out another pair of white-colored pieces from his side of the board, these ones located two spaces down from the rooks.

" _These_ are bishops! _They_ can only move diagonally."

He smiled and then pointed towards the horse-headed pieces. " _Those_ are knights, but can only move in L-shaped patterns."

"And then there's the king and the queen, yeah, I think I got it now... Thanks." Nick quickly spoke aloud, causing the rat to silence himself before smirking.

"Excellent! So are you at last ready to play, Nicholas?" He stated, to which the fox nodded in confirmation. "Are you sure? Chess is a _thinking_ game, after all. It can be quite-"

"I _think_ that I'm ready... Thank you." The fox repeated again.

The rat squinted his beady-black eyes in what almost looked like a sort of glare, but it quickly vanished before being replaced by a smug and triumphant smirk.

"Good, then. Since you seem to be inexperienced with the game, I'll go easy on you at first. Sound alright to you?"

"That's fine by me, yeah, and... Um, where are all of your pawns?" Nick found himself asking, his sense of curiosity getting the better of him.

"To be fair, I'll only use _half_ my pieces." The rat gestured to his side of the board, which was completely bare of pawns; only containing the main pieces. "Is that not generous?"

"Oh yeah, that's great! Heh, this will be _too_ easy!"

"Overconfidence is a flimsy shield, Nicholas. Now, I believe you were about to make your first move?"

"Right, sorry. And... _There_!" The fox said proudly, crossing his arms after having moved one of his horse pieces to the front lines of the battle. "That should do it!"

For the next five minutes or so, the two of them quietly took to playing their game of chess. Despite his initial sense of confidence, and the fact that he had twice as many pieces as his opponent, the rat continued to eat away at the foundation of the fox's territory, slowly but surely taking one piece after another. For the longest of times, Nick hadn't managed to capture a single on of the rat's black-colored pieces, but he eventually beat out one of his bishops, and even one of his rooks, as well. Slowly but surely.

However, his brief comeback wasn't to last: Time and time again, Nick lost piece after piece until all that he had left was a pair of pawns, a rook, and his king and queen.

After spending a considerably decent amount of time thinking over his past and potential future moves, the rat cleared his throat audibly and tapped his finger against his wrist.

"Stalling can be considered cheating, you know. Make your move."

"I'm not stalling, I'm _thinking_! You said that chess was a _thinking_ game!" Nick grumbled loudly. "How're you beating me so easily, anyways?"

"Well, I _did_ memorize all your previous moves, so that's probably quite a large supporting factor, wouldn't you agree?" The rat said casually.

"Wait, what? You memorized my moves? What are the chances of that?!"

"Apparently higher than you think." Ratsputin chuckled dryly. "Also, what you're planning with that knight piece of yours won't work, by the way."

"So you saw through that too, huh?" The fox mumbled flatly.

"Oh, never you mind, Nicholas. And it's not _chance_ , it's _chess_ : One move, _one_ survivor." The rat leaned close, whispering almost threateningly; "Now make yours."

The fox swallowed hard, and looked down at his remaining pieces. Raising his paw and hovering over his king for a few brief seconds, he eventually decided to shift it to the side so that it wouldn't be in the direct path of one of his opponent's rooks, which was positioned dangerously close to Nick's side of the board, just a few spaces away from his king.

"So, all pretenses aside, why are you _really_ here?" The rat suddenly asked Nick the exact second that he had repositioned his single, black-colored bishop.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, don't give me that! You're not really here just to take some _stroll_ in the middle of the night, obviously. You came here to _escape_ something, I reckon..." He mused.

"How could you tell?"

"Let's just say that I'm rather good at reading other mammals. You're too nervous... Too antsy, and bitter-minded to be enjoying a walk, especially at this time of hour."

"Meaning...?" Nick asked. He didn't trust this rat, and didn't like how he was asking so many questions. Still, he had a feeling that this conversation was just getting started.

"You're not here to enjoy the evening, you're here to _escape your problems_. Am-I-wrong?" The rat hypothesized in an almost mocking tone of voice.

The fox swallowed hard: He _was_ right. Nick didn't come all the way out here just to get some fresh air, but in reality, to get get away from his problems. To distance himself from what got to him, as he did so often in the past. It made him feel rather shameful and regretful, but he certainly didn't want to deal with that seal and his blatant accusations. So, he did what he thought was logical, and distanced himself from what was bothering him. Now, he was in the middle of nowhere playing chess with a complete stranger.

"No, you're right... You're right. There was this seal at a restaurant... He was getting real accusatory with me, so I just decided to go on a walk to let off some steam."

"Ah, as I thought." The rat inhaled through his nostrils. "I _would_ ask you about your problems, but frankly, I care more about the sources _behind_ them."

"I don't understand."

"Heh, you should have that on a T-shirt. What I _mean_ , is that I've been expecting you, Nicholas... Not here in the _park_ , obviously, but expecting you nonetheless."

"I still don't understand."

"And there's the _back_ of the T-shirt!" The rat wheezed a series of chuckles before continuing. "I've wanted to talk to you for some time, simply to _explain_ to you a few things."

"And what is that you want to explain to me, huh?" Nick questioned, moving one of his rooks and capturing the rat's last remaining bishop. "The floor is yours."

A smile spread it's way across the rat's muzzle, parting his lips and displaying his beady, pointed rows of teeth.

"For starters, I'd like to point out the fact that I'm a rather... _Persuasive_ , mammal... I've been known to, ah, _apply pressure_ to other mammal's pressure points."

" _Wait_... Wait a second. You're that one guy! T-the blackmailer! Ratsputin!"

"That's _Mister_ Ratsputin to _you_!" The rat hissed. "Yes, hello. Nice to meet you. Now that we've gotten the formalities out of the way, may I continue?"

Nick stayed silent, thinking over the situation. All the while, Ratsputin placed one of his knight pieces forward and captured Nick's white-colored queen. The rat grinned;

"That's what I thought. Onto the topic at hand: I've just recently been notified by an associate of mine that chief Bogo had followed through with my prediction, in that he would send his prized-possessions, you and your wife, out trying to chase me down and bring me in for questioning. Thus, I have been expecting your arrival, as I mentioned. "

"How did you know that we were coming?"

"Oh, it's simple, really. Not only do I have eyes and ears everywhere, but _all_ that it takes is a few willing participants: I can bribe them, or threaten them... Whichever works."

"Sure, pal. Whatever. But that still doesn't answer my question."

"Well, a magician never reveals his secrets, does he now? Also, it's your move." Grygorri replied, gesturing at the chess-board.

Nick slid his last remaining rook forward, and grimaced when the rat used his next move to capture the aforementioned piece.

" _How_ are you so good? It just doesn't make any sense." The fox murmured as he pushed his king one space forward.

With his comment capturing the attention of the rat, Nick eyed him as he leaned back on his side of the table, groaning in seeming boredom and disappointment as he lolled his head.

"Why can't mammals just _think_? It frustrates me, living in a world of imbeciles. Nobody truly takes the time to just... _Think_. You're all so boring... So _predictable_."

He sighed, but then perked up and breathed in slightly, a minuscule and amused smirk emerging upon his muzzle.

"Yet _so_ fun to... Play with." Ratsputin leaned forward and moved his queen piece, positioning it directly in the path of Nick's king. " _Check_."

The fox blinked a single time, staring down at the board and all of it's pieces, and realized in that moment that Ratsputin had planned out his attack with incredible efficiency and strategy; Ratsputin's oil-colored pieces had completely surrounded Nick's king, which stood alone and backed into a corner, with no help coming, and no way of escape.

"That _still_ doesn't answer my question." Nick added, trying to addle his mind away from the way that Ratsputin acted out his tactics. "You're being too vague."

The rat sighed deeply once again before his expression hardened, turning into that of disgust, or disappointment.

"I simply know how mammals think. I know how mammals think _I_ think... That's why I _always_ win. I can see it all like a map inside my head. Everyone's so stupid, even you."

Ratsputin slid his queen forward and captured Nick's king, effectively ending their game.

" _Checkmate_." He said with a smirk.

"I'm not stupid. I lived on the streets of the city for almost _twenty years_ , and I've had to use _my_ wits to-"

"You know, I thought you'd be different... I _really_ did. You have a lot going for you: Wit, intelligence, charm, charisma. You are right on your assessment of having pride in the abilities that have kept you alive, but in the end, it turns out that you're just another ordinary, boring mammal. An insignificant, expendable _pawn_ in a game of higher power."

"And what does that make you?" Nick retorted, his fists balling up in growing frustration.

" _Take a guess_." The rat replied simply, tapping the pointed crown of his black-colored king piece.

"You really are a filthy rat, aren't you?"

"Coming from you, that's a compliment, really. Take a look in a mirror, and you'll see the face of a marionette: Strings attached to your limbs. You are an object. I _own_ you."

"You _do not_ own _me_!"

"Think what you want, but you'll never be anything more than a mere puppet, in my eyes. Do you know why?" Grygorri stood up slowly from his side of the table.

"Enlighten me." The fox demanded.

"It's because knowing is owning. I _know_ things about you, Nicholas... Very _private_ and _sensitive_ things. Things that could _tear_ your world apart." He claimed menacingly.

"Oh really? Cuz to me, you're sounding like a lot of bark and no bite. You really think you can tear my world apart?" the fox asked with finger quotes on those last four words.

Ratsputin simply shook his head and tutted beneath his breath. He then answered;

"Quite. And because I know everything about you... I _own_ you. To point; I know what you did to the old Castle Fangpyre... It'd be a shame if the ZPD were to find out."

" _What_?! H-How do you-?"

"How do I know? _Ha_!" The rat chuckled. "That information is just simply _too scandalous_ to keep all to yourself, Nicholas!"

The rat allowed himself a lazy smile. He continued;

"Information, yes, that is also in _my_ possession. And to answer your question; Mister Fangpyre has filled me in on your past charade at his manor. He _really_ doesn't like you."

"I-I didn't know that there was anyone else in that house!" Nick exclaimed. "Those are the facts!"

"Facts are for history books... I work in _news_. I have the information, and therefore I have you."

"This is blackmail!"

"No. This is more... _Ownership_. Yes. You'll do as I say, or else you can kiss everything you know and love goodbye." Ratsputin claimed, picking up his cane as he stood up.

The fox swallowed hard. "What is it that you want from me?" He asked slowly and steadily.

"Easy enough as it is: _Stay out_ of my way, or _else_. I _know_ that the chief plans on sending you to city-hall to investigate my associations with the mayor."

Ratsputin walked over to Nick and looked him dead in the eye, even despite his rather diminutive height impeding his efforts at intimidation.

"So stay out of it. Go off on another vacation, or something. You deserve it, I'm sure... Too much time spent running errands on behalf of others."

With a contented sigh, the rat then packed up his chessboard before tucking it under his arm. All the while, he stated;

"Well, I believe that I've managed to get my point across, so I suppose I'll be off for now."

"That's it? Y-You're just going to leave after all of _that_?" Nick questioned.

"That's right. Just remember what I said: Do not meddle again in my affairs, _or_ those of my children. You have been warned, and _I will not repeat myself if it happens again_."

The fox watched the rat as he left the scene of the game; Strolling down in the path opposing the way that Nick had first came. Blinking periodically, Nick made his way back to the tavern, eventually reentering it's cozy interior and meeting up with his mate, whom he found asleep in the upstairs attic. She had awoken upon hearing his entrance, and took to questioning him about his experience outside. Though throughout the entire conversation, the fox said only one thing that truly caught the bunny off guard.

"Carrots... We need Jack Savage's help."

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Oh wow, this new chapter packed quite a punch, didn't it? The long awaited reemergence of Ratsputin has finally arrived, along with a whole new of information, dialogue, and mysterious new questions! I certainly hope that you lot will stick with me to through out this exciting new arc!**

 **That being said, the usual comes as always: Do be sure to favorite and follow if you haven't already... We're _so close_ to 1000 followers! :D**

 **Be sure to tell me whatcha think of this latest chapter, of course! I'd _ador_ e a nice and lengthy review detailing your favored moments and thoughts! :)**

 **Also, as a point of fact, I've actually began brainstorming ideas for the _sixth_ arc, but that's still quite a ways away. From what I've devised so far, the coming 6th arc will be _much_ more casual and laid-back, with all the crime-related prospects brushed away for the journey. But like I said, don't worry about it yet :)**

 **In the meantime, you can expect to learn more about Ratsputin and his plan soon enough. That's all for now, though, my friends. Stay tuned!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	52. Stratagem

**Hey Everyone!**

 **I just want to quickly state that the first scene in this chapter takes place during the point of time when Nick returns from his chess game with Ratsputin.**

 **Just thought that you should know! Without any further ado, I present to you chapter 55 of When Instinct Falls, _Stratagem_!**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"The proper course of action, when under attack, is usually to counterattack." - Jeff Cooper

* * *

10:21 P.M

Near-slamming the door behind him as he set foot inside the tavern, the fox brushed off his snow-caked clothes before wiping away at his muzzle with his paws.

Running his padded-fingers through the russet-colored fur across his head and neck, Nick stepped forward and examined the tavern's environment, starting with the old grandfather clock that Honey had crammed into the back of the bar-counter. Eyeing over the current time, he groaned out loud: He'd been gone for nearly an hour, including his little talk with Ratsputin over that game of chess. He could only hope that Judy was still around, regardless of how long it took for him to get back from his evening stroll.

Ignoring Honey's calls of hospitality from behind the bar-counter, Nick squeezed his way past a few polar-bears and looked around in all directions, scanning the bar's interior as he searched for his mate. He scanned over the booth where he had seen her last, and noticed that both Ivar and Haddock had fallen asleep in their seats, mugs in hand. The narwhal's blow-hole spouted orange-tinted bubbles as he snored deeply, and the walrus had his face planted onto the table-top. He didn't see Yuri, but didn't bother searching for him.

Rolling his eyes, he hurriedly paced over to the bar-counter and knocked in an effort to get the badger's attention. When she looked over, he expressed his grievances;

"Honey, have you seen Whisk- _er_ , I mean _Judy_ , anywhere? She didn't leave, did she?"

" _Daw_ , you underestimate her, Nicky! She wouldn't just _abandon_ you anytime, anywhere." Honey pointed with her thumb. "She's upstairs, probably waitin' for _you_ to get back."

"Alright, thank you! I love ya, I owe ya!" The fox claimed before turning tail and making his way to the rickety staircase situated in the far back corner of the old building.

As he ascended up the flight of rickety wooden stairs, he heard Honey call out from behind him.

"You two can stay overnight if you want, by the way!"

"I hear ya loud an' clear, Honey." The fox responded before continuing up the staircase.

Carefully opening the door, Nick set foot inside the attic and closed it behind him before tip-toeing across the wooden floor-boards that made up the floor beneath his feet. Looking around his new and secluded environment, the fox scanned the dusty book-shelves and chairs until he locked eyes on the form of his mate who, was reclining on a large and fluffy couched stuffed in the corner of the attic space, messing around on her mobile-device.

"Carrots!" Nick hissed aloud, intent on capturing the bunny's attention.

Thankfully, the rabbit promptly looked over before putting down her phone and leaping from the couch, running over and grasping the fox in a tight and embraceful hug. Nick chuckled softly to himself before wrapping his arms around Judy, squeezing her reassuringly as the rabbit buried her face into his chest and spoke aloud;

"Oh, Nick! What took you so long? I was starting to get worried!"

"I was only gone for an hour... No need to get all worked up, is there?" He replied easily, to which Judy tilted her head to the side.

"Yeah, but you weren't responding back to my texts, which isn't like you... You _always_ have your muzzle buried in that phone of yours..."

"Well, I guess you have a point there. But it's all okay, fluff..." He spread his arms. "Your favorite dumb fox is intact and safely returned!"

" _Good_... You've kept your favorite sly bunny waiting long enough!"

Judy then gave Nick one last reassuring squeeze before turning tail and pacing back over to the fluffy couch in the corner of the room, picking up her mobile-device and flopping back into the cushions. The fox smiled as he eyed her, but shook his head when he realized that he was staring. Walking over and joining his mate on the couch, Nick took to examining over his own phone, looking over the various text messeges that Judy had sent him throughout his endeavor in the park with Ratsputin.

The sudden thought of the blackmailing rat brought a frown to his muzzle: He _needed_ to tell Judy about what happened, and what it meant for the two of them.

During his walk back to the tavern from the park, Nick had had plenty of time to think over the meaning behind the rat's threat. It was clear to the fox that Ratsputin wouldn't have bothered threatening him to stay away unless the rat thought that Nick could gain something from interfering, whatever that may be. That thought really irked at the fox, since he had no true answers to any of his own questions. However, he intended to find out eventually, even if it involved working alongside that sleazeball Jack Savage...

Ratsputin has specifically told Nick to stay out of his business at city hall. The rat was no doubt up to something there that he didn't want anyone else knowing about.

Nick reasoned that since the rat knew that it was only a matter of time before chief Bogo sent officers to investigate the situation, Ratsputin decided to try and stop that problem before it even happened...

 _By blackmailing Carrots and I_... The fox mentally realized.

At the sudden thought of his mate, he shook his mind from the recesses of deep thought and looked her over in an attempt to occupy his ever-fluctuating conscious.

The rabbit had snuggled herself in the space between Nick and the couch, and has effectively buried herself in the soft folds of the too-large cushions. The sight brought a slight smile to the fox's face, since he thought that it was just too adorable not to grin at anyways. He patted her head, fingering the stalks of her long and floppy ears as he did. Judy shifted around in her little makeshift burrow, and Nick too had to readjust to the change in position.

He sight and swallowed hard, coming to the conclusion that he needed an effective plan... A _stratagem_ to use against Ratsputin.

That dirty rat was up to something at city hall, something that could potentially mean harm against the good people of Zootopia. Despite the personal threat that loomed heavily over his shoulders, Nick knew that he couldn't let the rat just toss him around: He couldn't let Ratsputin have what he wanted, _especially_ if it was meant with ill intentions.

Nick would take the risk, and would go into battle against the rat the protect the safety of himself, his mate, and the city of Zootopia itself, even _with_ all of it's faults and flaws.

Though of course, if he wanted to kick-start his stratagem into action, he needed to begin with the only real thing that was potentially holding it back: Judy.

"Carrots, I-I need to tell you something... You're probably not gonna like it, but you'll just have to bear with me on this one."

The rabbit shifted her head around until she was looking directly at the fox's emerald-colored eyes.

"And what would that be?" She asked curiously, her ears perking up in anticipation.

"Well..." The fox sighed. "When I was on my walk, I went into the park, and- _and_ I met someone there."

"Is that why it took you so long to come back? You weren't out partying with someone, were you?" The bunny joked, causing the fox to exhale with a smirk.

"Not exactly... It was less a party and more of a _pity_ -party, mind you."

"Hmm, that seems to suite you better, doesn't it?"

"Oh, har-har, Hopps. You're not exactly making this easy for me to explain."

"Right, right... So, were there any _games_ at this pity-party of yours?" Judy mused teasingly.

Nick chuckled to himself, his eyes closing as he shook his head back and forth.

" _Yes_ , actually! It wasn't exactly what you might consider a _real_ party game, but..." He swallowed in hesitation. "But I think that I realized some things while I was playing it."

"Realized things, huh? Like what?"

"What we're up against... What he can do... And what we need to do to stop him."

"Okay, what are you getting at, Scruffy? You're acting kinda... _Strange_." The bunny claimed with narrowed eyes.

"Well..." Nick sighed and pinched his brow in frustration. "Alright, lemme start over with this: When I went to the park, I met someone while I was there... I met Ratsputin."

Judy raised one of her eyebrows. "You mean the blackmailer guy?" She asked, her interests clearly piqued.

"Yeah... The blackmailer guy." The fox confirmed glumly.

"Well, what'd he say to you? What happened, Nick?"

"I was walking around, just minding my own business, when I heard a voice call out to me. I turned around, and there he was, just sitting at some table with a chess board already lain out. He asked me what I was doing walking around at that time of night, and then he challenged me to a game of chess. We played for a little while, talked for a little more, and then he left."

"Do you think he was expecting you?"

"No, of course not... He himself even admitted that he didn't plan on meeting me right then and there." Nick replied slowly, rubbing the bunny's shoulder all the while.

"You said that you both talked to each-other... What did he have to say?"

"Hmm... It started off pretty casual, with him just inquiring me of what I was doing... Then we talked a little bit about chess. And after that..."

He shuddered, shaking his head from side to side.

"Something wrong?" Judy asked, her voice laced with concern.

"No, it's just... Ratsputin threatened me. He said that he'd rat..." The fox laughed. "Heh heh, _rat_ me out to the ZPD over... Over the arson accident in the Nocturnal-District."

" _Unless_?"

"Unless we stayed out of his way. Unless we kept our noses out of his business at city-hall."

"Why would he blackmail you to do _that_?" The bunny questioned with wide eyes.

"He must've thought that sooner or later, Bogo would've sent us to city-hall to investigate his position there. By blackmailing me, he hopes to stop that _before it even happens_."

Nick shifted his weight uncomfortably in the couch before standing to his feet, brushing off his trousers and then slowly pacing around the space of the attic. While reclining on the sofa, he had started to get restless, especially after having forced himself to think back on his experience with Ratsputin, which was nothing less than unnerving. Now, he stretched his limbs and worked out the jumpiness, steadying his breathing as he thought over what needed to be done, and what it meant for both him and his beloved mate.

"Ratsputin predicted that we'd try to interfere with his work at city-hall," Nick mused, placing his right paw beneath his chin. "So he must be up to something pretty nefarious."

"That dirty rat must be blackmailing the mayor _herself_!" Judy cried out.

"Possibly... Most likely, in fact: It would certainly explain everything that Bogo had told us earlier today." The fox stated, rubbing at his fore-head.

"Well, _someone_ has to put a stop to it! If no one else is doing it, I don't see why it shouldn't be us!"

"There's a _bunch_ of big problems with that, carrots... We can't just rush in there and put that creep in cuffs! According to the chief, Ratsputin's been interrogated multiple times, and no one can ever manage to get anything out of him! Besides, if he even so much as sees me anywhere near city-hall, he'd completely ruin my career, and could even land me in _jail_! If we're going to do some sort of counter-attack against the rat, we'd need some serious help. Someone who's familiar with Ratsputin, and can help us fight back."

"Wait, you don't mean-?"

"Carrots... We need Jack Savage's help."

The bunny was silent, at first: Simply staring Nick directly in the eyes, shaking her head ever-so slightly as if she couldn't believe the words that had come out of his mouth.

" _No_... No no, we _can't_!" She muttered quickly. "We can't trust him, Nick! We _can't_!"

The fox stepped forward slowly, his padded palms turned over and his arms slightly outstretched, hoping to gravitate Judy into an embraceful and reassuring hug.

"I know carrots, I know, believe me, I _know_..." He soothed. "I don't want this _any_ more than you do, but I have a _bad_ feeling.. A _really_ bad feeling about what's going on..."

Nick took another few short steps forward and out-stretched his arms, placing his paws on Judy's shoulders and rubbing them tenderly and with affection.

"Whatever's happening down at city-hall, it _can't_ be good... Bogo is right: Someone needs to put a stop to it, and that someone needs to be _us_ , carrots."

"But why w-with _him_? Jack's too devious." Judy stammered, rubbing her cheeks against Nick's shirt.

"I know... I know... But he's our best shot at figuring this all out! Jack knows Ratsputin _personally_ , one way or another! That gives us a _huge_ advantage, Carrots! If we can work alongside Jack, he can tell us everything he knows about the rat, and he could lead us to him! Think about it, Fluff: Ratsputin told Bogo to try to to keep Jack out of jail the best that he could, so if he sees us working _with_ him, that might dissuade him from following through with his threats on _all_ sides! It's a golden opportunity, Carrots. Our chance."

"That's not what I'm worried about." Judy countered. "I just... Don't trust Jack..."

" _Judy_!" Nick hissed, lightly shaking her shoulders in his grip. "Look at me!" He requested sternly. "I won't let him lay a _single finger_ on you, do you understand? Not _one_!"

The fox then suddenly leaned forward, wrapping the entire lengths of both his arms around the bunny's shoulders. He delicately caressed the small of her back with a loving touch of reassurance, and he continued to whisper soothingly into her sensitive ears, promising her that he wouldn't let a single thing happen to her, no matter _what_ the cost.

"I'll be right by your side, the entire time. I won't let anything bad happen. _"_

The fox and bunny carefully made their way back to the couch in the corner of the room, positioning themselves atop the big and fluffy cushions as they curled up in one another's arms, their combined warmth radiating them both in a blanket of comforting heat, which itself was accompanied by the soft feeling of their partner's fur as well.

"Nick..." Judy whispered quietly.

"Yeah Carrots?" Nick replied back instantly.

"I'll do it. I'll help... But the _second_ we throw that horrible rat behind bars, we're throwing Jack Savage right back in there with him."

"Agreed."

Both Nick and Judy were soon encompassed by the tranquil folds of sleep, which came as peaceful and as quickly as it ever had been.

* * *

10:32 A.M, _The Next Day_

Neither of the two mammals could say that they slept very well, but they both were certainly glad to have even found it in the first place, given all the thoughts that had been coursing through the heads of Nick and Judy respectively. Although it came quickly, their late morning rise was far from admirable or coordinated: They trudged out of the warm blankets and cushions atop the couch, and slowly forced themselves to vacate the attic and make their way down-stairs, where they bid their farewells to Honey before leaving.

They promptly boarded the first monorail back to Savannah-Central, intent on returning to the ZPD Head-Quarters, where they planned on accepting Bogo's offer on the new case, as hectic and dangerous as it seemed to be. Soon enough, they both found themselves at the very base of the aforementioned building, awaiting what lay patiently inside.

After quickly changing out their old, casual clothes in their respective locker rooms, they both rendezvoused at the entrance to Bogo's office before knocking across the door.

Several short seconds later, the water-buffalo pulled open the door to the office and stared down at his two tiny guests. Breathing in deeply through his nostrils, he spoke aloud;

"It's good see you both back here at work today..."

He turned to Judy, looking down at her with a solemn gaze.

"Officer Hopps, I'd like to personally apologize for what happened last night. Savage is a loose-cannon, and can be unpredictable, brash, and vain... I'm so sorry for the way that he treated you, and I take full responsibility on behalf of his immaturity and recklessness. Next time, I'll have to make sure that that trouble-maker _really_ gets the message."

"Apology accepted, sir." The rabbit claimed with a stead-fast salute. "But that's not exactly what we came here to talk to you about today... May we come in?"

"Of course." Chief Bogo nodded his head in agreement before stepping aside, allowing the fox and bunny to slip past and into the water-buffalo's comparatively spacious office.

"So then, what brings you here today, officers?" He added as he shut the door and positioned himself to the behind of his office desk, sitting down in his large black chair.

"Well, this _might_ sound kinda surprising..." Nick started slowly, hopping up into the simple wooden chair on the opposing side of the water-buffalo's large desk.

"Just about _everything_ is a surprise with _you_ , officer Wilde." Bogo goaded jokingly before taking a deep and drawn-out sip from a nearby mug of coffee.

"Okay, I'm just gonna be frank with you here, chief: We need to speak to Jack Savage."

The water-buffalo gagged at the notion of the fox's request; Almost spewing out a mouthful of hot coffee before composing himself and drinking the remainder of his beverage.

"After what happened yesterday, I think that you made it _quite_ clear that you had _no_ intention on working with him." Bogo stated calmly. "Why the sudden change?"

"It's a long story, chief... Let's just say that I had an epiphany, and came to terms with just how important it is that we try to bring in Ratsputin."

Chief Bogo rose from his chair, nodding, and then lumbered over in the direction of the office's exit. He put his right hoof on the door handle before turning around and saying;

"I won't question what made you change your mind, officers, but I'm pleased that you'll accept the task... If you'd follow me, I'll take you to Mr. Savage's cell down-stairs."

Opening the door to the hall-way outside, Nick and Judy exited the office before Bogo, who promptly shut the door and locked it. Gesturing in the direction of the ZPD Head-Quarters cell block, the water-buffalo began making his way towards one of the back corners of the lobby, where the hall-way that would lead to the jailhouse was situated.

Following the water-buffalo across the open space of the lobby, Nick found himself waving at Clawhauser, who was, as usual, manning the comms and directing the receptionist desk and kiosk. Slipping past a row of orange-green colored columns, the fox and bunny tailed alongside Bogo as he continued down the length of a somewhat barren hallway, eventually leading them to another section of the building, where the offices slowly turned to jail cells, and the company morphed from officers going about their day to prisoners and detainees skulking in their cells.

Nick eyed the barren and bleak cells, with their wooden benches and iron bars. For a moment, he wondered just how many enemies (or former colleagues) of his were crammed into the cells that lined these hall-ways. The fox reminisced over his past experiences throughout his time working for the ZPD. He clearly recalled the night (or at least he _thought_ that it was night) that the ZPD had raided Vladzotz's manor down in the Nocturnal-District, and just how many bad-guys they had brought back to the station once the mess was cleaned up. He remembered Sprock the raccoon, and his friend, the badger, Russ. Nick wondered if those were even their real names.

Shaking his head, he came to the conclusion that neither of them were imprisoned in this specific jail-house: They had likely already been sentenced and shipped off to prison.

Continuing down the length of the hall-way, Nick also continued down the length of his own personal memory lane: He thought back to the raid that the ZPD had enacted on Shahaz the Stinger's desert compound in the Sahara-Square. Thankfully, Nick had actually been a part of the force that was sent to capture the compound, quite unlike his experience in the Nocturnal-District, where he was too busy being burned alive to be doing any help rounding up the bad-guys and whatnot.

Even still, the fox remembered how he and Judy had chased Shahaz into his private office: Nick remembered the candle-lit room all too well, since he had _also_ been set on fire _there_ as well, when the pangolin had shoved him onto a table that was piled high with candles and melted wax. In the end, thankfully, Shahaz had been arrested just minutes later, and the ware-house was soon filled to the brim with police officers of all kinds.

Nick was certain that Shahaz the Stinger wasn't here either, since the pangolin had long since been carted off to the Zootopia Country Prison, where he was no longer a threat.

So with those three criminals out of the question, Nick knew that there was only _one_ detainee here that he'd _really_ recognize: And he was here to talk with him.

Rearing another brick-lain corner, both Nick and Judy stepped forward, a new cell that was coming into view. Bogo had stopped in front of it, and had his arms crossed as he glared inside, no doubt giving the stink-eye to whoever was behind those thick iron bars. Stepping into view, the fox and the rabbit alike stared down the form of a second rabbit, who they both knew all too well by this point.

Expecting to see the male rabbit sitting atop one of the horizontal benches that were fastened to the walls of the cell, Nick instead found himself staring down at the ground, where his eyes locked onto the bare back of Jack Savage, who seemed to be performing a set of push-ups inside of his cell. His upper body rose up from a spot just below his thumbs, which themselves were positioned below his sternum, right next to his sides, before quickly lowering himself back down and almost touching the floor.

His oil-colored suit jacket and white button-up shirt were cast aside into the corner of the room, and the only piece of clothing on the rabbit happened to be his dark black slacks, which wrapped themselves around his long legs. Nick recalled Judy's story from some time ago, about how she had discovered Jack laying unconscious in his office, where she first discovered his scars. Now, Nick himself had the pleasure of seeing the male rabbit's cicatrix marks for the first time, and despite how much he despised Jack, the fox couldn't help but cringe at the sight.

Jack's shoulders and lumbar region were lined with rows of long, thick slash marks, each one tracing down nearly the entire length of his back. The scars were all a very light pink color, and seemed quite old, but were still no less painful to look at. Nick recalled a bit of information from his previous experience working undercover during the Savage case: How Vladzotz himself was the one who had administered those scratches to Jack, apparently for failing some sort of deal and losing large swathes of the bat's borrowed cash.

Alongside the scars and slash marks that lined themselves across the male rabbit's back, the fox also noted how the oil-colored fur patterns that were present on Jack's ears and face were also present upon his back; Running down it's length in a smooth and motif design, with the only obstructions being the rabbit's viscous looking scars and scratches.

Quickly scanning around the rest of the cell, Nick also spotted an ice-pack sitting atop one of the benches, and suddenly remembered how he had beaten up Jack last night.

That thought made the fox happy, at least.

"Mr. Savage, we need to talk." Bogo started with that deep voice of his, effectively earning the attention of the rabbit, who paused his exercise routine and cleared his throat.

"Mornin' chief. Wasn't expecting any company today." Jack stated, rising to his feet and facing the group of officers. "What brings you here?"

Eyeing Jack up and down, Nick felt himself growling very lightly beneath his breath.

Unlike his opposing side, Jack Savage's chest and abdomen were clean of any scars or blemishes, his white fur as smooth as the snow in Tundra-Town itself. From beneath his fur, it was clear that the male rabbit was quite healthy, with lean muscle structuring his trim body in a very fit anatomy and shape. Mentally, Nick wondered if he looked that appealing without his shirt on, but soon shook his head and focused his attention on the now.

The male rabbit had walked over to the nearby bench and plucked his white button-up shirt off of it's surface, briefly brushing it off before slipping his arms through the shirt's corresponding holes before buttoning together the two sides of the front into one. Smiling at the sight of Nick and Judy respectively, Jack paced forward until he was just a few feet from the iron bars that separated the two parties

All the while, Bogo took to briefing the male rabbit about their motivations and reasons for converging;

"Officers Hopps and Wilde have since changed their minds on the prospect of your personal involvement in this new investigation."

"Oh, _have_ they now?" Jack asked coyly before grinning wide, showing off his pristine-white teeth. "And might I ask what exactly made them change their minds, hmm?"

"We realized just how drastic and personal this situation is... For _everyone_ , including us... I'll leave it at that." The fox answered quickly, causing Jack to bark a laugh.

"I reckon that there's something you're not telling us, officer! Care to tell us what exactly that might be?" He mused.

"Enough! He doesn't have to tell you _anything_!" Bogo growled. "I was too lenient last time, Savage. There will be _absolutely zero_ impediments from you, understand?"

Jack rolled his eyes and yawned as if he was bored before bothering to respond.

"Right, right... I understand. So then: What's the plan? If we're going to be working together to bring down Ratsputin, we need a plan! What's our, eh... _Stratagem_ , if you will?"

The fox and water-buffalo both locked eyes at the same time. Nick realized in that moment that Bogo was expecting him to say something else, but instead gestured at chief Bogo to explain his plan for the three of them. Shuffling his feet and clearing his throat audibly, the water-buffalo took to filling them all in on his effective strategy.

"For starters, you _all_ need to understand that this joint-mission of yours is an irregularity, at best: We're dealing with a powerful mammal who contains many sensitive materials on many different mammals. You need to tread very carefully when dealing with Grygorri Ratsputin and his work."

"Of course... I don't want to end up with a sword through my gut as much as the next guy." Jack muttered broodingly, causing Nick and Judy to raise their eyebrows.

The male rabbit's comment seemed strange, but neither mammal dwell on it for very long, since the chief had continued his explanation;

"With Mr. Savage accompanying you," Bogo claimed, speaking directly to the fox and bunny. "You stand a chance of dissuading the rat from trying to impede your investigation."

"Which is a _huge_ advantage, by the way!" Jack added quickly, to which Bogo sighed before resuming.

"Because of that factor, you should be able to freely explore city-hall without Ratsputin trying to stop you. You're to find out all that you can about his work, especially with the likes of the mayor herself. We have reason to believe that the rat has been threatening her over something, and you three are going to find out just what."

Bogo pointed towards the male rabbit, who was leaning casually against the iron bars of his cell.

"Mr. Savage here claims that he knows where Ratsputin stores the physical evidence that he uses in his blackmailing and extortion schemes. Out of all the times that city-hall had issued search-warrants for the rat's home, only one of them actually managed to pull through, and even then, they didn't find anything. With this new information, we could finally-"

"But you _still need_ that information, and _aren't_ going to get it until _I_ say so!" Jack said, tapping his forehead with one of his fingers. "My word goes, does it not?"

" _You_ are a _buffer_ , Savage! Your _only_ purpose is to dissuade the rat from attempting to harm _my_ officers! We can do _with_ , or _without_ your information!" Bogo roared.

"Ah, _actually_ , you _can't_." Jack stated flatly. "This whole investigation is just an attempt to try to lock Ratsputin up, right?"

"What are you getting at?" The water-buffalo grumbled.

"Even if you do bring him in for another questioning, you won't be able to get _anything_ out of him! You people _never_ do! He's too cryptic! You'd also need _proof_ to be able to throw him in jail, and I _know_ that you don't have any of _that_ , since if you did, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now, would we? _I'm_ the closest thing you have to success, since _I_ actually know where Ratsputin keeps all of the physical evidence that he uses for his blackmailing hobby. You _need_ me, chief!"

The fox coughed, effectively earning the attention of the water-buffalo.

"Uhm, chief Bogo? Can we talk for a sec?" He asked, gesturing for the water-buffalo to follow him a little ways back from the male rabbit's jail cell.

"Are you _sure_ that we can trust him? For all we know, he's lying about having that information, and is only using it as a motive for us to use him! Besides, after what he tried to do to Judy, I don't want him anywhere near her for as long as he's out of that cell!"

"Lying or not, he's right about one thing: He's our best, if not _only_ true lead at the moment. We need him, ironically, to ensure your safety against Ratsputin. Speaking of which, he will be cuffed at all times during his temporary release from the jailhouse, and both you _and_ officer Hopps have the right to taze him if the situation calls for it. Understood?"

Nodding his head in understanding, chief Bogo, accompanied by Nick, shuffled back over to the rabbit's cell.

"It's settled then. Come on, Savage..." The water-buffalo started, unlocking and sliding open the cell door. "We have work to do."

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I _certainly_ hope that you enjoyed this latest chapter of mine! Do be sure to leave a review telling me your thoughts, since I simply _adore_ those! And if you haven't already,  do feel free to follow or favorite the likes of my work, of course: _Every_ single one is _highly_ appreciated and amazing as it is!**

 **I don't exactly have too much left to say, but before I leave you, I'll mention a few things first, shedding light on something that may or may not have been confusing some of you to an extent. Alright, for starters; some of you seem confused as to Ratsputin's motives.** **Don't worry though, I _promise_ that soon enough, all the puzzle pieces will fit together and the truth of everything, along with all of your burning questions, will soon be answered!**

 **Ratsputin has a plan intact... One that he's been working on for quite a while. Soon enough, you'll find out just what exactly it is, and what it means for the people of Zootopia! I'm so excited for the revelation, and I have a feeling that you lot will be _very_ surprised!**

 **Though of course, you'll have to stay tuned to find out! :D**

 **Alongside this, I'd like to make another thing clear: Although it seems like a bit of a hassle for Nick and Judy to be bringing Jack Savage along on their investigation, I believe that not only do I know what I'm doing but Jack will prove helpful to the likes of the respective investigation.**

 **Oh, and _one_ last thing: Sometime later this week, some more artwork and drawings will be going up on my Tumblr account, which is labeled identically to my fanfiction account:  upplet**

 **That's all I have for you now my friends. Thanks for reading, and do stay tuned for chapter 56, comin' your way soon! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	53. Counterattack

"Admit nothing, deny everything, launch counter-attack." - Roger Stone

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"Happiness can only exist in acceptance." - George Orwell

* * *

11:13 A.M

Foxes and rabbits working together... Who could have imagined it?

Certainly not Nick or Judy, for that matter.

Back before they were married, and even before the two of them met, Nick and Judy had both been told by those around them that foxes and rabbits were mortal enemies, and that the two respective species were never _truly_ meant to coexist in peace and harmony. This idea was thought to be true for many different types of mammals: Wolves and sheep, lions and gazelle, bears and deer, and of course, foxes and bunnies.

It was thought to be completely normal for prey to fear, to despise, and even to hate their predatory counterparts.

So of course, when Nick and Judy first became partners on the force of the ZPD, their unique relationship was the source of much speculation, controversy, and conspiracy.

The public couldn't believe that a shifty fox, a former _con-artist_ to boot, would _ever_ be able to stand being around his counterpart partner: It simply didn't make sense.

Judy herself dismissed such ideas, at first: Nick was her friend, and she was far from afraid of him. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before she began to feel a tad bit antsy around him whenever he flashed his pointed canine teeth, or if his claws begun to extend a little bit too far in her general direction. She didn't blame _him_ for it, quite unlike how the public did by constructing scape-goats: She simply blamed herself.

Most rabbits, having never set foot outside the burrows, barely knew _anything_ about foxes aside from what their parents and grandparents told them, about how foxes were menacing, and conniving creatures, outfitted for nothing but malice and ill-intentions. They would tell their children stories about how fox's used to slaughter and devour their ancestors, and how despite being evolved mammals, still contained that primal and predatory sense of ambition, causing them to be malignant, viscous, and untrustworthy.

Judy was no stranger to such stories, exaggerated and falsely-replicated as they were. She remembered having grown up in a community where most predators were considered unwelcome, at best... _Foxes_ especially. Perhaps it _was_ that long-buried, primal sense of fear that every prey mammal had deep down within them. Thankfully for her, that trait slowly evaporated over time, and now, she feared absolutely nothing about her partner, mate, and friend.

On the other hand, there's Nick Wilde: An individual who grew up and matured surrounded by prejudice, racism, and bias toward predators.

Unlike his prey counterpart, he didn't develop any irrational fears over anything in particular, but instead, fed an ever-growing fire of hate and anger toward society. He didn't meet very many rabbits in particular, since his mere likeness and presence was enough to deter them from sparking conversation, or even things as simple as eye-contact and walking distance between the two parties respectively.

Though, after meeting Judy, much like her own narrow-minded traits, he soon found himself lacking that same sense cynicism and hate that he had once held on to. Just by simply being around her, all of his core beliefs that centered around rabbits and even prey in general started to change: Judy wasn't afraid of him, unlike nearly every other rabbit he had ever met, or even _seen_ before then. In fact, Nick soon realized that Judy's feelings for him went even _deeper_ than toleration and appreciation.

Despite being a rabbit, despite having grown up being told that foxes were nothing but trouble, and could do no good in this world, Judy Laverne Hopps loved him.

He thought it was impossible. Who wouldn't? Two different species, predator and prey, no less, falling in _love_ with one another? That idea was about as wild as it got. Nick himself could barely comprehend the fact that a prey species, a bunny, had fallen in love with him. Likewise, he also couldn't believe that _he_ had fallen in love with _her_ too. It was that sudden realization, that one true moment of discovery, that ultimately pushed out Nick's original beliefs and ideas on bunnies, and prey as a whole.

He started to even _like_ being around other bunnies, particularly Judy's family members, since they all were so jovial, and cheerful, and fun to be around. He loved touching them, playing with them, talking with them, and simply being around them. He grew to love the smell of rabbit, since it always reminded him of Judy, the one true love of his life, the one who had accepted him when other's did not.

All of these factors, combined, ultimately changed Nick's outlook on life for the better. He was still cynical, yes, but _far_ from the way that he was before meeting Judy, and going on the adventure of a life-time. Sure, there had been some tough times, and some rough waters, but in the end, they always made it through just a little bit stronger than before.

But in the face of all that he had grown to love and cherish, one abominable rabbit had flipped it all back upside down.

Nick didn't trust Jack from the very beginning. The fox remembered meeting the aforementioned male rabbit for the first time, back in his spacious, clean office those many weeks ago. He recalled how suave Jack had acted, which wasn't very formidable as it was, but Nick, being the cynical person that he was, believed that Jack had simply fashioned that demeanor as a shell to hide his true self: A promiscuous and money-laundering crook.

Jack's horrible and despicable actions, especially those that he had burdened upon Judy, had caused Nick Wilde to break a little bit on the inside.

The fox had to remind himself that the world was a cruel, and unforgiving place, and _always_ would be, regardless of how much he cherished his current way of living. Jack had given Nick a much needed wake up call, in a certain way. Before, and even after the event, Nick simply couldn't believe that _anyone_ would _ever_ violate his Judy: She was sweet, forgiving, and intelligent. Beautiful and clever, and witty in her own dumb-bunny ways. He loved everything about her, from her fluffy cotton-tail to her buck-teeth.

But Jack... Jack didn't care about any of that. He wanted her for nothing more than her body, which he planned on violating, and claiming for himself, before discarding like a used tissue. That rabbit truly didn't care about any of Judy's character-traits, qualities, beliefs, or even thoughts. To him, she was just a tool built for his own sadistic pleasure.

All the while, Nick had to come to terms with and accept the fact that this monster; This abusive, lustful, and avaricious little rabbit... Would be working alongside him...

 _C-C-C-Click!_

The sharp and prickly-sounding noise of the hand-cuffs being locked together brought a distasteful frown to the male bunny's white and black colored face.

"Is this _really_ necessary?" Jack Savage droned. "I can handle myself!"

"Afraid so, Mr. Savage... It's for safety reasons." Chief Bogo replied flatly before taking the other cuff and locking it around the fox's left wrist.

"I still can't believe that I have to drag _this_ around on the investigation." Nick claimed, his lips pursed and eyes narrowed as he gestured toward the rabbit.

"And _I_ find it hard to believe that you're giving _them_ weapons, but not me." Jack stated broodingly.

"Don't be stupid, rabbit: We wouldn't even give you a _toothpick_ if your life depended on it!"

" _Quiet_ , the both of you!" Bogo demanded sharply. "Now I know that this isn't exactly the most savory method for either one of you, but it's either this, or not at all."

The water-buffalo turned around, placing his hoofs on the metal-plated table in the center of the room before sighing and saying aloud;

"As for _you_ , Mr. Savage, you need to realize that this isn't intended to be, and likely _won't_ end up being a hazardous mission, at least when it comes to your health and well-being. The three of you will just be going to city-hall to perform some investigating, so it's not like there's going to be some _shoot-out_ in the middle of the council room! My officers are armed so that they can protect themselves, _you_ on the other hand are not only _expendable_ in my eyes, but a _threat_ as well. You will receive _no_ weapons."

"Yes yes, I know, I know... I just find it a little unnerving to be walking into all this with no fair means of defending myself!" The male rabbit admitted with spread palms.

"That's what officers Hopps and Wilde are for, obviously."

Chief Bogo cleared his throat and looked over the papers that he had lain out across the table in preparation for the investigation.

After freeing Jack from his cell, the water-buffalo then promptly lead Nick, Judy, and Jack to the armory, where they suited up and armed themselves for the coming case. All except for Jack Savage, of course, who was far from trusted when it came to weapons. Adorned in their usual police outfits, Nick and Judy stood out in comparison to Jack, who wore only his black slacks and wrinkled white button-up, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows: Definitely a drastic difference from the suave, formal, and regal Jack of one month past.

Now, the four mammals double-checked and reviewed over their acquired information, all the while steeling themselves for the simple challenge of getting along.

"Alright, let's go over this one last time-" Bogo started, but trailed off when the male rabbit groaned audibly.

"C'mon, chief! We already know what to do! Let's just _go_!" Jack whined.

"It's just regulation, Mr. Savage. Besides, I'd rather you lot _actually_ know what you're doing, than _waltz_ up into city-hall with your _thumbs_ up your asses! _Shut up_ and _listen_!"

The water-buffalo cleared his throat once more before starting his explanation.

"The three of you are to take one of the cruisers and make way to city-hall. There, you'll need to speak with the head receptionist, and tell them that you're there for an internal investigation. From then on out, you should be granted near-full access of the capitol building and it's sub-sections. You're to question workers, examine records, and gather as much information as you can on Grygorri Ratsputin's private visitations. Alongside this, you'll need to seek _immediate_ consultation with the mayor herself, whom you will interview over the very same topics."

Bogo glanced toward Nick and Judy, nodding at them a single time before continuing.

"Officers Hopps and Wilde, you're to keep Mr. Savage _out_ of trouble, and _within_ close proximity at _all_ times. You've been given permission to silence, apprehend, and use physical force against him if necessary, using whatever means within your power to do so."

"Wait, what?" Jack stammered, but was then immediately cut off by the chief.

" _If_ you encounter the suspect, Grygorri Ratsputin, while investigating city-hall, you are to _immediately_ notify dispatch, who will stand by to send back-up if needed. Try to avoid communicating with the suspect unless the situation calls for it: We _all_ know that his _words_ are his weapons. Also, make sure that Mr. Savage here has absolutely _zero_ contact with the suspect while investigating at city-hall, outside of visibility. He will _not_ talk with the rat, signal him, or communicate with him in _any_ way, shape, _or_ form! Understood?"

Both Nick and Judy gave the water-buffalo a stead-fast salute, of which he returned instantaneously.

"That is all that I have for you three. Good luck... _Dismissed_!"

Concluding their standard form of salute, the fox and female bunny, with Jack Savage in tow, set out for their cruiser, all the while readying themselves for what was to come.

* * *

11:22 A.M

Making sure to lock the doors as she started the cruiser, Judy promptly manned the wheel while both Nick and Jack crammed themselves into the passenger seat.

"Might I ask _why_ we're taking the car when city-hall is _literally_ right across the park?!" Jack Savage hissed, clearly irritated. His comment earned the attention of Judy.

"Jack, you're a criminal now. One that people actually know, and _will_ recognize, since you stole _millions_ of dollars from not only corporations, but individual families and investors as well! Do you want to risk walking across that pasture, where anyone with a bone to pick might suddenly just try to attack you? Besides, we need a place to store our gear."

"Well, like the chief said, that's what I have _you two_ for, ah?" Jack stated cheerfully, his lips parted in a wide smile. "To protect me from rapscallions like that!"

"I think I'd rather throw you to a pack of angry wolves than bother trying to protect you from them." Nick grumbled, his gaze far and blank into the distance.

"Aw, so you _do_ care about me!"

"Oh can it, Savage!" Judy hissed from the driver's seat. "We're _not_ here to be friends, so keep your head in the game!" She looked up "We're here. Welcome to city-hall."

"About time..." Jack muttered sarcastically. "Still a waste of gas, if you ask me."

Steeping out of the car and onto the asphalt pavement of the city-hall's parking lot, the three mammals stared up at the tall, and pristine building with awe.

The city-hall of Zootopia wasn't the tallest nor prettiest sky-scraper in Savannah-Central, but it was no doubt the most influential. Through clean, blue-glass windows, and long, white plates that covered the sides like armor, was the highest seat of power in the whole city. Down the front of the building, a small, but wide water-fall streamed down from multiple stories and welled up in a crystal-clear pool at the ground level, where the sun's rays broke through the water droplets and created prismatic fields of light, ranging from blue, to red, to green, and even yellow.

It was a beautiful sight, but all three mammals knew that this very same building has also housed some of the most devious, deceptive, and disappointing minds in the entire city.

Dawn Bellwhether and her bout of corruption, Leodore Lionheart with his lying and cover-ups, and now the latest contender, Blair Lyncon, the bobcat drowning in scandals.

Roughly six months prior, she had been elected into office after a _very_ close concluding election with her runner-up, who had used Blair's record of drunk-driving, substance abuse, and other accusations against her. Though in the end, the female bobcat pulled through with the nomination for mayor, and has been the city's head of state ever since.

There wasn't very much proof of her previous bouts of DWI, but just it's mere _existence_ was all that she needed to have attracted the attention of Grygorri Ratsputin.

Now, Nick, Judy, and Jack were at last ready to face the roots of the entire problem, at the roots of the entire city.

After strolling across the back parking lot and maneuvering themselves to the front of the building, they promptly ascended the smooth, pink-granite steps and entered through the sliding-glass doors. Setting foot inside the building's interior, the three mammals then immediately set out towards the large receptionist desk on the far side of the lobby.

Clearing his throat audibly, the male rabbit said aloud;

"So, remind me again as to _why_ we want to meet the mayor with this sudden surprise visit that might get us kicked out, when we _could_ have just scheduled one before-hand?"

Rolling her eyes, Judy took to answering his question.

"Because Jack, the mayor is pretty stringent when it comes to public meetings, so booking one with her beforehand would've not only been very difficult, but very time consuming as well. Besides, if she really _is_ working with Ratsputin himself, then catching her off guard might be the ideal scenario. Not to mention that this whole assignment of ours is rather sudden."

Nodding his head in seeming understanding, the male rabbit swiveled his head around, taking in all the sights of the city-hall.

"I've never been on an investigation like this before..." Jack stated with wide eyes. "So exciting! Do you two do stuff like this very often?"

"Of course we do: We're police officers... It's just another part of the job. And speaking of job, _we_ have one to do here, so can you _please_ focus?" Nick muttered quickly.

"Focus? I'm completely focused, mind you! I'm just enjoying the moment, that's all... Nothing wrong with _that_ , is there?"

"The only problem with it is that-"

"Can you two _please_ keep from drawing attention to yourselves?" Judy suddenly hissed. "I need you _both_ to focus!"

"Madam, I am hand-cuffed to another mammal, who, might I add, doesn't like me, and is dragging me around through the middle of city-hall..." The male rabbit retorted flatly.

"Well, _you_ were the one who signed up for this field trip, sport, so _you_ are gonna have to be the one to-" Nick started, jabbing a finger at Jack, but was interrupted moments later.

"Nick, cut it out!" Judy ordered, gesturing towards the receptionist desk. "We're about to see the receptionist: I'll do the talking, you two... Just try not to kill each-other..."

"Aye aye, captain.." Jack grumbled, rolling his eyes and thumping his foot rapidly against the tile-floor.

Meanwhile, Nick leaned rather casually against the receptionist desk, all the while trying to ignore the irritating feeling of being hand-cuffed to Jack. Judy had strolled up to the front of the marble desk, of which she had to stand on the tips of her toes to reach. She tapped the little yellow bell on the side of the desk's surface, which caused a sharp and reverberating _ding_ to capture the attention of the head receptionist, a female sheep, who looked down and smiled at the trio of mammals standing at the base of the desk.

"Hello! Can I help you today, ma'am?" The sheep asked politely to Judy, who smiled back warmly as she spouted her coming lines.

"Good afternoon! I'm officer Hopps of the ZPD, and this is my partner, Nick Wilde. We're-"

" _And_ Jack Sav- _Ow_!" The male rabbit started, but was quickly cut off by Judy, who stomped hard on his foot, effectively silencing him.

"We're here for an internal investigation," She continued, pointing to her badge. "And would like to seek immediate consultation with Mayor Lyncoln."

"Immediate? Hmm... I'm afraid you'll have to speak with the mayor's secretary, Megan Fawkes. She should be able to give you an appropriate time slot to speak with the mayor."

"Great! Where can we find miss Fawkes?"

"Her work-space is located on the same floor as, and is _right_ next to the mayor's office," The sheep claimed. "On floor 13, room 147."

"Floor 13, room 147..." Judy repeated slowly, writing the address in her yellow-colored notebook. "Alright, got it! Thank you!"

The female bunny then started off in the direction of the elevators. After giving a casual salute to the sheep receptionist, Nick followed Judy, pulling Jack along by his cuffs. Pressing the button to summon an elevator, the three mammals waited rather impatiently before one finally arrived. Setting foot inside, Nick tugged harshly on his cuffs, causing Jack to stumble as he entered the elevator cart. An awkward few seconds of silence ensued, accompanied by the sound of slow, soothing elevator music.

" _Hey_ , it's the Velvety Pipes of Jerry Vole!" Nick sputtered, chuckling all the while. "I _love_ this guy!"

Jack coughed audibly, and Judy rubbed the back of her neck tenderly while smiling at Nick.

Soon enough, the elevator doors slid open, revealing a large and spacious room, with clean-red carpet lain across the floor, and a tall ceiling that could accommodate for even the lengthiest of giraffes. Promptly exiting the elevator, the trio of mammals strolled over in the direction of a pair of thick wooden doors positioned at the end of the hall-way. Judy, having been there before, recognized them as the entrance to the mayor's lobby, where visitors would first check in with the mayor's secretary, which in turn connected to the mayor's office.

Pushing against the thick wooden doors, Jack, Judy, and Nick found themselves inside a medium-sized, but spacious room, with decor consisting of fake potted plants and several expensive-looking paintings. On the other side of the room, which itself was filled with benches and chairs for guests to sit upon, a small, semi-circle desk was pushed up against the wall. It's gray-granite surface was cluttered with stacks of papers, seas of paper-clips, and enough pencils to make an entire tree out of.

In the middle of it all was a female fox, a vixen, with reflective blue eyes, and slightly disheveled burnt-orange fur. Her ears were curvaceous and pointed, sticking up almost like Bogo's horns. The vixen had a long and smooth-looking tail, the very tip of which was crooked and twisted into an irregular shape that almost looked like the top half of a heart. She wore a close-fitting, navy-blue office jacket, and a lighter colored office-skirt wrapped itself around her narrow waist-line.

"Well well, looks like you got some competition there, sweet-heart." Jack mumbled quickly into Judy's ears, wiggling his eyebrows and elbowing her before Nick tugged him away.

Approaching the desk, which this time around was more appropriately sized for small mammals such as themselves, Judy stepped forward once again, but just like the previous time, still wasn't noticed until she tapped the golden-colored bell, which caused the vixen behind the counter to jump slightly in her seat, no doubt startled from the sound. She hurriedly recomposed herself before looking over the edge and down at the female rabbit, who stood fortified with her paws placed firmly on her hips, and her head held high.

"Uh, is there a problem officers?" The vixen begun, her voice smooth, but with a very slight under-tone of boredom. "I haven't done anything, if that's what you're here for."

Snorting at her sarcastic comment, Jack earned himself another glare from Nick, who positioned himself between the male and female rabbits respectively.

" _No_ , we're _actually_ here to speak with Mayor Lyncoln." Judy corrected politely. "I take it that you're miss Fawkes?"

"Yeah, that's me..."

Megan momentarily hesitated, in which she took the time to scan over the trio of mammals on the opposing side of the desk. Her eyes quickly glided over both Judy and Jack, but briefly rested upon locking vision with Nick, who stared back with a single raised eyebrow. Blinking and pursing her lips, she turned her attention back to the female bunny.

"Wait, you said that you're here to speak with the mayor?"

"Yes, that is correct." Judy confirmed instantaneously, nodding her head as she did.

"Well, I can check the mayor's time-slots today, and see if you're on the list... Do you have a reservation to speak with her?" The vixen asked, sliding over to her computer.

"No, actually. The three of us are here for an internal investigation on behalf of the ZPD, and were assigned by the chief himself to seek immediate consultation with the mayor."

"So, you want to talk to her _right now_?"

"Affirmative." Judy confirmed formally.

Megan visibly winced upon hearing the bunny's request, and begun anxiously tapping her fingers against the surface of her desk.

"The mayor doesn't have any appointments between..." Megan briefly stammered before looking to the nearest clock. "11:30 and 12:30 today... I'm sorry, but you'll have to-"

"Now hold up, is that true?" Nick found himself asking as he leaned heavily against the counter-top.

The vixen locked vision with Nick once again, and rapidly blinked her eyes before slightly shaking her head from side to side and responding to the male fox's inquiry.

"Mayor Lyncoln is _very_ busy at the moment, and won't be able to see any visitors for another hour."

"We _need_ to-" Judy retorted, but was cut off when Nick snapped his fingers together in an effort to silence her.

"Listen, Megan, we're here to speak with the mayor, yes, but it's for a _very_ important reason... An internal invest. She _needs_ to hear what we have to say. Besides, _I_ don't think she'd like it very much if she found out that you rejected a pair of ZPD police officer who simply sought to speak with her, no? Can you just let us visit her, _real_ quick? Please?"

Megan was silent to a count of five, when she swallowed hard before sighing heavily.

"Alright... Just go... _Just go_..." The vixen finally muttered, waving the trio of mammals off in the direction of the mayor's office.

"Thank you, Megan." Nick concluded.

Nodding toward Judy, who returned the gesture of readiness herself, the both of them pulled Jack along and set off for the hallway that led to the mayor's office.

On his way out of the lobby room, Nick pretended not to hear Megan's voice as she quietly chided herself behind him.

"I'm _so_ fired..."

The male fox tugged at his collar, and kept his gaze trained on the red-carpeted hall-way ahead of him, which led to a large set of double-doors big enough to accommodate for someone of chief Bogo's size. Judy, who was in the lead of the trio, suddenly found her ears shooting up to their full height upon detecting the double chords of two very different voices, both of which were emanating from the other side of the thick wooden doors. As they closed the distance to the double-doors, the sounds grew louder and louder.

Looking back with raised eye-brows, she momentarily locked eyes with Jack Savage, who also had his long and floppy ears raised high, and perked with detection. He himself donned a confused and slightly bewildered expression upon his face, and it was quite evident to the female bunny that he must've been hearing the two voices as well.

Slowing down their pace and pressing one of her fingers to her lips in a gesture of silence, Judy stopped directly in front of the twin doors, which themselves were slightly ajar, and pressed her sensitive ears up against the smooth surface of the wood. She closed her eyes and lightly held her own breath, listening intently to everything that she could hear.

"-You've been here for over a half-hour, just chatting, acting like there's nothing wrong. Acting like you're not here for a _reason_... What is it that you want from me?"

The first voice was unmistakably female, and sounded as if it belonged to an older mammal: Mayor Blair Lyncoln, no doubt.

"Have I not made myself clear, or are you just _daft_? You know _exactly_ why I'm here, and _exactly_ what I want from you. I would think that all of my previous visitations would have accounted for at least _something_! I may not have spoken with the most _candid_ of tones the first few times, but I reckon that you've long since gathered my purpose."

The second voice was male, by the sound of it. Croaky, but sharp. Knife-like. Low-pitched, yet incredibly piercing, and almost discomforting to listen to, even.

" _Yes_... Yes, I understand..." The mayor's voice confirmed slowly. "You're playing a dangerous game... Those documents were _never_ meant to be seen!"

The second voice chuckled wheezily and coughed a few times before piping up once again.

"Spare me the details of what I already know, madam. The both of us know _exactly_ what those records are capable of... After all, they _can_ save your career..."

"By ruining lives!" The mayor yelled back, to which the second voice scoffed audibly.

"I _assure_ you, the vox populi _will_ approve! I've _seen_ the numbers, I've _done_ the calculations! If you give them to me, I will ensure you that your promise of nearly one year past will be maintained, and made law! To be frank, you've done a pretty awful job of keeping said promise: The public _still_ doesn't feel safe! I can change that! _We_ can change that!"

"Not like this... Not like this..."

"The _vast_ majority of this city's citizens feel as if you haven't followed through with your promise, as of yet. You promised them safety, and stability: A community _free_ of weekly protests and public discord. Looking around at what's been happening as of late, _I_ would say that said promise still hasn't been enacted very effectively just yet, wouldn't you?"

Mayor Lyncoln's voice didn't respond, simply choosing to stay quiet as the second voice continued it's explanation.

"The _only_ reason that you got elected into office was because you catered to the whims of the pathetic, those who thought that you could _actually_ get this city to coexist peacefully. Well, news-flash, _nobody_ gets along here! Everybody hates somebody! For example; The predator-prey protests of four years past, the Nocturnal-District riots that ensued after that wretched bat was cooked to a crisp, the Outback-Island and marsupial movements that demanded inter-species relationships be made illegal, and outlawed. That fracas between county-deputies and civilians in the Deciduous-District over predator rights, _and_ not to mention the statistics that were drawn from the recent polls-"

" _Enough_!" Lyncoln cried out, silencing the opposing voice.

For a few short seconds, there was nothing but tranquil silence, with both of the two voices breathing audibly, but straying from any form of verbal communication.

The second voice sighed deeply, and cleared it's throat before finally breaking the silence.

"Look... You're stuck between a rock and a hard place. The public is scared of it's own _shadow_ , and _needs_ something to hold on to, a helping hand. A form of reassurance. A signal from the city government, that says yes, we _are_ listening to your pleas... Yes, your voices _have_ been heard... And _yes_ , we _have_ the answer to your problems."

Mayor Lyncoln was silent nearly to the count of ten, but suddenly muttered softly;

"The only reason that they're so afraid is because you _tell_ them to be... _You_ fuel that fire with your _lies_ , and your _cheating_! You're not immune to blame, Ratsputin..."

Judy's eyes widened, and she withheld the urge to gasp aloud: The suspect, Grygorri Ratsputin, was here! The female bunny reached for her radio collar and was about to thumb down the button, but Nick caught her paw just moments before she did. Locking eyes with him, she saw him shake his head from left to right. Nodding, she released her hold on the radio. If she would have called back to the ZPD Head-Quarters to notify them of the suspect sighting, then their cover would have most likely been completely blown away.

Quickly seizing the opportunity, Judy whipped out her trusty carrot-pen recorder and pressed down on the button, activating the recording device.

All the while, the twin voices of Mayor Lyncoln and Grygorri Ratsputin argued back and forth.

" _I'm_ fueling that fire? Well, perhaps your statement _does_ ring with a _tiny_ bit of truth, but you _must_ understand that I'm only telling them what they _want_ to hear! The public _adores_ reading over the papers that list reasons why predators are more prone to violent behavior. They _completely eat up_ the stocks of news-papers that explain why inter-species relationships are bad for the economy, population, and the social community. The public know what they like, don't they?"

"Beats me as to _why_... Your papers are _nothing_ but _lies_..." Lyncoln grumbled.

Judy then released her hold on the button, thinking that she'd gathered enough. Stealing a glance at Nick, she could see him bearing his teeth while listening to the converse.

"They're not lies! I _never_ print full lies, madam... You underestimate me, truly. I always back up my news stories with facts and data from acclaimed sources! Predators, despite being only ten percent of the total city population, account for nearly _forty-seven_ percent of all prison populations and _forty-three_ percent of _all_ recorded annual crimes. Predators _also_ make up roughly _sixty-five_ percent of all recorded homicide offenders. You tell me, _mayor_ , do _those_ statistics suit your fancy? They seem to work on the public, at least."

The rat snickered audibly and very quickly in an almost maniacal fashion.

"As a point of fact, the public _also_ just _loves it_ whenever my papers print on the latest scandals, and other juicy bits of drama." Ratsputin claimed. " _Delicious_ to read, isn't it?"

"What are you getting at?" The mayor questioned gruffly.

"What I'm getting at, is the fact that _ruining you_ would be a _completely_ trivial situation. The public hates you, and _all_ that I would have to do is give you a _little_ push forward."

The rat chuckled.

"Besides, you're a predator, so that factor makes it a tad bit more easy to work with."

"You having _nothing_ on me that the public doesn't already know about..." Lyncoln stated. "Whatever proof you have is _useless_."

" _Proof_? I don't need any proof. I'm in _news_ , you moron... I don't have to _prove it_ , I just have to _print it_. The public will believe _anything_ I tell them, facts or not."

"And what _would_ you tell them? About me?"

"Oh, I'm thinking something along the lines of cheating on your husband. _Ha_!"

"You wouldn't _dare_!" The mayor huffed. " _Nobody_ would _ever_ believe that _garbage_!"

"Would they though? The public mindset is just _too_ good: Oh, I read it in the papers, so it _must_ be true. _Ha_! I love the news... So easy to manipulate..."

"That wouldn't-" Lyncoln stammered, but was cut off when the rat hissed beneath his breath.

"Oh, it _would_. I'll make it happen. I'll _burn_ your will to live, if I have to... Unless, of course... You give me what is rightfully _mine_..."

"I will _NEVER_ give you those documents!"

A knocking sound pierced the air. Glaring to their left, Nick and Judy stared down Jack Savage, who was just retracting his paw from the hard surface of the wooden door.

"Go in there and put a stop to it!" He whispered quickly to the two officers, who both swallowed hard upon hearing the rat's harsh voice speak aloud;

" _What was that_?!" Ratsputin hissed.

Seeing that they had nothing to lose, and everything to gain, the female bunny pushed against the door, which swung open wide and revealed the interior of the mayor's office.

Large floor-to-ceiling windows lined the back wall, providing a rather scenic view of the southern city-scape. Standing behind the smooth, black-colored desk, an older mammal gazed at the female bunny with a variety of expressions listed across her face. Mayor Blair Lyncoln was undoubtedly a bob-cat, with her short beige fur, and her cat-like face.

Standing next to the mayor, a comparatively small rat stood with his head held high and his face donning a look of confusion and bewilderment. Quickly eyeing him up and down, Judy took note of his strange little outfit, which consisted of a long and old-looking court suit with strange, golden designs etched into the fabric around the edges. He held a lengthy ball-top cane in his right hand, and the hair on his head flowed down in haphazardous directions, tipping off near the base of his tail, which itself was bare and very long, laid limp across the red carpet floor.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Blair questioned, to which Judy was about to answer but trailed off when Ratsputin grunted audibly, effectively silencing her.

"Oh, I know _exactly_ why they're here..." He hissed.

Ratsputin's coal-black pupils dilated to minute pinpricks upon locking eyes with the fox, his corneas searing with an almost stinging sense of disbelief and anger.

Following the rat's piercing line of sight, Judy found herself looking at Nick, who was trying his best to appear unfazed and confident in Ratsputin's presence. The rat continued staring down the fox until he finally noticed Jack Savage, who simply waggled his fingers at Ratsputin, causing the rat to bare his teeth and grind them together harshly.

"Mayor Lyncoln, these... These _interlopers_ are here to steal the documents! Call security _now_!" The rat claimed, jabbing a crooked and clawed finger toward the fox.

"No no, wait! We're here from the ZPD! I'm officer Hopps, and this is my partner-"

"I know who you are!" Ratsputin growled, pointing his cane at Judy. " _We_ know who you are!"

"Grygorri, calm yourself... They're police officers, and they're not here to cause any trouble..." The mayor mused, staring down the trio of mammals.

"I concur! They've been sent to _spy_ on us by that _blasted_ buffalo!"

"That's _enough_!" Lyncoln demanded. "Grygorri, I think I've heard plenty... Leave us..."

" _What_? _Leave_?! B-but I-"

" ** _Leave_**!" The bobcat snarled, pointing towards the exit.

Growling lowly beneath his breath, the rat paced towards the pack of mammals before pushing his way past, all the while glaring at Nick with a sense of rage and confusion, as if he was thinking about the best way to strangle him. Upon Ratsputin's departure, the mayor sighed heavily and trudged over to the large black chair on the opposing side of her desk, of which she sank into and pinched the bridge of her nose tenderly while gesturing her guests to step forward.

"While I don't particularly condone the sudden and eventful entrance, I'll grant you leniency and immunity for the moment, officers... I need you now more than ever..."

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **As usual, I certainly hope that you enjoyed this latest chapter! Do be sure to leave a review telling me whatcha think, since I _absolutely love_ those, and if you haven't already, I'd _very_ much appreciate a favorite and/or follow! We're _so close_ to quadruple digits when it comes to our follower numbers! **

**We can do it, team! :)**

 **That being said, I really only have two more announcements before I bid you all adiue for now, of course.**

 **For starters, I'd like to thank the deviantART user, Ruffu, for giving me permission to use their OC as a character in my story! They have _tons_ of cool drawings and paintings, including some of Megan Fawkes herself! So if you'd like to go and check out their work, along with perhaps giving yourselves a better idea of what Megan looks like, then you can find all of their work on devientART, of course! I hope you lot didn't mind the foxy new character, because we'll be seeing some more of her in the future! And yes, in case you are wondering, Megan is the very same fox that made a brief, but unmentioned appearance back in chapter 51, when Nick and Judy were in Pawaii on vacation.**

 **Another tip of the ol' hat to you, Ruffu! Thanks! :D**

 **Hmm... While on the topic of fox's, I'd also like to mention that the incoming (Yet still being planned out) _sixth_ arc has one as well! I have some pretty good ideas cookin' up here at HQ for what I want to do with the sixth arc, and I can't wait to put them all together for the big reveal when it finally arrives!**

 **Though of course, we still need to deal with Grygorri Ratsputin and all of _his_ dirty work, now don't we?**

 **Now, onto announcement number two: I'm considering gifting you lot with _another_ bonus chapter when we at last reach quadruple digits for our follower count! I've always been an author who enjoys listening to community feedback and ideas, and this time is no different, friends! Just recently, I posted a brand new poll for you all to vote on what scene you want acted out during the second bonus chapter. **

**_Do_ keep in mind that _your_ votes in the poll will end up dictating what happens in that bonus chapter, whenever it comes. Choose wisely.**

 **This story is _yours_ as much as it is mine, so do feel free to place your vote on the poll, which should be available on my account right now!**

 **There are a total of five different choices, each one very different in tone, mood, and setting.**

 **Well, that's just about all that I got for you now, my friends! Stay tuned for chapter 57, comin' your way soon! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	54. Wilde-Card

"Strategy requires thought, tactics require observation." - Max Euwe

* * *

11:41 A.M

Strategic thinking had always been something that Nick Wilde had used to his advantage.

For the majority of his life spent on the harsh streets of the city, the fox had to rely on his quick wit and his fast thinking skills just to get by effectively. His previous life-style demanded it, since he had often used his intelligence to slip out of sticky situations, and to trick other mammals for his own selfish advantages. He had always cherished his hasty judgement skills, and quite frankly, Nick considered himself to be much smarter than the average mammal, at least in and around the mental-reflexes department.

So when he had first learned about Ratsputin, he became intrigued and rather interested: A mammal with an eidetic memory wasn't something you heard about very often.

After his peculiar chess game with the rat himself, Nick found himself catering to the demanding whims of his more cynical side. Ratsputin had called him small-minded, and stupid. He had talked fast, and hadn't given Nick any time of his own to speak up in his defense: The whole scene reeked of deja vu, causing the fox to reminisce back to when he and Judy had first met, all those years ago.

Nick had berated Judy the entire time throughout that sweltering mid-afternoon stroll; Insulting her again and again, verbally attacking what he judged were her weak points, including her job, personality, culture, and even her place of origin. He had talked fast and without mercy, preventing Judy from speaking out in her own defense, completely blue-screening the rabbit on all sides.

Looking back on it, the comparisons were evident: Ratsputin had used nearly the exact same strategy for dealing with Nick.

From that experience, something started growing... Festering in his mind and causing him think abnormally and slightly amiss from his regular mentality...

An arrogant mind-set in his head was telling him, over and over again, that he was still one of the smartest mammals around, and that that despicable rat didn't know what he was talking about. Nick had survived nearly twenty full years, the vast majority of his adult life, living completely alone and exposed on the streets of Zootopia: He knew his way around every kind of neighborhood from Savannah-Central to Sahara-Square. If there was anything at all that he had to thank for his continued survival, it was his own will, wit, and intelligence. They all had kept him alive while he had been more or less homeless, and he valued them more than any physical possession that he had ever owned.

He didn't care _how_ superior Ratsputin's mental-capacity supposedly was: The fox wasn't going to let that rat beat him at his own game so easily!

Ever since their chess game had concluded, Nick had been thinking on what he would do, or say when he crossed paths with Ratsputin for a second time. He'd imagined himself using his own mental skills and intelligence to wittily cast the rat down, so as give him a taste of his own medicine. Deep down, Nick had actually been looking forward to, and even hoping to come across Ratsputin once again, so that his mere presence could spit back at the rat's face, telling him that his threat was nil to nothing in the fox's eyes.

But when the door was flung open, the questions were uttered, and the rat had been asked to leave, Nick realized that his opponent wasn't as predictable as he had thought.

Instead of some intense and challenging verbal confrontation between the two of them, Ratsputin had just chosen to leave the room. He had simply pushed his way past Nick without a second thought, as if he hadn't been worth the time nor the effort to communicate with, spare for the single, harsh glare that he had administered toward the fox.

That thought irritated Nick a lot more than it should have...

After the mayor had instructed Judy, Jack Savage, and Nick to come inside and speak with her, the fox took the time to close the wooden doors behind him in an effort to seal off the office from the outside world and all of it's subjects. Stealing a brief glance outside, Nick watched Ratsputin as he stomped down the length of the hall, his long tail whipping back and forth like a fleshy serpent. He appeared to be gripping his cane very tightly, since the arm that held it was rigid and flexed, squeezing the cane until the rat's bony knuckles turned white.

Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, the fox took note of how Ratsputin, despite owning a cane, seemed to have no visible or viable reason to use it in the first place...

His strides and footsteps were smooth and unfettered, completely unrestricted. The rat showed no signs of injury, or limping, and his walking speed seemed quite normal, if not surprisingly _fast_ for a mammal of his apparent age. Ratsputin didn't lean on his cane, or place it on the ground to hold up his weight: He simply held the cane in his left paw, gripping it almost as if it were some sort of tool, or weapon...

Momentarily halting near the edge of Megan Fawkes's receptions desk, Ratsputin jabbed a crooked finger in her direction, and hissed something to her likeness. Nick couldn't quite make out the exact words from that distance, but it was evident that the rat wasn't very cheery. Nodding toward the vixen at the front desk, Ratsputin then turned around and glared at the doors that led to the mayor's office one last time, sneering visibly when he locked eyes with the peeping fox.

Shutting the door quickly, Nick swallowed before recomposing himself and whirling around, eyeing the mayor's office and everything within it.

For as diverse, expansive, sprawling, and sophisticated as the city was, Nick Wilde still found it hard to believe that Zootopia's highest seat of power was nothing more than a simple, black office chair. The desk was clean and organized, as was the rest of the office and the things within it's walls. Every little detail was precise and to the point, situated in such a way to make it as easy on the eyes as possible. Stacks of papers and rows of pencils were all aligned intricately, and the office's windows were shiny and completely transparent, as if they had just recently been cleaned, or even completely replaced.

Nick wouldn't have been surprised if the mayor had OCD, or some other behavioral disorder...

At the sudden thought of the mayor herself, the fox then took the time to eye her up and down, starting from her pointed and delicate ears, the very tips of which were adorned with attenuated tufts of black hair. The old bobcat's beige, spot-patterned fur was rather short compared to most other feline mammal species, but appeared to be much coarser, and slightly more wiry. Her hazel-colored eyes were unquestionably feline, complete with oval-shaped pupils and virtually no visible sclera.

Mayor Lyncoln's cat-like face was gaunt, and tired-looking, but quite stern, and seemed to emit an aura of regal authority and mannerism. Alongside the lengths of her well accentuated cheek-bones, fluffy clumps of fur flowed down to her chin, smoother and comparatively more whisker-like than the rest of the fur on her lean body, which itself was clad in a dark brown office suit and an identically colored pair of bell-bottom office slacks.

With closed eyes, Mayor Lyncoln inhaled deeply through her nostrils, the entire room around her completely filled with silence as she opened her eyes and spoke aloud;

"Though I have my suspicions, I'd appreciate it if you told me why exactly you three are here..."

"Mayor Lyncoln, with all due respect, we just witnessed a governmental-level blackmailing offense! We _need_ to go out there and arrest R-"

The bobcat raised her left paw in a gesture of silence, effectively causing the bunny to trail off and purse her lips in disappointment as the mayor retorted.

"I understand your desire to do so, officer Hopps, but you need to understand that it wouldn't get you _anywhere_... If you brought him in to the ZPD, he'd simply worm his way out, just like _all_ the other times. You can question him, and interrogate him, but he'd still find a way to slip off as if nothing had ever happened. He's near untouchable..."

"That can't be possible..." Judy muttered quickly. " _Nobody's_ above the law like that!"

"Officer Hopps, if you want to go out there and run after him, then by all means, _go right ahead_. You'll arrest him under suspicion of extortion, bring him back to the ZPD, and question him. _Then what_? Blackmail isn't considered illegal here in Zootopia, and _even_ if it was, Ratsputin has _countless_ collaborators and lawyers, _all_ of whom would be willing, either by hire or threat, to testify against _anything_ we throw at him. The court-system _isn't_ foolproof: Grygorri can bribe, threaten, and pay his way out of virtually any minor offense, blackmail included."

With raised eye-brows and a confused expression, the fox spared a glance at the female bunny, who simply shrugged in response. Biting back a curse, Nick swallowed hard and looked away. He'd been hoping that Judy would be able to concur against the mayor's statements, since she was a living, breathing encyclopedia when it came to police work. Instead, his inquiry was met with silence: She had nothing at the moment.

Meanwhile, Mayor Lyncoln was continuing her explanation.

"Besides... You don't even have any proof to use against him... _Nobody_ would believe an eyewitness account. Owning nearly the entire news industry present in the city of Zootopia, Ratsputin's word is _very_ powerful, _and_ one that people agree with... Your word would be useless, _especially_ going against _his_.."

" _Actually_... We _do_ have proof..." Judy mused, pulling her carrot pen recorder out from her utility belt. "And it wouldn't be our word going against his..."

She thumbed down the button, rewinding the device's most recent recording. When the static-sounding noise had subsided, the rat's croaky voice begun it's recorded tirade.

" _I'm fueling that fire? Well, perhaps your statement does ring with a tiny bit of truth, but you must understand that I'm only telling them what they want to hear! The public adores reading over the papers that list reasons why predators are more prone to violent behavior. They completely eat up the stocks of news-papers that explain why inter-species relationships are bad for the economy, population, and the social community. The public know what they like, don't they_?"

Mayor Lyncoln's pre-recorded voice suddenly interjected;

" _Beats me as to why... Your papers are nothing but lies_..."

And at that, the recording came to a halt, filling the room with silence once more.

"It's _his_ word against his." Judy concluded, smiling to herself.

Mayor Lyncoln sighed heavily and closed her eyes again, rubbing at her temples tenderly for a count of five before speaking out loud;

"Officer Hopps, while I appreciate the consideration and the effort that came with it, I'm afraid to say that your so-called _proof_ is completely useless..."

"What? _Useless_? W-why is it useless? We got him _on_ record-" She shook the device between her fingers. "-Admitting that he's got the papers rigged!"

"But does it have him _on_ record admitting that he's a blackmailer?"

Judy's confident expression slacked, and her arm dropped to her side. Exhaling in defeat, she slipped the device back into her utility belt.

"No." She replied simply, but truthfully.

Jack Savage smiled wide and chuckled audibly, shaking his head back and forth as he wheezed his coming words.

"Ya done goofed, Hopps... Ya done goofed..."

" _Shut it_ , rabbit!" Nick ordered as he tugged on his side of the cuffs, causing Jack to step a few feet away from Judy. "No one asked for your opinion!"

"It isn't my opinion, _fox_..." The male rabbit hissed through grit teeth, stepping up to Nick and glaring him in the eye. "It's the _truth_! She stopped the recording too soon!"

"Hey now, it isn't _her_ fault!" Nick retorted, his lips pulling back and revealing his pointed rows of teeth.

"I'm not _accusing_ her, I'm just... Pointing out the facts!" Jack claimed in his defense.

"Well, she had to start the recording _somewhere_ , didn't she? The pen can only record for about a minute at a time before stopping, so even if she-"

" _E_ _nough_!" Mayor Lyncoln shouted, silencing the room. "Instead of _you two_ arguing about what you ultimately had _no_ part in, _I_ think it would be a _much_ better idea to just drop it."

"B-but I was just-" Jack stammered quickly.

"Wouldn't you agree?" The bobcat mused, interrupting the male rabbit, who simply nodded his head in agreement. Nick repeated the gesture.

"That's just exactly what I thought..." Blair then turned towards Judy. "Officer Hopps, do feel free to continue on your behalf... The floor is yours."

The female bunny straightened herself out, perking her ears up in a more confident stature.

"Mayor Lyncoln, we came here today to perform and partake in an internal-investigation, and were sent by chief Bogo of the ZPD to do so."

The bobcat nodded, and for the first time since meeting her, actually smiled. Through parted lips, she spoke out loud;

"As I claimed before, I think I know just why... But still, I'd like to hear it from you: Why are you here, or for better terms, _what_ are you investigating here at city-hall?"

"Bogo sent us to investigate Grygorri Ratsputin's visitations..." She hesitated, swallowing hard as she looked the mayor in the eye and finalized her explanation.

"With you..."

"With me, eh? Thelonious always _has_ been a suspicious mammal, especially after the whole incident with that ewe, Dawn Bellwether, and all of _her_ criminal associations. She was one bad apple, wasn't she? I suppose I can't blame him, though: _I'd_ be suspicious _too_ , if I were in _his_ position. And I take it that he thinks I'm working with Ratsputin, no?"

Judy swiveled her head, locking eyes with Nick, who pursed his lips and nodded. Looking back to the bobcat, who sat patiently in wait, the bunny then voiced her thoughts aloud.

"We've been sent to investigate the possibility of such, but our main goal is simply to protect the safety of the public, including _you_ , Mayor Lyncoln."

The bobcat nodded slowly. "Is that so?" She stood up from her office chair and leaned over her side of the desk. "You're here to investigate Grygorri?"

"Yes, that is correct." Judy confirmed immediately.

"And you wish to... Interview me, I suppose?"

"Yes ma'am. Please understand that this is for a police investigation, and although your associations with Ratsputin are your own business, they've gotten prominent enough to attract the attention of the ZPD. We need you to tell the truth, and nothing _but_ the truth... Anything but will be perceived as impediment of an official investigation, and-"

"Yes, I understand, officer Hopps..." Blair interrupted. "I'll tell you all that you need to know about my relationship with Grygorri, and _nothing_ more... Do _you_ understand?"

Locking eyes with Nick once again, Judy took note of the fox's raised eye-brows and puzzled expression. Avoiding Jack's own gaze, the female bunny looked back to the bobcat.

"We understand." She claimed with a confident expression.

Mayor Lyncoln made a sort of _hmming_ sound beneath her breath, which she followed up by clearing her throat audibly and sitting back down upon her office chair.

"Very well." She stated simply before inhaling deeply through her nostrils and beginning her explanation without hesitation or delay.

"Grygorri Ratsputin has always been a frequent when it comes to politics... His papers report the all of the elections, after all... It has never been considered rare or abnormal for him to stop by city-hall, chat with the delegates, and then leave soon after. He'd come in and speak with the candidates and their associates personally, claiming that he just wanted information for the news-papers, but I'd be willing to bet that the only reason he bothered to in the first place was so that he could learn more information about them to use for his own advantages, whatever those may be."

She momentarily paused, reaching out to her desk and picking up a small glass of water, of which she sipped from before setting back down onto the surface of the desk.

"That all changed when Dawn Bellwether was elected into office after Leodore Lionheart was detained and imprisoned. As soon as that tyrannical little sheep got her name on this chair, Ratsputin stopped his visits altogether. It's fairly common knowledge that Bellwether was obsessed with the prospect of an all-prey society, and that her motivation to achieve such an idea was very fierce, and unrelenting, but there was _another_ layer _beneath_ that mind-set...

Mayor Lyncoln cleared her throat once again before taking several sips from her glass. She swallowed, and continued her explanation.

"There are rumors that place Ratsputin as the funder behind Bellwether's schemes... After all, _someone_ had to have financed her plans, and it _certainly_ wasn't the city's own government. But alongside this, the two of them were working together on _another_ project... One that was just as, if not _even more_ barbaric than the Night-Howler serum. And now, as it's funder, and last remaining contributor, he wants _all_ the evidence that was gathered from the case. _That's_ what he's after. _Why_ , I do not know... That is all that I have to tell you...""

After swallowing another small sip of water, the mayor rubbed her neck tenderly with one of her paws, as if it was aching from some invisible force.

"What were they working on?" Judy questioned, holding her notepad and pencil ready to write down the mayor's response.

"I've already said too much..." Blair muttered, shaking her head from side to side. "You aren't supposed to know..."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Mayor Lyncoln growled beneath her breath, causing the bunny cop to step back a few feet in apprehension.

" _Exactly_ what it sounds like! After Bellwether was captured, _all_ the evidence of her schemes and projects was either destroyed, or hidden away in the archives of this very building. We intended for what we found to _never_ be seen by the public eye, no matter _what_ the scenario! The documents and evidence from that project have an _immeasurable_ potential for destruction! I cannot, and _will not_ tell you what they are, _or_ where they are, _regardless_ of whether or not you three are on some internal investigation."

"You can't? But why not?"

"State-secrets, officer Hopps. _State-secrets_. And there you have it: That's the relationship Ratsputin has with city-hall. He's trying to reclaim the documents that were confiscated from the case, and he's been threatening me to reveal them to him, and to _give_ them to him. That's what he wants, and that's why he's here. Nothing more, nothing less."

"So he _is_ threatening you!" Judy exclaimed out of the blue. "He's threatening you to get to the documents! That gives us more evidence to use against him!"

Mayor Lyncoln sighed, and took one final sip form her glass of water, completely draining the cup of it's beverage. She then cleared her throat and explained to Judy.

"To fight against Ratsputin's methods, you _need_ to understand how they _work_ : You can arrest him, but _won't_ be able to effectively prosecute _or_ imprison him _unless_ you catch him _in the_ _act_ of threatening someone, or acting out his threats. Nearly _any_ other scenario, whether it's eyewitness accounts or verbal testimony; Just wouldn't work. You may have him held down for a little bit, but it would only be a matter of time until he broke free, and then went after you with a vengeance."

"She's right you know..." Jack Savage pointed out. "It's basic court politics: Innocent until proven guilty."

" _Exactly_. That's why Grygorri Ratsputin has managed to evade capture and prosecution for all of this time: He cleans up his own tracks, silences those who speak out against him, _and_ not to mention has free-reign over _vast_ portions of the news industry, giving him a _very_ powerful tool to threaten conspirators with. So not only is there never any proof of his accusations, but his position over the city makes him very slippery, and _very_ hard to deal with."

"I guess that makes sense." Judy mused. "But about these documents, _whatever_ they are: What if we just take them to the ZPD? They might be safe from Ratsputin there!"

The mayor seemed to think that thought over, placing one paw beneath her fuzzy chin and stroking delicately at the wispy hairs that sprouted from her jawline.

"Perhaps... I'll have to consider it... But that's all that I have to, and _will_ tell you at the moment, officers... For now, I'll grant you complete investigative immunity on my behalf, which should be more than enough to allow you to explore the city-hall. Feel free to question anyone you come across, but _do_ know this: If I receive word that you three are trying to delve into matters that are _outside_ your range of concern, I will show you _no_ leniency. Do you understand?"

All three of the mammals nodded at the mayor's response, causing the female bobcat to sigh in relief and relax a little bit more into her office chair.

Meanwhile, Nick had dragged Jack Savage over to the exit door, where he unclasped his side of the hand-cuffs before cuffing the male rabbit to the door-handle, immobilizing him while giving the fox free reign to walk around. Flexing and massaging his aching paw, Nick turned around and looked back to the mayor before explaining his thoughts.

"Oh, I hope you don't mind... I need to go use the restroom, and I'd rather not drag this _convict_ around... Carrots, you can speak some more with the mayor while I'm gone..."

The female rabbit nodded in agreement and flipped open her notepad before turning toward the bobcat, who sighed once again before straightening herself out in preparation for the coming onslaught of personal questions. All the while, Nick took down the length of the exit hall, distancing himself from the mayor's office in search of the nearest wash-room. Ignoring Jack's irritated glare that was no-doubt burning holes into the back of his head, the fox continued down the hall-way until he reached the receptions desk where Megan Fawkes had been working earlier that afternoon.

Stealing a brief glance behind the mess of paper-work and other cheap office supplies, Nick noticed that the vixen was missing from her usual spot. She'd apparently just left, since the coffee mug that was positioned across the desk counter-top was still steaming ever so slightly, indicating a rather recent vacating.

Shrugging off the occasion, the fox made his way to the nearest fox-sized rest-room, which was built into the wall of the hall-way that led back to the floor's elevator lobby. Upon finding it, Nick pushed against the door and promptly entered, headed straight towards the closest urinal. His semi-sensitive ears detected another mammal's faint breathing from behind one of the stalls, but he cared nothing of it.

Closing his eyes and relieving himself, his ears twitched at the sound of the occupied toilet flushing, the stall's lock being flipped aside quickly, and the rigid creaking noise that accompanied the door as it opened wide. Not bothering to flush his own urinal, Nick then turned around and jumped at the sight of Ratsputin, casually washing his hands at the marble-lined sink. The rat's long, flesh-colored tail swished back and forth slowly, delicately scraping against the smooth tile floor of the bathroom.

"We meet again, Nicholas... I thought you'd come calling..." The rat stated, staring Nick down over his shoulder with a single, coal-black eye.

"Uh, heh..." The fox stifled a rather nervous laugh. "Were you in there the entire time?"

"I suppose I was... Or rather, maybe you and I just have an unfortunate, coincidental knack for bumping in to one another in the most peculiar of places..."

"You should be arrested... What you're doing isn't right..." Nick grumbled beneath his breath, causing the rat to snort in response.

"And _you_ shouldn't be here!" Ratsputin retorted as he grabbed a paper-towel from the dispenser. "I would have thought that my previous demands would have scared you off."

"Well, I don't scare that easily..." Nick claimed, instinctively jumping as he accidentally leaned back and flushed the urinal behind him.

Ratsputin laughed dryly. "I'm sure you don't." He said with an undertone of sarcasm. "So, you come here against my best wishes and demands... And for what? To stop me?"

The rat wrung the paper-towel between his paws before flicking it nonchalantly onto the floor of the restroom.

"If I may speak frankly, what a _puny_ plan. The _only_ thing that you could _possibly_ accomplish coming here is digging your own grave, Nicholas."

"Kinda ironic, considering that you're a lot older than me..." The fox trailed off as Ratsputin administered a smoldering glare. "Point is, _you_ don't know what you're talkin' about."

"Do I though? What was the _only_ thing that I warned you specifically **_not_** to do?"

"Uhh, well... To go to city-hall?"

" _Precisely_... And might I ask what building we are currently standing in?" The rat questioned hastily and to the point.

The fox swallowed.

"City-hall." He near-whispered.

" _Yes_... That's right... _City-hall_..." Grygorri hissed. "Your arrival here was truthfully, something I didn't expect, believe it or not! You _surprised_ me with this move of yours, fox."

"I did?" Nick asked simply.

"Indeed... Well done."

"Thank you... Heh..." The fox cleared his throat audibly. "So what are you still doing here, huh?"

"Why, I simply wanted to speak with you! There isn't anything wrong with _that_ , is there?"

"No, I guess not..."

There was an awkward silence to the count of ten, of which Ratsputin spent every second staring down the fox, his oil-dark eyes fixed and unblinking the entire time.

" _Twice_ our paws have crossed!" Ratsputin finally stated. "Let's leave it at that!"

"So, what, you don't like my company?" The fox joked, causing the rat to furrow his brow in disappointment. "And here I was thinking that you _enjoyed_ my company!"

"And here _I_ was thinking that you had earned a vacation, _but_ here I find you, working to solve some _new_ mystery..." Ratsputin mocked. " _Undoubtedly_ on another's behalf."

"Who, you mean chief Bogo? This has _nothing_ to do with him!" Nick growled, taking a step closer. "I heard how you _threatened_ him too... _Not cool_!"

"I didn't threaten him, not a _single_ bit! All _I_ did was remind him who's _really_ in charge of this city." The rat claimed, topping it off with a single nod.

"Is that so?" Nick mused, placing his paws on his hips.

"Quite. I simply redirected his interests, and reminded him that even _his_ position as chief of the ZPD isn't immune to flaw. _Yours_ isn't either, as a point of fact."

"Is that a threat? Such bravado, considering the fact that _I'm_ the one of the tranquilizer gun." The fox stated, pulling out his weapon from it's holster.

"Weapons or not, _no_ mammal is without flaw... Without pressure points, waiting to be exploited: Even your boisterous little lapin friends aren't safe..."

"Okay, you're getting awfully close to crossin' the line here, _pal_." Nick growled, jabbing a finger at the rat as he took a step closer.

"And _you're_ getting awfully close to my personal space... I _really_ don't like being touched, mind you... I recommend that you step away immediately... Also, I'm not your pal..."

"What are you going to do about?" The fox snarled lowly, stepping even closer. "You're all _bark_ and no _bite_!" Nick stated as he chomped his teeth together.

"Really now?" Ratsputin inquired, seemingly genuinely curious.

"Yeah, that's right. You're _nothing_ but _talk_ , old man... You said that you'd ruin me if I came to city-hall, yet _here_ I am! I have yet to see you do _anything_ -"

Nick poked Ratsputin a single time in the shoulder as he finished his last sentence. In a blur of movement faster than he could blink, Nick felt his tranquilizer gun get knocked out of his paw, and the wind knocked out of _him_ as he was forcefully shoved against the bath-room wall behind him, and he slid down the length of the wall until he was sitting down on the floor. His ears were suddenly filled with the distinct sound of metal sliding quickly against metal, and when the blur in his vision faded away, the fox's eyes crossed as they focused on the pointed tip of a long metal blade, hovering just inches away from his twitching russet face.

" _Oh_ , that's where you're **_wrong_** , Nicholas..." The rat muttered darkly. "I may be old, but I'm still **_very much_** capable of the things that I promise upon my enemies..."

Unable to find his voice, the fox's emerald-colored eyes darted around the room, analyzing everything that they could see. Lying on the tile-lain floor, a long and cylindrical object was unmoving and out of place in it's current environment. Upon closer examination, Nick realized that it was the outer part of Ratsputin's cane, completely stripped away from the handle as if it were some sort of sheath, or scabbard... But that would mean...

Swallowing hard, Nick's eyes focused on the fine point of the blade in front. It was then clear to the fox that what looked like a simple, ornamental cane, was really a sword in disguise. Connected to the handle of the cane itself, which was still gripped firmly in the rat's right paw, the blade extended for a good three feet before ending in a sharp and pointed tip, of which gleamed both delicately and wickedly in the artificial light emitted from the ceiling panels above.

It was no wonder that Ratsputin didn't limp on his cane: It was a weapon, built for what weapons do best...

"The _only_ reason that you're still standing..." Ratsputin hissed. "The _only_ reason that I haven't _ruined you_ yet, is because I think that you may prove _useful_ to me..."

The fox's eyes darted up and down the length of Ratsputin's cane before the out-line of a black-colored object in the corner of his eye caught his gaze. Staring it down, Nick realized that it was his tranquilizer gun, which had been expertly knocked out of his grip, and had flown half-way across the length of the bathroom, completely out of reach.

"W-what do you mean?" Nick sputtered, careful with his movement, since the tip of the blade was just a mere few inches away from his jugular vein.

The rat smiled darkly.

"You are my wild-card, Nicholas... I can bend you _one way_..."

Ratsputin pressed the very tip of his sword into the fox's chest and twisted his wrist, causing the blade to contort painfully against the fox's skin.

"Or the _other_..."

The rat then twisted his sword in the opposite direction, along with the sensitive skin beneath Nick's blue-colored police uniform.

"Being a wild-card, you have _many_ different uses, but _you_ deserve a gambit from a _skilled_ opponent..."

Grygorri chuckled humorlessly and lifted his blade from the fox's chest, repositioning it just centimeters away from one of his eyes.

"I may not have predicted you _actually_ showing up here, but _mark_ my words, I _will_ recover from this unfortunate miscalculation, and you- _will_ _-_ pay for it!"

He retracted his blade slowly, moving it a few inches farther back from the fox's quivering muzzle.

"This is the first move of yours in our little game I didn't predict... Too bad it's wasted... You'll find **_nothing_** here! I _suggest_ that you waste no further time on this endeavor..."

In a final act of dominance and authority, Ratsputin literally spat upon Nick, the glob of saliva landing just above the fox's twitching eyebrows, right between his eyes. Chuckling lowly to himself, Grygorri stepped back cautiously and picked up his scabbard before sheathing the blade back into it's proper place. Gripping the now perfectly normal cane between his fingers, the rat twirled it about as he exited the bathroom without another word.

Nick simply sat there in solitude and solemn silence for what felt like hours on end.

Blinking a few times as his eyes glazed over, the fox shook his head and hurriedly hauled himself to his feet, momentarily stumbling before regaining his balance and running outside, practically kicking the door down as he exited the rest-room and reentered the hall-way. Nick slowly turned in a circle, gazing down the hall-ways in search of Ratsputin.

For as far as the eye could see, there was no trace that the rat had ever even set foot inside the building.

Swallowing hard, Nick took off in the direction that he had came from, sprinting all the way back to the mayor's office with his heart racing as fast as it ever had before.

* * *

 **Hello Everyone!**

 **I just want to start this off by saying thank you all _so much_! When I noticed that this story of ours had finally reached 1000 followers, I literally shouted aloud, because I was _so_ excited! So pleased! So proud of each and _every_ one of you! Thank you all _so much_ for this momentous and amazing journey! I'll be bringing you more content well into the future, and from it, I have no one to thank but _you_...**

 ** _Thank you_... Thank you all _so much_ for making this such a fun, and amazing experience on all sides. :D**

 **As promised, your bonus chapter reward should be coming up here in a few days tops. The poll picks were all _very close_ in the top three choices, and are nearly tied! Vote before it is too late! Besides, I got another poll planned here soon enough... I know _I'm_ lookin' forward to it's arrival! **

**So yeah, expect that brand new bonus chapter to be coming here soon enough! Now, for our next goal: 1000 favorites! We're pretty close on that one too! :)**

 **Alright, moving on...**

 **I know how last chapter, I claimed that I'd have some more artwork for you guys to show off, and I do! Some _very_ cool stuff, actually! Of course, there's some more minor drawings that I did myself, but the crowning feature of this new wave of art is undoubtedly the drawing of Grygorri Ratsputin that a good friend of mine from Discord was generous enough to create and gift to me! I _absolutely love_ it, and if any of you would like to see it, you can easily find it on my Tumblr account, which is labeled identically to this one:  upplet**

 **One of the things that I like so much about this new art-piece of Ratsputin is the pose/design of it: I personally think that it mirrors the rat's personality _very_ well! In the drawing, Ratsputin holds Nick and Judy in the palm of his hand, looking down on them with a crooked smile on his face. It fits with his personality so well because Ratsputin likes to see himself as so much more than just a little rat: He sees himself as large and in charge, powerful enough to crush anybody in the palm of his hand, just like in the drawing! I love it! :)**

 **Lastly: Since I love you all _so_ much, I'm willing to go over just one more lil' thing before I leave you be, of course. Some of you have mentioned and questioned me over the aforementioned _Deciduous-District_ that I briefly stated over back in chapter 56. If I recall correctly, it was Ratsputin himself who mentioned it while he was arguing with the mayor about all the protests that had been happening in the city of Zootopia as of late. **

**For those of you wondering, _no_ , the Deciduous-District is _not_ a canon location, which is kinda strange, in my opinion. I'm sure the idea has been brought up before from other sources, but in my story, I'll gladly take you to _my_ version of the Deciduous-District, and some of it's sub-districts, in the coming 6th arc! I'd _love_ to know your guy's opinions on the Deciduous-District, and some of it's sub-districts, including; Maple-Heights, Pine-Point, Conifer-Corner, and the largest of all, Beaverdam (which actually _is_ a canon location, and can be seen in the briefing room in the actual movie)! **

**The plot of the 6th arc will involve a trip to there, eventually, with plenty o' fluff to behold for all! :)**

 **Oh, and also: Do feel free to leave a review detailing your thoughts over this latest chapter! I'd _adore_ knowing what you lot think of the mayor, and especially Ratsputin's actions against Nick! You can theorize all you want about what exactly the aforementioned documents are, but I won't tell! I won't!**

 **You'll find out in the next chapter! ;)**

 **Regardless, that's that for news! I'm clean out of stuff to tell you guys for now, so I'll bid you lot adieu! Stay tuned for chapter 58, comin' your way soon!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Cheers!**


	55. Lecherous Merriment

**Hey Everyone!**

 **I'm proud to present to you the latest chapter, and 2nd 'bonus chapter' of When Instinct Falls, _Lecherous Merriment_! :)**

 **Just to clarify, this takes place before Nick and Judy went undercover in Jack Savage's building. Hell, it takes place even before the two of them took their spring-break vacation to Bunny-Burrow all the way back in chapter seven! The events in this chapter fit somewhere in the the time slot between chapter 6 and chapter 7 respectively, which in total, stands as roughly one month. It's nearly the start of spring at this point in time, as a point of fact! :)**

 **Now, this isn't the longest chapter, and it certainly didn't come very quickly, and I apologize for that. I had some other things in the way, topped off by a little bit of shameless laziness, but that's no situation for you lot to worry about, now is it? :P**

 **In all seriousness, despite the rather short chapter this time around, do keep in mind that it's a _bonus_ chapter,  not really designed to advance the plot or continue the story, but to fill in the gaps and provide some sweet entertainment, of course. I still hope that you all will find some enjoyment out of this new, and nearly one hundred percent fluff chapter!**

 **Though of course, it does have an explicit scene near the very bottom of the chapter, so just a fair warning! (Does not apply to Clean-Version readers) :)**

 **Although the top three choices for the poll were quite close and all very interesting to delve in to, it's this one that won out over the others in the very end.**

 **You lot know what you like, don't you? ;P**

 **Regardless, I had an absolute blast cookin' up this new chapter, and I hope you all will enjoy it as much as I did, certainly!**

 **I've _no one_ to thank but _you_ , in the end. All thanks to you, this story is where it is today, and where it will be in the future. _Thank you_ for this amazing journey.**

 **Without further ado, I present to you chapter 58, the 2nd bonus chapter, one thousand follower and over +340000 view special, _Lecherous Merriment_!**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"Life may not be the party that we hoped for, but we should still dance." - Jeanne C. Stein

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"Wine brings to light the hidden secrets of the soul." - Horace

* * *

9:35 P.M

Springtime.

It was a time of colorful verdure and blooming blossoms, of sunny skies and watery cloudbursts, of runny noses and respiratory congestion... All at the same time...

Yet all pretenses aside, the capricious season of spring also brought with it a completely new feeling for most mammals to behold.

Love was quite literally in the air, as mammals of all shapes, sizes, and species begun to broadcast their reproductive pheromones, some in hopes of attracting a mate, others simply to woo and seduce their current partners. Mating season was personified by the intoxicating smell of bodily chemicals, and the unquenchable desire to mate.

But no mammal knew this feeling more than the rabbits of Bunny-Burrow, who were subjugated to it nearly all year-round. It was just another part of their culture, and stood as one that was accepted as the norm back in the seemingly never-ending fields and hills of the Tri-Burrow County. However, in the actual city of Zootopia itself, it wasn't uncommon for jokes over such a topic to be tossed around Judy's likeness, who tried her best to politely avoid them in their entirety.

Despite it all, the young bunny simply couldn't escape her own body, especially since spring was a time where rabbits were even _more_ susceptible to their own biological desires.

Judy found herself being extra careful around her own partner, who she was near-certain had already begun to detect her encroaching pheromones. Sure, she _had_ mated with him twice before at this point, but it was still a subject that she tried hard to avoid, and a feeling that she attempted to hide: Judy didn't want to be stereotyped or categorized as just another heated bunny during 'that time of year', so she kept her feelings to herself as best she could.

Time dragged on, and her desires only continued to peak with each passing day. It certainly didn't help that almost every time she looked up at the fox's handsome face, he would wiggle his eye-brows, or administer a single, sly wink in her direction. Judy wanted to tell him so badly, but even still, kept quiet to herself: As Nick himself might say, she didn't want him, or anyone else, to see that springtime was getting to her.

She would have taken the opportunity to bed down with Nick in a heart-beat, so as the days passed by, she started to fear that her own work would be effected if she didn't.

Eventually, it had gotten to the point where she would do everything within her own power to refrain from thinking about her desires and her lecherous feelings. So, when the fox had brought up the topic of Clawhauser's birthday celebration, which would be held at Gazelle's latest concert, Judy gladly accepted the invitation. She was more than willing for another distraction at this point, and she didn't turn down the opportunity when it presented itself. Besides, she _loved_ Gazelle and her music! It would be fun!

Later, the bunny found out that not only would Clawhauser's birthday party celebration be held at a Gazelle concert, but that all of the party guests, which included Nick, Judy, Bogo, and a number of others from Precinct One, would be granted full access to the back-stage area after the concert was finished, where they would be able to chat with Gazelle and her performers, all while being given a VIP tour of the mechanics behind the concert stage.

The date soon arrived, and with its arrival, the group of mammals, accompanied by hundred of other guests, all flocked to the Sahara-Square, where they planned to gather at the very base of the Palm Hotel, where the concert would be held. The whole event was apparently sponsored by the hotel itself, which probably hoped to gain some extra foot-traffic, on top of the prospect of more people booking rooms for the night.

That must've been their grand strategy: To tire out the huge masses of the concert's crowd, making them stay late into the night and not want to go back home, and instead spend the rest of the coming night in the Palm Hotel itself, which as a matter of fact, had suspiciously just upped its already considerably expensive room prices.

At the very least, that was _Nick's_ theory: Ever the pessimist, he always was.

With their VIP passes hung proudly upon their necks, Nick and Judy, along with all of their friends, followed the flow of the crowds into the heart of the concert stadium, which was near identical to the one that they all had partied in some three years back, after the conclusion of the Night-Howler case.

Eyeing the scenery, both Nick and Judy found themselves squinting at the onslaught of bright and colorful lights, of which flashed across their vision in red, blue, green, white, and virtually every color of the entire spectrum itself. Prismatic lazers beamed around in synchronized harmony, and gigantic screens broad-casted colorful and dancing shapes.

In the very center of the concert stadium, a circular stage rose up from a pristine pool of water, which itself spouted jets of mist and vapor that splashed and danced rhythmically, but still without music to accompany it. The concert stage was colorful and clean, purple-tinted in the miasma of bright flashing lights that filled the air and flowed across the ground in prismatic harmony.

The concert had yet to even start, but Judy already had begun to feel her heart racing within her chest, blissful excitement overtaking her mind and body.

"Let's get closer, slick! I wanna be able to see Gazelle!" The bunny stated, pulling Nick along by his paw.

Smirking to himself, Nick silently obliged, and followed his mate through the thick of the crowd, which consisted of all sorts of mammals, ranging in size, shape, color, and species. Elephants and giraffes stood near the back, while the more smaller-sized mammals positioned themselves closer to the stage, so as to be able to see and hear better.

After finding a suitable spot, the two mammals soon recomposed themselves properly and waited patiently for the concert to begin.

"It was really nice of Clawhauser to invite us here!" Judy started. "This is _so_ cool!"

The fox nodded his head in agreement, all the while eyeing his mate up and down. Judy wore a white, skintight tank top, which itself was beneath an unbuttoned plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up neatly to her elbows. Her legs were enwrapped in a slightly torn-up pair of denim shorts, which extended down to about mid-thigh before roughly being cut off. Her cute, fluffy little tail poked through the fabric, wiggling delicately and causing Nick to smile in response.

Looking down at his own clothes, he snickered: Nothing special. Just his usual attire, consisting of his boring green floral shirt, a pair of beige-colored khakis, and one striped purple tie.

He wasn't one for very diverse or unique outfits...

Smiling down at the bunny below him, the fox took to his own verbal response to the likes of her previous statement.

"Well, I reckon that it's only gonna get better from here on out, whiskers... After the concert ends, we still have the backstage party, now don't we?"

The fox patted the bunny on the shoulder and smiled coyly down at her from his height. Smiling warmly right back at him, Judy voiced her thoughts out loud;

"So what's the deal with these, huh?" She questioned, fingering the plastic card around her neck. "What happens next, exactly?"

"Ever the dumb bunny, aren't you?" Nick retorted teasingly, earning himself an elbow to the sternum.

"Oh shut it, scruffy! Just answer the question, will ya?"

"Alrighty then... So, once Gazelle finishes the concert and quits singing, we meet up with Clawhauser and the others near the entrance, and from there, the staff will take us on a tour of the backstage, which is actually right beneath our feet! We'll also get to meet Gazelle up close and personally, and I heard that there's gonna be some drinks too."

"Nice! Sounds like fun!" The bunny exclaimed excitedly.

"Sure does, fluff... I guess that we still have to wait for the concert itself to start though, so best-"

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" A female-sounding voice boomed across the stadium, interrupting the fox mid-sentence.

"I HOPE YOU'RE ALL READY TO GET _DOWN_!"

Upon closer examination, Nick realized that the voice filling his ears was none other than Gazelle herself, who must've been speaking through some microphone, somewhere. Eyeing the colorful stage in the middle of the massive auditorium, the fox watched as the famous singer appeared from the very middle of the stage itself, no doubt risen up by some small platform or elevator that connected to the center of the stage from the mechanics beneath their very feet.

From six other spots on the stage, Gazelle's back-up dancers rose from the surface of the platform, partially obscured in a cloud of white and purple-colored mist.

The lights dimmed down before focusing on the stage, where the famous pop-star and her accomplices begun their routine, starting with Gazelle's unquestionably most famous song, Try Everything. Both Nick and Judy knew the song plenty well, especially the latter, who adored it with every fiber in her entire being. Judy personally believed that the song itself was the perfect musical personification of all of life's little joys, and thus, it easily grew to be her most favorite song, even despite the slew of other pop-songs just like it.

Nick himself didn't think much of it: For the longest time, he saw the song as somewhat ironic, in a sense, since there was a time when such an idea was nigh-impossible.

Though, ever since he met Judy, his cynical side has slowly been melting away. Now, though he still saw the song as a better of an overrated push-over, he had actually grown to enjoy it for more than just the reverberating chords that it produced, but for the true meaning behind the lyrics, and what they meant on modern day Zootopia as a whole.

The beats were invigorating, the lights were rejuvenating, and the kick of the crowd alone was nearly enough to make _anyone_ jump up and dance... Such was the power of music.

Nick didn't consider himself much of a dancer, really. Despite the heated buzz of the music and the rippling masses of the crowd, the fox simply took to watching the center of the colorful stage, and listening to the rhythmic beats, his paws stuffed firmly into his pockets. All the while, his right foot tapped up and down to the beat of the music, which thrummed against his ear-drums and caused his fur to stand on end.

Meanwhile, Judy was bouncing up and down excitedly, her arms tucked in and held close to her sides. Her eyes were closed, and her ears were perked up to the sky, no doubt taking in all of the sounds and noises that they could possibly detect. After a short while dancing to herself, the female bunny noticed that Nick was just standing there, listening to the music, but far from fully enjoying it.

Maneuvering herself closer to the fox, Judy swung her waist-line in his general direction and administered a satisfying hip-check to his pelvis, knocking him slightly off balance and causing him to smirk as he rolled his eyes and begun to swish his arms around to the beat of the music. Pleased with herself, Judy smiled and inched even closer to the fox, dancing right beside him for the entirety of the song's remaining chords and lyrics.

The female bunny was personally hoping deep down that her mate would get the message: That she was feeling rather affectionate that evening.

Try Everything continued until it's very end, from which a new song sprung up from the waning music. A number of Gazelle's other hit songs, including Hips Don't Lie, Waka Waka, Dare, and Can't Remember to Forget You all played throughout the remainder of the concert, which dragged on for roughly another hour and a half before at last coming to an end.

Quickly exiting the stadium in an effort to beat the crowds to the stadium's entrance, the bunny and fox met up Clawhauser and Bogo, along with a number of other off-duty officers, before making their way to the back of the stadium, where they followed through a set of doors and met up with their guide, who happened to be one of the tigers that was dancing alongside Gazelle herself on the stage back during the concert.

Following the black and orange striped cat down the length of the hall-way, the group of mammals descended multiple stair-cases before entering a sprawling network of large, concrete-lined rooms that expanded beneath the property of the concert-stadium. Their guide showed them around the backstage, which was draped with fuzzy-red curtains, and lain over with all sorts of props, decorations, and other confusing-looking mechanisms that must've been the elevation chambers that led up to the middle of the concert stage.

The pack of mammals was led to a cozy-looking recreational section near the back of the hypogeum, which itself was filled with multi-colored couches and decorated with posters of famous singers and song-writers, including Gazelle herself. But aside from the printed posters, the actual pop-star herself was lounging in the room with a number of her back-up dancers.

Chuckling to himself, Nick watched Clawhauser as he tensed up and squealed loudly, all the while quickly pacing over in the direction of the famous singer. The fox could tell that Bogo was trying _really_ hard not to appear completely thrilled at the presence of Gazelle herself, whom was now practically rubbing elbows with Clawhauser, who has squeezed himself right next to her on the couch, and had already begun to ask her personal questions before she had even gotten the chance to introduce herself to her guests.

After idly chatting with the singer for some thirty minutes, Nick and Judy stood up so as to walk around and stretch their legs, which had begun to grow restless from the consistent amount of sitting. Trudging in no particular direction for some time, the fox eventually started to lead the bunny in the direction of the snack and beverage table, which was piled high with all kinds of food, ranging from fruit, junk-food, vegetables, and even some chocolate-dipped crickets and meal-worms.

Licking his lips greedily, Nick instantly began to consume handfuls of the sweetened insect parts as soon as he got within an arms-reach of the table and it's contents. Meanwhile, Judy had took to the vegetables and fruits, which she slathered in various sauces and other dips for added flavor. After eating their fill, Nick found himself pointing to the opposing table, which was adorned with all kinds of expensive and diverse looking drinks, including wine, beer, sprites, and other unnameable liquid substances to enjoy.

Behind the counter, a comparatively large male horse manned the bar, and waved at the pair of mammals as they quickly approached the table.

"C'mon, carrots!" The fox coaxed. "A lil' bit of alcohol won't hurt, will it?"

"Famous last words..." Judy mumbled, following Nick towards the beverage table.

Stepping up to the counter, the female bunny casually selected a single glass of water, to which Nick audibly scoffed at.

"You _can't_ be serious, cotton-tail... That's _all_ that you're gonna have? You're not gonna be adventurous and try some of these awesome drinks?"

Nick held up his selected beverage, which was a colorful mixture of blue-ice, and green-colored juice, topped off with a secondary layer of vodka to add a little bit of kick to it.

"I'm not much of a drinker, Nick, you know that..." Judy replied, rubbing at the back of her neck. "I'm also a light-weight, and I don't wanna be a burden to you..."

"Oh, don't be like that, whiskers... You're not a burden... Especially not to me! Besides, it's Clawhauser's birthday, so just celebrate a little bit! Have some _fun_!"

"I don't know, slick... I wouldn't want to get drunk, or anything like that..." The bunny mumbled lowly.

"You'll be fine, carrots, I promise. There's nothin' wrong with treatin' yourself every once and a while, is there? You don't get drinks like _this_ very often... Enjoy them!"

The fox handed her a tall glass of some orange colored liquid, which was topped with shavings of ice and a few sparse little green leaves. Holding the chilled glass between her paws, Judy moistened her lips and sniffed the drink before shrugging and voicing her thoughts out loud.

"I guess you're right on that one... Cheers!" She admitted, smiling to herself and clicking glasses with Nick. "Bottoms up."

Judy then brought the enticing and sweet-smelling beverage to her lips, and without any further hesitation began to drink.

* * *

3:02 P.M

It has been said that one's _true_ self, is without form.

That in the end, it is nothing more than your very own mind that determines who you are as a living being.

So what happens when the mind is addled by the effects of some outside force? Does drunkenness make you who you _really_ are?

Judy wouldn't say so herself, but in that moment, it certainly made her who she _wanted_ to be.

After the concert had ended and the crowds had flocked back home, Clawhauser had gladly given both Nick and Judy a ride back home to their apartment. Dropping the two of them off and bidding them both goodbye, the fox took to the complicated task of assisting the bunny up the first flight of stairs. Due to his coaxing, and no doubt to also prove herself as adventurous and brave, Judy had downed three full, mid-sized glasses of alcohol, which was three more than she should have: Her light-weight body was very susceptible to the likes of alcohol, and it was only a matter of time before she began to show symptoms of fluid intoxication and drunkenness.

Slurred words, tipsy balance, clumsy footing, and glazed-over eyes: Judy had the whole package.

Worried for her health and well-being, Nick carefully assisted her in the simple task of walking up the flight of stairs, and making their way to their apartment. It took some time, but eventually the bunny and the fox managed to make it back to their room. Upon closing the door shut behind him, Nick briefly let go of Judy so that he could lock the door. After hearing the _click_ of the lock sliding shut, Nick detected another noise: A heavier thump as a soft object fell to the ground. A slurred female voice garbled aloud;

"Ow.. S-stupid gravity... _Ugh_..."

Turning around Nick sighed at the sight of Judy sprawled out across the ground, no doubt having lost her balance and fallen over due to her apparent dizziness.

"Up you go, carrots." Nick muttered, helping her steadily to her feet. "I shouldn't have let you drink... I'm so sorry..."

"It's alright, s-slick... Not your f-fault..." The bunny grumbled, rubbing at her fuzzy head.

"Do you need me to carry you, fluff? You seem to be a little bit dizzy, there." The fox offered.

"Yes please..." Judy murmured softly, going limp into Nick's arms as she did.

Heaving her up against his chest, Nick carried the bunny over to their bed before carefully laying her out across the sheets, tucking her in and placing a fluffy pillow beneath her head. For the next thirty minutes or so, the fox took to brushing his teeth, taking a hot shower all by himself, and grooming his russet-colored fur. Promptly exiting the bathroom after stripping himself down, Nick reentered the bedroom and joined his mate in bed, who was clinging tightly to the pillow that he had given her earlier.

Sometime during Nick's time by himself in the bathroom, Judy too had rid herself of her old clothes, and discarded them onto the carpet floor.

" _Mmm_... You're so soft, Nick..." The bunny mumbled softly, burying her face into the fabric of the pillow clutched between her arms, which caressed the sides of the pillow-case.

Compared to how she had sounded just hours earlier, it was clear that Judy had sobered up considerably: Her voice was clear and smooth, like a pristine mountain lake. With a smirk accompanied by raised eye-brows, the fox sat down on his side of the bed and positioned himself closer to Judy. He tapped her on the shoulder, and watched as her eyes opened slowly and focused onto his face. She blinked a single time before smiling warmly and loosening her grip on the pillow.

"You alright there, fluff?" Nick asked slowly, cupping his right paw against her face.

Judy nodded slightly in response, and then positioned her own paw atop his, pressing the fox's palm into her soft cheeks. She purred all the while, and her eye-lids begun to droop once more at the contact of Nick's warm paw. Meanwhile, Nick snorted a little bit from his nose in a humorous response.

"I'll take that as a yes... Uh, you can let go now, whiskers... Whiskers?"

"Oh Nick... My sweet, sweet Nick..." Judy cooed softly. "I've been... _Wanting_... You...

The bunny sat up slowly and leaned over, wrapping her arms around the fox's neck and rubbing her face against his own.

"Uh, c-carrots... What are you doing?" Nick stammered. "Carrots? _Carrots_!" He hissed louder. "What's gotten into you?"

Even still, Judy didn't relent in her affectionate advances, and as she nuzzled against the fox's neck, she whispered into his ear;

"Nothing yet... Nick, you do know what us bunnies do best, right?"

She kissed the inside of his ear before concluding her previous question in a breathy murmur;

" _Multiply_..."

Nick swallowed hard.

 _This is going to be a long night, isn't it?_ The fox questioned himself within his head.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I hope that you all enjoyed this latest chapter of mine! I know _I_ did, certainly! :D**

 **Do feel free to leave a review detailing your thoughts, and if you haven't already be sure to favorite and/or follow this story of mine: Each and every one is highly appreciated! Speaking of which, I reckon that the 3rd bonus chapter will be whipped up once we reach +900 favorites or more, so the sooner we get there, the sooner you all get your next bonus chapter!**

 **Until then, expect chapter 59 to be comin' your way soon here enough! Stay tuned for it's inevitable arrival, of course! :D**

 **Also, before I bid you all adieu, I'd just like to show thanks for you all one last time. I really appreciate everythin' that we've been through, and it's been an amazing adventure every step of the way, from chapter five to fifty. Thank you all for everything we've done together, and I'll see you all around! :)**

 **Last but certainly not least, I have just updated my profile with a brand new poll, that believe it or not, might effect a future arc. That's right, an _entire_ arc!**

 **So feel free to leave your thoughts on whether or not you think reptiles exist as sentient creatures somewhere in the world of Zootopia!**

 **Regardless, that's all that I have for you lot as of now...**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	56. Hidden Judgments

**Hey Everyone! :)**

 **Real quick here, I just want to take the time to quickly apologize for the rather lengthy amount of time that it took to bring this chapter to the public, on top of the fact that it isn't a very long chapter, either. My motivation has been somewhat lack-luster as of late, so I hope that you can forgive me for such.**

 **Because of that, I decided to make this chapter a bit shorter than usual ; So that you lot will get some more of your well-deserved content a bit extra early, _and_ so that I can work out the remaining details and other important bits of story and plot and whatnot for the imminent future chapters, which will be comin' your way soon. Though for now, this short chapter focuses a lot on Nick and his own personal problems, alongside some philosophical mindsets.**

 **So yeah, I apologize if this brand new chapter isn't as long as some of you would have liked it to be, but soon enough, I'll make a nice and lengthy chapter!**

 **It may be short, but this new chapter really focuses a _lot_ more on Nick's own personal situation, which will be expanded upon in the coming chapters. **

**So that's a bonus, if ther ever was one in the first place, I say! xd**

 **Regardless, I certainly hope that you lot will find some enjoyment out of this new chapter, which will be concluded with more chapters here soon enough! :)**

 **Without any more further ado, I give you chapter 59 of When Instinct Falls,**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"Hide nothing, for time, which sees all and hears all, exposes all." - Sophocles.

* * *

Keep your emotions in check.

Fake it 'till you make it.

And don't let anyone in.

Those were the rules that Nicholas Piberius Wilde lived by for roughly two full decades, all by himself, alone in the world, with no sturdy shoulder to lean on in desperate times.

Was he a fool for being so reclusive and bitter, so deceitful and conniving, so arrogant and egotistical? Perhaps... _He_ certainly didn't consider himself such, even _after_ meeting Judy. Maybe that fact simply proved it in the first place, but in the end, it wasn't something that the fox reminisced on for very long: He didn't like being distracted from the present.

Nick had always been convinced that the best way to deal with his problems was to bottle them up and try to overcome them on his own terms, which quite frankly, often led to them never getting solved at all. He would push them to the back of his mind where they couldn't bother him; Bound in chains and tossed into an abyss. His devil-may-care attitude had always been a facade wrought only for the purpose of dissuading his _true_ thoughts from the outside world. He didn't want anyone to know what he was _really_ thinking, how he _really_ thought, how he _really_ saw the world around him, and _why_ , above all else.

Cynicism, he liked to call it... In truth, it was nothing more than bitterness, resent, and spite, all of it directed at the world, and those who inhabited it, himself being no exception.

The fox remembered how he had spent his days on the streets all too well. Back and forth, this and that; Complete clockwork mindset. His days consisted of step one, two, and everything after until he at last fell asleep and could escape his problems, if only for a little bit. He numbered his days throughout the years, and when Judy finally helped him clear his cynical and oppressive state of mind, he had encountered a brand new problem: His past was catching up to him.

With the return of his old problems, ranging from long-forgotten scam-artist victims, to vengeful mob-bosses hot on his tail, his old mindset started to return as well.

So, he dealt with them the best way that he knew how: By bottling them up and hiding them from the entire world. The only real exception in recent memory had been his heart-to-heart with Judy over what he had done to Vladzotz and his family, all those years ago. He remembered sparing no detail to the wind, and for a scary moment, he thought that it had almost cost him his entire marriage. Thankfully, it was nothing more that another step on the ladder of life, just a little bit steeper than usual.

Together, Nick and Judy had done some amazing things. They were a team, and a perfect match: Functioning like a well-oiled machine, bent on progress and productivity.

So why did the fox want to hide his most recent bout of emotional turmoil?

Ratsputin, in short, had humiliated him. Nick's most recent convergence with the rat had left him with addled thoughts and a disarranged demeanor: He hadn't expected the rat to be so domineering. The fox had allowed himself to get sloppy and ill-prepared, making him an easy target for Ratsputin to apprehend. Nick wasn't thinking that the rat would slap his tranquilizer gun right out of his hand. He wasn't expecting to get forced up against a wall, and held hostage with a two foot blade disguised as a simple cane.

It had cost him a little bit of his ego, that experience in the bathroom... And of course, he didn't want anyone to know about it...

Nick decided that he wouldn't tell Judy what had happened between him and Ratsputin back in that bathroom: He didn't want her, Jack Savage, or anyone else to know about it. Grygorri had gotten to him, one way or another, and the fox intended to uphold his own personal motto of 'never let them see that they get to you', so as to keep those around him from finding out. He didn't want to look weak, sloppy, immature, and every other term for amateur under the sun. Ratsputin had given Nick a taste of his own medicine, and in an ironic sort of way, taught him a lesson: That the most personal of problems are best solved by yourself, with nobody else to bog it down all the while.

Pacing down the length of the hall, Nick continued his way toward the mayor's office, where he would meet back up with Judy and Jack before continuing their investigation.

All the while, the fox thought over what had to be done next: From where they stood now, they had many different choices on where to continue their work, ranging from small-scale questioning of the various employees and other workers around the city-hall, to an all-out investigation analysis. The choices were plentiful, but Nick decided that it wouldn't be him to make the choice: It was a team effort, after all, so Judy's opinion and preference mattered just as much, if not even more in the long and short term.

Unfortunately, Jack Savage had his own say in the matter too: His acclaimed knowledge could prove to be quite useful, if used in the right way.

Even though the male rabbit was a part of the investigation, and even though his assistance was nearly required at this point, if there was one mammal Nick hated more than any other, it had to be Jack: Over the years, Nick had dealt with robbers, murderers, scammers, thieves, brigands, mob-bosses, and vigilantes, but none of them churned his stomach quite like Jack Savage did.

Aside from being being just your average asshole of a mammal, Jack was a lying, cheating, filthy, and deceitful thief, guilty of fraudulence on the highest of scales. The male rabbit had swindled millions of dollars from all sorts of investors and associates, ranging from individual families to the most powerful corporations in all of Zootopia.

Jack Savage's range of destruction and discord had spread far and wide, but to Nick, the worst of it all happened to be the most personal of it all.

The male rabbit had crossed the line one hundred fold in regards to what he had done to Judy. It was an unforgivable crime, and the fox had no intention of ever sparing Jack from his actions, regardless of how much he needed him or not. Having to work alongside Jack has since served as no easy task, and although the two seemed to be getting along decently, Nick reasoned that it was only a matter of time until another fight broke out between the two of them, over whatever reason.

So despite it all, the fox simply had to soldier has way through, hoping every step of the way that nothing bad would happen.

Nick breathed in deeply through his nostrils, closing his eyes and calming himself for what was to come.

Pressing his paws against the oaken door, Nick stepped back into the receptions lobby that bordered the mayor's office. Past the piles of paper-work, Nick noticed that Megan had returned to her post behind the oval-shaped desk, and was now casually typing away at her computer key-board, all the while chatting with a small shrew that was walking across her desk surface, soon vanishing as the tiny rodent slipped into a nearby green-colored suction tube.

The whole scene looked as if she'd never left her spot in the first place. The male fox grew slightly suspicious, since the last that he had seen her had been when Ratsputin had pointed at her and said something just out of his hearing detection.

Seeing the chance to gather some useful information for his internal investigation, Nick decided that questioning her wouldn't hurt.

Walking up to the edge of the desk, Nick leaned onto the counter-top and rapped his knuckles against the hard granite surface, effectively earning the attention of the vixen, who glanced at him briefly before looking back towards her computer monitor, all the while making a sort of _humming_ sound to signal to the male fox that she was listening.

"Hey there..." Nick started quickly, clearing his throat audibly. "Whatcha up to, foxy?"

The vixen sighed softly and turned towards the male fox, whom she locked eyes with before replying steadily in a very casual, and matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"Oh, I'm just rescheduling the mayor's meetings and other activities for the next month. That's all."

" _Re_ scheduling?" Nick repeated with raised eye-brows. "Implying that something changed, huh? Might I ask just what, exactly?"

"With all due respect, it's nothing of your concern, officer Wilde." Megan stated flatly as she turned back towards her computer monitor.

"It _can_ be... I _am_ on an internal-investigation, after all... I have the right to question you as I see fit." He retorted.

"Yeah, well _I_ have the right to remain silent, don't I?"

"You know your stuff, don't you now?" The male fox asked, a coyish smile plastered on his russet-colored muzzle.

"More or less... "

Nick pursed his lips and looked away momentarily, all the while rubbing at his scruffy chin. He thought back to what Megan had claimed earlier... How she was rescheduling the mayor's plans for next month. The male fox recalled how Ratsputin had mentioned that he visited the mayor roughly ever month or so, and how the rat had hissed something toward Megan on his way out from the office. Suspicious, at the very least...

He shook his head slightly from side to side before turning back to the vixen, who seemed to be ignoring him.

"Listen Megan, I'm just curious, but why did you try to lie to us back when we first met?" Nick inquired, causing the female fox to don a brief expression of guilt and regret.

"I don't have to answer to you, officer..." She muttered lowly, avoiding eye-contact.

"Yeah, you're right... You don't have to, really..." Nick agreed calmly. "I'm not gonna push you into anything that you don't want to do, but I'd like to know why, I really would."

The vixen closed her reflective blue eyes and exhaled slowly through her nostrils, causing her pinkish-colored nose to quiver in response.

"I wasn't lying... I-I was just..." She hesitated. "Just trying to keep my job, that's all... Mayor Lyncoln doesn't exactly like things out of order, like unscheduled meetings..."

"That can't be all, is it?" Nick added.

"No, it isn't. Aside from _specifically_ telling me _not_ to let _anyone_ else enter her office without permission, the mayor _also_ instructed me to stay silent in regards to her most recent meeting."

"With Grygorri Ratsputin..." The male fox concluded.

" _Exactly_... I _know_ that something isn't right... That something's going on between the two of them... B-because Mister Ratsputin keeps telling me to be quiet... To not talk..."

"Well, that's what the ZPD is here for, Megan..." Nick reassured the vixen. "We're here to investigate why Grygorri keeps coming here, and we'll figure it out eventually."

The vixen ever-so slightly nodded her head a single time.

"I'm sorry for not telling the truth... I just don't want to lose my job..."

"Hey, it's alright. Don't worry about it." Nick's eyes settled on the very tip of her tail. "Say, I've been meaning to ask you, but what exactly happened to your tail?"

Megan's tail swished around on the red-carpet surface of the floor, the very tip of which flopped around crookedly and rather awkwardly. The vixen smiled and stifled a slight laugh;

"You're the first person to ask me about it in a long time... Well, I'm pretty clumsy, and my tail keeps getting caught in doors, filing cabinets, and things like that... I guess it just kinda molded itself into that shape over time, really..."

"Interesting... I think it suites you well..." Nick claimed with a warm smile as he stepped away from the counter. He cleared his throat and spoke aloud;

"Well, I best get back to my partner... We have work to do, after all. Thanks for bein' honest with me, Megan."

"Oh, it's no problem... Good luck with your investigation, officer Wilde." The vixen said with a warm smile.

Nick nodded to her before turning around and heading off in the direction of the large oaken doors, bent on reuniting with his lapin partners.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Aw, poor Nick... Having a bit of a personal dilemma, now isn't he? Don't worry though, he won't be having it for _too_ long, I assure you! :)**

 **But yes, remember how it was mentioned that Ratsputin likes to play mind games on his victims, like he did with chief Bogo? Well, I wouldn't be surprised if the rat half-expected for Nick to try to bottle up and hide what happened to him in that bathroom. So in short, yes, It's all part of the plan: Ratsputin had a feeling that Nick's stubbornness and arrogance would prevent him from telling anyone else what Ratsputin did to him, so it allowed the rat free reign over his actions.**

 **Now, the fox is trying to hide all of his insecurities, just like how he did before he met Judy.**

 **Fear not, though! Soon enough, Nick will come around to, and will realize just how important it is to have a helping hand and a sturdy shoulder to lean on in desperate times. He and Judy will have a nice heart-to-heart eventually, and I think it will be a lovely scene: I'll have Nick remember just how much he needs Judy, and vice versa, so he'll have a flash-back to when he helped Judy in her own time of need; After Jack attempted to rape her some time ago.**

 **Judy had her emotional problems with Jack, and now Nick has his own with Ratsputin... Good stuff! xd**

 **Anyhow...**

 **Back at it with another story-line chapter for you lot! I hope that you all enjoyed it, of course: Do feel free to leave a review detailing your thoughts.** **I always _adore_ knowing what you all think of the many chapters, since feed-back is _always_ a blessing! Alongside this, I'd _very much_ appreciate any additional favorites/follows toward the likes of this work. Every single one counts, and I have some more cool ideas and concepts for the next bonus chapter, so the sooner we get to 900-ish favorites, the sooner we can get to work on narrowing down the options for the third bonus chapter, which will be comin' your way soon!**

 **Speaking of comin' your way soon, do expect chapter 60 (Can you believe it?) to arrive here soon enough... Do stay tuned for it, of course! :D**

 **Secondly, I'd like to point out that I have just received a gorgeous piece of fan-art from an artist on Tumblr! It's a lil' sketch of Vladzotz's locket, and I absolutely _love_ it! There's even a cute little baby bat! If you'd like to check it out in all of it's artistic glory, then you can find it (along with all _kinds_ of other drawings and posts, including a lovely art-piece of Ratsputin) on my Tumblr account, which is labeled identically as this one here on fanfiction:  upplet**

 **And last but certainly not least, I do apologize for the shortened and rather abrupt chapter, but fear not, for it will be expanded upon with another chapter here eventually, which will bring all sorts of new answers, and maybe even a few more questions along with it, one way or another! Do stay tuned for it, of course!**

 **Regardless, that's all that I have for you lot when it comes to news, for now... Thanks for reading, as always! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	57. Gambit

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Yay, back with another story-line chapter this time around! I _certainly_ hope that you all enjoy it, of course! But first, I have some things to bring up for you!**

 **For starters, I'd just like to quickly apologize for the rather lengthy amount of time that it took to bring this chapter to your waiting eyes: I've been quite busy as of late, and it's only gonna get worse, but thankfully, I'm working out a nice and well-structured update schedule, so soon enough, things will be nice and steady when it comes to story updates, I assure you!**

 **That being said, I do have _one_ last thing to get out of the way before I get out of your hair! :P**

 **That's all for now my friends, so without further ado, I give to you chapter 60 (Huzzah!) of When Instinct Falls, _Gambit_!**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"Without strategy, execution is aimless. Without execution, strategy is useless." - Morris Chang

* * *

 _A gambit from a skilled opponent..._

That's what Grygorri Ratsputin had told to him.

 _The only reason that I haven't ruined you yet, is because I think that you may prove useful to me._

Nick knew that the rat must've been planning to use him for his own nefarious advantages, one way or another.

The fox refused to be a pawn: If Ratsputin wanted to play this game of his, then by all means, Nick was going to be the one to win.

* * *

1:10 P.M

Opening the door to the mayor's office, Nick pursed his lips and scowled as he locked eyes with Jack Savage, who was still hand-cuffed to door handle on the opposing side. Snorting slightly through his nostrils, the fox broke eye-contact with the male rabbit before trudging over to Judy, who was scribbling something down on her yellow-colored notepad.

Mayor Lyncoln was lounging in her chair, quietly talking with someone on her little mobile device. Nick didn't bother listening in on whatever she was saying, and instead focused his attention on Judy, whom he was hopeful had gathered enough information from the mayor herself to be able to continue with the likes of their internal investigation.

" _Ahem_..." Jack Savage coughed audibly from behind, causing Nick to glance back with a bored expression. "You _are_ going to uncuff me from this door, aren't you, officer Wilde?"

The fox's emerald-colored eyes darted up and down the male rabbit's disgruntled form, and a delicate smile tugged at the corner of his muzzle.

"Nah, I think I like you _right_ where you are... Hang in there..." He stated, topping it off with a quick and mocking salute before turning back around and eyeing Judy's notepad.

Scanning over his mate's somewhat messy handwriting, Nick came to the conclusion that she had been writing down choice bits of information, such as the fact that Ratsputin was applying pressure to the mayor, along with other points like how the city-hall archives apparently contain some sort of long-held state-secret from the conclusion of the Bellwether case all those years ago.

"Get anything interesting, carrots?" The fox asked just for clarification, to which the female bunny mumbled back in response; "Not much... Just more of the same stuff..."

"Such as?" Nick added, his curiosity piqued.

"Just more bits and pieces about this so called state-secret... According to Mayor Lyncoln, all of the evidence was actually looked over by chief Bogo before being hidden away..."

"Then I guess that's where we should look next, huh? Right back to where we started, ain't that right? Good work, whiskers."

Nick patted Judy firmly on her shoulder in a gesture of reassurance, pride, and affection. As he massaged and rubbed her collarbone, the mayor placed down her phone and cleared her throat audibly, earning the attention of all the mammal's in the room. The bobcat drummed her fingers against the smooth surface of her office desk as she spoke aloud;

"Officers, for as much as I enjoy your company, I'm afraid that I have to ask of you to leave this office for the moment: I have a private and important meeting scheduled with the esteemed PR spokesman for the Bugga-Burger corporation, who coincidentally, is here to discuss with me the financial losses that were instituted by Jack Savage's scamming."

Mayor Lyncoln briefly glanced at the male rabbit with a disapproving expression before resuming her previous statement.

"As I said before, you three are welcome to explore city-hall, but still must abide by the rules in place here, of course."

"Great! Thank you!" Judy exclaimed. "But... Is it possible that we can learn more about this secret evidence from the Bellwether case? Like taking it back to the ZPD, perhaps?"

The bobcat momentarily lowered her gaze to the red-carpet floor. "I'll consider it... You're playing a very dangerous game, officer Hopps." She grumbled broodingly.

"What can I say? Danger is my middle name!" Judy stated jovially, concluding with a nervous laugh as the mayor frowned, clearly unamused.

"Hm... Come back tomorrow, in case I have my mind made up by then. For starters, schedule the meeting for this time tomorrow afternoon, since every other slot I have is either occupied, or simply not possible at this point. From there, I'm sure that the four of us can work to some sort of agreement. Until then, speak with my secretary outside."

"Alright, sounds good to me." Nick claimed with a half-lidded smirk plastered across his russet-colored muzzle.

"I'm glad that it does..." Mayor Lyncoln started. "Considering the fact that I prefer my appointments and meetings to be scheduled and documented, rather than out of the blue."

"Heh... Right, sorry 'bout that... But it was necessary..." The fox added, to which the bobcat swiftly nodded a single in approval.

"Quite alright, I suppose. Just be sure to schedule tomorrow's meeting beforehand, _and_ to arrive on time, of course: I have no patience for tardiness, officer Wilde."

"Can do... Can do... Alright carrots, whaddya say we give the mayor some space, shall we? Let's get going."

Nick gave one last gesture of farewell to the mayor before pacing over to Jack, who was still cuffed to the door handle, and had been rapidly thumping his right foot impatiently against the carpet floor beneath his feet as he awaited his release. Unlocking his side of the hand-cuffs, Nick then latched them onto his own wrist, connecting the male rabbit to himself, much to the resent of both mammals.

Meanwhile, Judy had walked on ahead and through the doors, exiting the office and reentering the rather spacious receptions lobby, where she strolled up to the semi-circular desk and knocked lightly on it's granite-coated surface, effectively earning the attention of vixen behind the counter, who glanced over with a bored expression on her face.

"Can I help you?" She asked simply.

" _Yes_ , we'd actually like to schedule an appointment with the mayor for the twelve o' clock time slot, please!" Judy hummed cheerfully.

Nodding as she made a _hmm_ sort of sound beneath her breath, Megan turned towards her computer monitor and begun speedily typing away at its key-board. Several seconds later, Judy's ears twitched at the detection of Jack's grumbling, which she was able to hear quite clearly as Nick, with Jack in tow, stepped out from the office and continued down the hall-way to the receptions desk, where the two of them reunited with Judy.

Soon enough, their future appointment had been scheduled, and the trio of mammals set out back to the main lobby of the building, where they intended to formulate the coming steps of their plan. After taking the elevator back down to the ground level floor, Nick, Jack, and Judy all made their way to a ring of unoccupied couches in the corner of the main lobby, where the three of them chose to take a brief break for lunch while they worked out the remainder of the internal-investigation.

As Nick and Jack awkwardly seated themselves on the same couch (Yet still as far away from each-other as possible), Judy excused herself to go and acquire some food for the three of them from the nearby cafe, which itself was situated on the far end of the very same lobby. Leaving the male rabbit and fox all alone and to themselves, Judy made sure to continually glance back at her comrades to ensure that they weren't getting themselves into any sort of trouble while she was away getting some food for them all.

Sniffing in roughly through his nose, Jack Savage looked directly at Nick, eye to eye, and smiled almost mockingly.

"Ya know Nick..." The male rabbit began coyly. "I just have to say; This has been a _very_ memorable experience thus far!"

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Jack..." Nick retorted lowly.

"Right, right... I'm just tryin' to be social, that's all... Nothing wrong with _that_ , is there?"

"It is if it's you."

"Okay, _now_ you're just being mean!" Jack grumbled before crossing his legs and snorting audibly. "So, whatcha think of that vixen from the mayor's receptions lobby, huh?"

The fox scowled at Jack with a look of disapproval etched into his facial features.

"What, you mean Megan?" He inquired, to which the male rabbit nodded in confirmation and said aloud; "Yeah, that's right."

"There's nothing to be said, really... She helped us on our investigation, and that's what counts... Besides, I don't have to answer to _you_ , rabbit..."

"I'm just asking... But yeah, she seemed nice enough, I suppose... If I'm right, I think that I actually noticed a bit of _tension_ between her and our _lovely_ bunny, Judith."

" ** _Our_**?!"

The fox had snarled much louder than he had really meant to, which in turn earned himself a few glares from passing civilians. Nick's sharp teeth were bared and displayed for the whole world to see: A few nearby sheep had noticed the fox's expression, and he pretended not to notice as they fiddled around nervously and with fear laced in their eyes. Nick didn't care if anyone else saw him in this moment of frustration, because in reality, the only one that he was truly directing it to was sitting right next to him on the couch.

"Yes..." The male rabbit confirmed softly. " _Ours_."

Yet he noticed that Jack Savage held no look of fear in his eyes, and no timid expression growing upon his face: The male rabbit stared directly back at the fox, completely undeterred from his snarling, dominant, and predatory demeanor. If anything, Jack looked even _more_ at ease than before, with his paws placed firmly behind the back of his head, and his facial features contorted into the likes of a smug and gloating expression.

Nick blinked a few times, and his face softened.

He heard nothing but his own breathing.

In that moment of mental realization, the fox at last registered the fact that this was exactly what Jack Savage wanted: To see Nick unravel in public, to embarrass himself and to make him angry. To make him lose his composure, and above all else, to see that something had actually managed to get to him. Just the mere thought of it made Nick's heart rate increase in anger, but he took to calming himself, and cooling down in an effort to appear more appealing and even friendly to those around him, save for one male rabbit.

Nick was so sick and tired of it all: For far too long he had been subject to abuse at the hands of others. Kicked around as if he were nothing more than the dirt beneath his very own feet. His own father had deemed his relationship with Judy as an abhorring and unnatural abomination against nature itself. He was assaulted and left wounded from a battle in the burrows, his opponents fueled by racism and prejudice. His marriage had almost been completely destroyed at the talons of Vladzotz, who had left scars so terrible that they would _never_ heal. Grygorri Ratsputin saw him as an expendable pawn in a game of higher power; Calling him unimportant and useless, and humiliating him greatly.

But of all the challenges that life had thrown at him throughout his life thus far, none stuck out more than Jack Savage himself.

That rabbit was the very definition of wretched, in Nick's eyes, and was seemingly incapable of amounting to anything less than spite or ignorance. Ever since the fox first met him, he'd been suspicious of his hospitality and morals. In the end, he had been right, since Jack had proven Nick's suspicions, and revealed his true colors and intentions. Nick despised Jack more than anyone else that he knew in the entire world, even Vladzotz, but for as much as he did so, it was only now that he realized just how low he had truly sunken.

Over all this time, Nick had been through so much: His entire life thus far may have been just one disaster after another, but each and every one of them was behind him. He'd made peace with his father, and shown him the _true_ meaning of compassion and acceptance. He'd locked away those violent thugs for their crimes, and he had also repaired his rather fragile relationship with Judy countless times. Nick had overcame the fury of Vladzotz and the flames of the past that the bat lord had reignited into his life, and alongside all that he had overcame before, Nick had _no_ intentions of losing this figurative chess game between him and Grygorri Ratsputin.

Compared to everything else, Jack Savage was _nothing_ to him...

If Nick was going to have _anyone_ get to him over _anything_ , it certainly wasn't going to be over this pathetic excuse of a mammal.

The fox tugged harshly on the chain of the handcuffs that connected him to Jack, causing the male rabbit to be pulled forward and into an uncomfortable position. Nick gripped the wrinkled collar of Jack's white button-up in his left paw, and pulled the rabbit's face closer to his until he was just inches away from his snarling muzzle. The fox's free hand was pointing directly at Savage's heart, and he could feel the rabbit's pulse beneath the tip of his clawed finger, which pressed lightly into Jack's chest.

"Listen here you _disgusting_ , and _pathetic_ excuse of a mammal..." Nick began lowly. "Judy Hopps does **_not_** belong to you, or _anyone_ else, even _me_..."

His tone may have been deadly and piercing, but the fox's facial expression was free from any form of emotion, including anger or frustration. He simply continued to speak;

"From here on out, rabbit, if I hear a _single_ word come out of your filthy little mouth that has _anything_ to do with her, I will make those scars on your back look like _nothing_..."

The two mammals locked eyes for what seemed like an eternity: Nick stared harshly into Jack's reflective blue eyes, which were wide with realization, and even fear itself. Jack's right eye twitched in it's socket, and Nick's paw gripped even tighter against the rabbit's collar, so much so that Nick could feel his claws piercing the fabric within his clenched fist. There was no verbal communication between either of them, but both of their expressions told entire stories.

"Hey guys! I got some coffee!" Judy's voiced called out from out of sight. "Made it just the way you like it, Nick!"

Nick snorted in Jack's face before releasing his hold on the rabbit's shirt and pushing him away to the other side of the sofa. A few short seconds later, Judy reappeared from behind and set down a bag full of food and other beverages onto the tiny coffee in the middle of the couch rotunda. The fox couldn't help but notice that Jack was rubbing tenderly at his throat and the back of his neck, lightly caressing the white and black fur that sprouted from his nape.

The male rabbit's current facial expression was that of pure guilt, embarrassment, and submission. Nick made a short and steadfast _hm_ sort of sound from between his lips, immensely pleased with himself over the result and outcome of his previous outburst, even if it earned a little bit of unwanted attention from passing civilians and other mammals: It was a sacrifice that Nick was very much willing to make, especially for a situation such as this one.

All the while, Judy had opened the plastic bag that she had brought with her and begun to pile the food and drink from within onto the hard-marble surface of the coffee table, including the coffee itself. Nick noticed that Judy had even gotten one cup for Jack Savage, making a total of three different beverages, not even counting the food that she had obtained, which included two small house salads for Judy and Jack, and one cricket-crisp burrito for Nick to enjoy.

"Glad to see that you two didn't kill each-other while I was gone." The female bunny teased, almost jovially.

The sight of Judy's ever-cheery demeanor made Nick smile warmly in a subconscious effect to her joy.

"Right... That would only mean more paper-work for chief Bogo..." Nick replied, enticing a responsive snicker from Judy, who then took a sip from her Styrofoam coffee cup.

Meanwhile, Nick noticed that Jack had leaned back into the sofa, and was staring off broodingly into the distance, gazing out through the window in front of him and taking in the sight of a busy Savannah-Central at noon-time, which was choked full of many different mammals ranging from massive rhinos and hippos to teeny-tiny ermines and otters.

"Are you not gonna eat, Jack?" Judy questioned her male counterpart, who suddenly blinked a single time and broke free from his trance.

"Eat?" He repeated simply, his ears raised high and at attention, but his eyes still glazed over and unfocused, as if he were having trouble seeing clearly.

"Yeah, eat." The female bunny confirmed. "I got you a house-salad and some coffee... I didn't know what you like, really, so I just ordered a regular... I hope you can drink it..."

Jack Savage made a sort of _uh_ sound with a slightly agape mouth. The male rabbit relaxed, closing his eyes and exhaling steadily through his nostrils. Seconds later, he slowly reopened his turquoise eyes, which were accompanied by a single, small, and simple smile across his lips.

"Thank you, officer Hopps... I appreciate it..." He concluded, reaching out for the drink and salad with his free paw.

Nick couldn't help but notice the way that Jack had referred to Judy: He had addressed her by her maiden last name, and as an officer of the law. His tone had been relaxed and at ease, and his expression was nothing short of calm and peaceful.

Jack Savage actually looked humble...

The fox almost had a shred of disbelief: Disbelief that Jack had actually been put in his place for good. Though of course, Nick would take the male rabbit's sudden change in actions with a substantial grain of salt, since after all, he was no stranger to flat-out lies, trickery, and all around deceitful behavior. But still, Nick was truly pleased with him...

"So, what's the plan, cotton-tail?" Nick asked through a mouthful of burrito. "What's next on our agenda, huh?"

Judy swallowed a bite of leafy greens and looked her mate in the eye while pulling out her yellow-colored notepad.

"Well, according to Mayor Lyncoln, chief Bogo himself has actually _seen_ these mysterious _documents_ -" She emphasized with finger quotes. "-That everyone has been talking about."

The female bunny flipped open her notepad and took to scanning through the many pages of scribbled bits of information and evidence. After a few short seconds, she spoke out;

"The mayor isn't budging about these so-called state-secrets, and if we're going to be handling them to protect them from Ratsputin, then I think that we should at _least_ know just what exactly we're dealing with here. If chief Bogo knows what these documents are, we need to question him and find out everything that we can about them."

In that moment, something clicked sharply in Nick's head.

Chief Bogo was the one that had sent them to city-hall... Apparently, for the sole purpose of investigating Grygorri Ratsputin, and protecting the mayor from his corrupting power and influences. The water-buffalo himself had easily and straight-forwardly claimed that he knew next to nothing of just what exactly Grygorri Ratsputin was looking for down at city-hall in the first place, yet the apparent fact that chief Bogo knew what and where the documents themselves were suggested otherwise.

The whole scene stunk with suspicion, but Nick decided not to dwell on it for any longer than he had to, especially since Judy was now continuing her fervid explanation.

"After we report back to the ZPD Head-Quarters and fill chief Bogo in on everything that we've learned so far, we'll decide what we want to do from there. Mayor Lyncoln told us not to come back until tomorrow afternoon, so we still have plenty of time on our paws to work out the loose ends until we meet back up with her and get the documents that she told us about."

" _Hopefully_ , get the documents that she told us about..." Nick piped out quickly in correction. "We still don't know if she'll _actually_ hand them over when the time comes, do we?"

Judy frowned glumly, pursing her lips and looking to the marble-tiled floor beneath her feet.

"You're right, we don't... Though, _maybe_ we could have chief Bogo convince her to give them to the ZPD! I mean, why _wouldn't_ she? They'd be safe from Ratsputin with us!"

"True, but the Mayor seems _pretty_ against moving the documents anywhere other than wherever they are now. That's a problem for us." The fox added.

"Like she said earlier, I'm sure that we'll be able to work to some sort of fair agreement in the end." Judy exclaimed quickly.

"I certainly hope so..." Nick grumbled. "It would stink if we went through all of this for nothing..."

"No kidding... The last thing I want is for this investigation to fall flat on its face, and for Ratsputin to get away squeaky clean, just like all of those other times..."

"We'll get 'em, carrots, I'm sure of it..." The fox reassured. "It may be risky to go after that rat, but in the end, this whole _mission_ is really nothing more than one, big gambit."

"Gambit?" Judy questioned simply.

"Yeah, gambit... A strategic risk... We put _ourselves_ at risk simply by _challenging_ Ratsputin... _We_ made the first move by coming here, and now it's time to make another..."

The fox pursed his lips and frowned, his emerald-colored eyes glazing over in deep reminiscence as he thought back to the scene that had unfolded back in the bathroom.

 _You deserve a gambit from a skilled_ _opponent_ , The rat had told him, his bitter words still etched fresh and clean into the fox's mind.

Nick had made the first move by entering the playing field; Coming to city-hall and daring to challenge Ratsputin, who himself had retaliated with a second warning, _his_ first move. The fox was still suspicious as to precisely why the rat had spared him so easily in the first place, but he took the whole entire scene with a considerable grain of salt, as he did with nearly everything else in his life. Ratsputin had made his move, and now it was Nick's turn once again: To put forth a gambit worthy of a skilled opponent...

A gambit worthy of Grygorri Ratsputin himself.

"Hey carrots... Do we _really_ want to head straight to the ZPD HQ after all this?" Nick asked after swallowing a bite of his burrito. "I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that."

"What do you mean?" The bunny questioned, her curiosity clearly piqued. Jack Savage also leaned forward a bit more upon hearing the fox's previous statement

"Well, I was just thinking, but what if instead of heading straight to Bogo, we took a little detour first?" Nick continued.

"What are you getting at?" Jack interjected, his hearty voice filling the emptiness of Nick's silence. "Are you suggesting that we don't tell Bogo about what we learned here today?"

"No, it's not that! We'll still report back to him, but just not right now... Instead, let's take the time we have to learn just a little bit more about what we're dealing with..."

"You mean Ratsputin, don't you?" Judy added, her voice impossibly soft so as not to arouse suspicion from anyone that might have been eaves-dropping.

"Yeah... I think I have an idea that might help us out, to an extent..." Nick hesitated, and thought back to a choice piece of wording that Ratsputin had mentioned before;

 _Do not meddle again in my affairs, or those of my children... You have been warned, and I will not repeat myself if it happens again..._

"I hope you two are satisfied with your meals..." The fox started with a coyish smile. "Let's head back to the cruiser... I got some coordinates that I need to put in for us..."

* * *

1:40 P.M

"So mind telling us what this _ingenious_ plan of yours is, officer Wilde?" Jack questioned as he opened the door to the black-white cruiser, following Nick into the passenger seat.

Meanwhile, Judy had jumped up into the driver's seat, and after buckling her seat-belt, promptly flicked on the ZPD-issued computer monitor, which was fashioned securely against the dash-board, allowing for easy access and usage.

"Oh, you'll see soon enough, rabbit... You'll see soon enough..." Nick mused before turning his full attention toward the screen in front of him.

Sliding up closer to the key-board, which was quite large as it was, especially in comparison to the three mammals that were packed into the car, Nick typed away at the keys and eventually found himself logging in to the ZPD data-base, which held access to nearly every single one of the city's residence and civilians, police officers included.

The fox entered Ratsputin's name into the search bar, and after a few brief seconds of loading, the rat's own personal page came up onto the screen.

The most noticeable section of the whole page was its centerpiece; One portrait of the rat himself, whose metallic black eyes stared harshly directly into the lens of the camera. His blue-ish black hair was as unruly as ever before, and his attire consisted of his usual clothes, including a sturdy black court-suit positioned under a billowing cape of the same shade. The fox took note of the rat's full name, and stifled a slight snicker.

"Grygorri Yefimovich Ratsputin... Quite a mouthful, if you ask me!" Nick stated aloud to the car with half-lidded eyes and a sly smirk plastered across his russet-colored muzzle.

Nick continued to look over all of the information that he could gather. Hovering his mouse clicker over the _Known Enemies_ file, the fox snorted humorously through his nostrils when a massive page suddenly appeared, with hundreds, if not thousands of different names listed down in thick, multiple rows for the entire length and width of the page.

"Sweet cheese and crackers... This guy has half of _Zootopia_ on his tail!" Judy exclaimed in surprise. "I guess he isn't one for acts of courtesy, now is he?"

"No kidding." Nick grumbled lowly, almost beneath his breath.

Scrolling down the rat's personal page, the fox took note of his police-issued bio, which claimed that Ratsputin himself was a widowed father of three, whose spouse had died of cancer roughly a decade ago. Unfortunate, but not exactly what Nick was searching for in particular. Soon enough, he came across the links that led to Ratsputin's three adult children; Two sons, Dmitri and Rytsar, and one daughter named Anna. They all looked very much like their father, with the exception being that Dmitri had a wavy handle-bar mustache, and Anna appeared more feminine and gentle-looking than either of her siblings or even father, according to the pictures present on their ZPD data-base profile pages.

Quickly scanning over the information presented on the page, Nick eventually found exactly what he was looking for.

"Look here!" The fox pointed out to the two bunnies, who leaned in closer for a better look. "Ratsputin's two sons, Dmitri and Rytsar: They manage one of his printing presses!"

"So?" Jack inquired with raised eye-brows, to which Nick groaned irritably in response before continuing.

"Think about it! What's one of the first things that the ZPD does whenever there's a crime?"

"Contact the families of those involved, including the perpetrator!" Judy cried out excitedly.

" _Exactly_! We can't really talk to Grygorri Ratsputin himself very effectively for rather obvious reasons, but we could _easily_ question his kids! We could ask them anything that we need to in order to help our investigation, including the idea of them perhaps even working alongside their daddy rat to execute his extortion and blackmailing schemes."

"Ooo, sounds like a plan!" Judy squealed excitedly. "So where can we find them?"

"Well, the profile pages say that Dmitri and Rytsar run one of their father's printing presses, but it doesn't say which one! There's all _kinds_ throughout the city!" Nick grumbled.

"As a matter of fact, _I_ actually know which press Ratsputin's two sons manage, and where it is, even." Jack Savage claimed out of the blue. "I can show you on the GPS!"

Nick shifted his weight uncomfortably and allowed the male rabbit to lean over and access the controls of the system. Nick was about to point out that _he_ should be the one to input the data, but before he could even formulate the words in his own conscious, Jack backed away from the computer monitor, which now shined with the precise coordinates of the aforementioned printing shop.

"Next time, let _me_ do it please..." The fox grumbled as he zoomed out on the monitor, displaying the route to their destination. "Three point four miles away, Savannah-Central."

"Not too far away, it looks like." The male rabbit mumbled aloud.

"Yup, you got that right, Savage... Buckle up you two..." Judy stated confidently. "We've got some rats to trap!"

Nick coughed audibly into his balled-up fist. "That was a _terrible_ one-liner, whiskers." He claimed.

"I have to agree with the fox on this one." Jack added.

"Oh can it you two!" The female bunny interjected.

Twisting the keys into the ignition slot, Judy felt her hair stand on end as the cruiser's engine roared to life, and before they even knew it, the trio was off to their next journey.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I certainly hope that you all enjoyed what this latest chapter of ours had to bring to the table!**

 **I would _very_ much appreciate knowing all of your thoughts on it! Do feel free to leave a nice review, of course: They are all _highly_ appreciated!**

 **I'd also like to apologize for the rather considerable amount of time that it took to get this chapter out to the public, as a point of fact. I'm working on making my update schedule more friendly and compatible on all sides, so soon enough, I assure you that updates will be a little less few and far between. :)**

 **Alongside the usual news, I have something _very_ special for you all to take heed of today! A friend of mine who goes by  LambFauxPas has just presented me with a pair of wonderful and illustrious art-pieces in honor of this story of ours, When Instinct Falls! The first one is very conceptual, and contains some simply-done sketches of Jack Savage, alongside some other, random rabbit. **

**The second art-piece is my personal favorite, and is a full-color drawing of the Nocturnal-District itself, as described in this very story! I personally see the drawing as very beautiful, and near-perfect when it comes to capturing how I envision the dark district in all of its back-water glory! If you want to check out either of the drawings, then you can find them on my personal Tumblr account, which is labeled identically to this one here on fanfiction: upplet**

 **I _strongly_ recommend checking out the drawings, since they are all simply _amazing_ as they are! A big, proud thanks to you,  LambFauxPas! Thank you! :D**

 **Regardless, that's all that I have for you lot as of now, really... Thanks for reading, and as always, do stay tuned for chapter 61, comin' your way soon!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: The 61st chapter will be quite an interesting one! So many questions will get resolved, atop some new mysterious to consider! Do stay tuned for it! :)**


	58. The Shocking Truth

"The last bastion of your defense against the world is your very own mind." - Anonymous

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt." - Mark Twain.

* * *

 _Nobody gets to me..._

It has been said that the absolute worst lie of all is denial, since it is wrought not only upon those around you, but yourself as well.

To build up a defensive confinement, a _bastion_ of doubt and untruthful perceptions, is to lock yourself within the hollowed walls of your own misfortune and to throw away the key. Nick considered himself a near-expert at this rather pessimistic mindset, since all of his years on the harsh streets of the city have honed his social skills into that of an acute and effective weapon, least to say: His mouth was a gun, and his words were his ammunition.

But alongside his acquired skills of charisma and charm, a deeper layer of cynicism and guilt festered beneath the facade of friendliness that he plastered upon his face.

Nick was a spiteful and bitter fox. His views on the world around him were nothing short of pessimistic and despicable, and he was prone to taking out that hatred on himself. His emotions may have been in tatters for most of his life, but nearly every step of the way, he'd managed to keep them in check and under tight control, instead displaying a facade of smugness, confidence, and friendliness.

The consequences of bottling up something as powerful as anger, or sadness, were drastic.

Sometimes, after months, or even entire years of keeping a straight face in the midst of it all, something would crack in him, and he'd fall apart. The fox's will would crumble, and he'd hide himself away form the world, where he could sort out his problems alone, all by himself, with no one to help him in his time of need. Once the hill was behind him, however, he'd have to concentrate to gain back his seemingly unfeasible sense of charisma and wit, telling himself again and again that nobody was able to get to him.

 _Nobody_...

* * *

1:45 P.M

"So, if we're gonna be bustin' down the doors of this printing place, we're gonna need a good reason to in the first place... Any plans?"

Jack Savage's question lingered in the air of the cruiser for a few short seconds before being ultimately answered by Judy, whom kept her gaze firmly locked on the road ahead.

"We aren't going to be _busting down their doors_ , Jack..." The female bunny mimicked. "We'll go in, and we'll ask to speak with the managers: The two rat brothers."

"Okay then, but what do we do after that?"

"After we meet the managers, we just explain to them that we're working on an internal-investigation, and from there, I guess we'll see what happens." Judy concluded.

"Is it really that simple?" Jack added curiously.

"It should be... I certainly _hope_ that it will be: Not everyone goes quietly or acts cooperatively with stuff like this."

"You got _that_ right, whiskers..." Nick muttered. "Remember that one time we had to evict that lion from his apartment on Pack Street?"

"I almost lost my head." Judy replied broodingly.

The fox snickered.

"Yeah, that guy must've _really_ woken up on the wrong side of the bed that morning, huh?"

The too-large police cruiser that held trio of mammals continued driving through the diverse and colorful streets of Savannah-Central, which itself was choked full of all sorts of mammals ranging in size, shape, and species. Towering giraffe's strided through and over packs of wolves, and teeny tiny shrews carefully maneuvered themselves around the footsteps of larger animals, cautious not to get accidentally squashed underfoot.

All the while, the distance to their destination closed with each passing second.

Nick, careful not to get too close to Jack, leaned over and pulled the dashboard monitor closer to him, intent on checking how close they were to the printing shop where they would confront Ratsputin's two children. Eyeing the screen, he typed away at it and clicked the mouse a few times, eventually bringing up the GPS coordinates that had been hidden behind several layers of open tabs and other pop-ups.

"Just about one more mile to go, fluff... Keep at it..." He added before pushing the monitor back into its original position. "We're almost there."

"Thankfully. _Hmm_... Say, Jack, how _do_ you know the two rat brothers anyways?" Judy huffed.

"Ah, well, just personal business, really." The male rabbit replied quickly, to which the fox beside him snorted in discontempt.

"Whatever you say, Savage. Whatever you say."

"Hey, I'm telling the truth!" Jack claimed, his brow furrowing in irritation.

"I'm certain of it." Nick grumbled sarcastically beneath his breath. "But why is it when you say _personal_ business, I can't help but think _illegal_ business?"

"Alright, enough of that." The female bunny interjected. "So, Jack, tell us about Dmitri and Rytsar: What are they both like? Will they be able to work with the three of us?"

Jack Savage leaned back in his seat and stroked at the striped fur on his chin with his free paw.

"Well, they're sort of... _Peculiar_... Least to say." He stated slowly.

"Peculiar?" Nick repeated with raised eyebrows.

"Aye, thas' right... It's kind of hard to explain. Dmitri and Rytsar are a lot like their father, in a sense of intelligence, but they're both _much_ more friendly and appealing."

"That's a good thing." Judy muttered.

"They argue and bicker with each other quite a lot, but otherwise seem to make a pretty good team once they have their minds set on a common goal: They've worked together in the news business alongside their own father for over a decade and a half at this point in time, so the two of them must do their jobs quite well, I suppose."

"And what of their sister, Anna?" Nick threw in. "What's her gig?"

"She does vocals and other singing stuff for a theater somewhere in Tundra-Town situated for smaller-sized mammals like herself, I believe... Her full name is Anastasia."

" _Oh_ , that's a pretty name!" Judy exclaimed before clearing her throat audibly. "I think that I actually _have_ heard of her before, now that you bring her up."

"Yeah, she's made a decently-sized name for herself in that field." Jack said whilst staring out of the window in front of him. "She's a pretty good singer, as a matter of fact."

"So what's her relationship like with her two brothers?" Nick inquired, eyeing Savage with a look of disapproval.

"How should I know? It's not like I follow them around with a pencil and paper. I only know what Dmitri and Rytsar have told me about her before." The male rabbit claimed.

"Which is?"

"Not too sure, but I think I've heard them mention that she doesn't really like her father or brothers very much, so she sticks to herself and out of their usual business."

"Well, with a dad like Grygorri, I'd wanna stay as far away from his as possible too." Nick joked, causing Judy to snort humorously.

"Anything else that we should know about Dmitri and Rytsar?" The female bunny questioned.

"The two of them share Ratsputin's rather old-fashioned taste of nostalgia." Jack stated with a slight shrug.

"Case in point, handlebar mustache." Nick added, pointing to the computer monitor. "Who even _does_ that anymore?" He chuckled. "Well, aside from ugly number one."

"Hey now, no need to be bashing them, slick. We wouldn't want you to accidentally drop an unsavory comment right in front of them, now would we?"

"Eh, I've never really liked rats that much in the first place, anyways..." The fox mumbled. "They never tell the truth."

" _Nick_! You _know_ what I've told you over and over about stereotyping other mammals! It's not nice!" The female bunny chided, to which Nick pursed his lips in response.

"Yeah, I know, carrots... I know..." He trailed off slowly, realizing his own hypocrisy.

The entire car was silent to the methodical count of several drawn out seconds, but soon enough, Judy piped up, her ears raised tall and erect as she leaned forward.

"Oh, looks like we're here!" She stated as she swerved the cruiser a little to the right, pulling over to the curb and parking at a decently sized building; Wide, but not very tall.

"This is it?" Nick asked, looking back and forth between the GPS and the physical location, which was devoid of any external title or bill-board.

"That's what the computer says, Slick. You gonna argue with a computer?"

"Not a chance." The fox replied coyly, unbuckling his seat-belt and opening the large metal door on his side of the cruiser.

Stepping outside and onto the warm sidewalk, Nick tugged on his end of the hand-cuffs, pulling Jack Savage along with him before closing the door to the cruiser and turning around to face the red-brick building. Taking a closer examination at the large doors in the building's center, the fox noticed a few words etched and painted into the door, dubbing the property as a ZNN printing press.

"Looks like this is the right place." He guessed, paws placed casually on his utility belt.

"Think they'll give us a tour on how the papers are made?" Jack Savage muttered from behind the fox. "I've always wondered how the papers are made."

"One way to find out." Judy concluded, pushing forward lightly on the backs of both males respectively, causing them to pace up to the entrance of the building itself.

Pulling on the glass doors, the trio of mammals set foot in the receptions lobby, which stood as a rather small, semi-circular sort of office. A few cheap wooden chairs were tucked into the corners of the room, and the marble desk at the opposing end of the room seemed to sparkle in the bright, almost blinding rays of the ceiling lights shining above. Behind the counter of the receptions desk, a rather portly female zebra was in the midst of a telephone call on the building's land-line. When the three mammals managed to acquire her attention by ringing the little golden bell on her desk, she raised one of her hooves up in a gesture of patience.

Nick leaned casually against the counter, all the while trying to ignore the feeling of the hand-cuffs digging into the skin beneath the fur on his wrists. Meanwhile, Judy had positioned herself right up against the edge of the desk, where she drummed her fingers anxiously against its surface, and thumped her left rapidly against the smooth tile-floor.

"Hey carrots, I got a lil' joke for ya..." The fox started with a half-lidded smile. "What do you call a horse with-"

" _Ahem_."

His joke pitifully interrupted and extinguished, Nick glanced away from Judy and towards the source of the sound; The zebra receptionist had apparently finished her call.

"Well, all jokes aside, is there anything that I can help you with today, officers?" She questioned slowly after giving Nick the evil eye.

" _Yes_ , actually! I'm officer Judy Hopps, and this is my partner, Nick Wilde. We're from the ZPD, and are here on an internal investigation. We'd like to speak to the managers."

"Hmm... Has something happened?" The zebra asked.

"We're just here to acquire information, really." Judy responded impatiently. "The two managers stand as a lead in our case, and we'd _very much_ like to speak with them both!"

"I suppose I can arrange a meeting... Give me just _one_ moment to notify them before I send you back."

"Alright, sounds great! Thank you!" The female bunny finished with a nod before turning around and facing her two partners.

"Phew, looks like we'll be meeting the rat brothers after all, ah?" She stifled with a smile.

"Nice job, whiskers." Nick acknowledged coyly. "Though I simply _must_ ask: What _do_ you call a horse with-"

" _Not_ in front of the _zebra_ , you rascal!" Judy whispered orderly as she administered a playful nudge to the fox's right arm.

Jack Savage rolled his eyes and spoke aloud;

"If I may intervene, what exactly do we plan on asking Dmitri and Rytsar once we meet them? It's not like we can just waltz in and start off with an _oh, you're daddy's doing bad things so you must be doing bad things too, right?_ If we're going to get anything out of them, we'll need a more structured approach, wouldn't you agree, officers?"

"That's the most intelligent thing you've said thus far." Nick grumbled.

"We do, Jack." Judy confirmed. "We'll introduce ourselves, explain to them what's been going on lately, and then work our way up from there. Simple as that."

"Is it _really_ gonna be that simple?" The male rabbit grumbled broodingly.

"Didn't we have this conversation just a few minutes ago?" Nick interjected with raised eyebrows, causing the female bunny to sigh.

"Jack, just follow our lead, okay?" She told him. "We'll make it work."

"Good on that then, love. I'd rather not have this detour of ours be for naught, after all." Jack finalized, pursing his lips and eyeing the zebra as she piped up to the officers;

"Okay, you three can head on back now. Their offices are down the hall-way and to the right, first two doors on your left. Goodbye now!"

Locking eyes with her foxy partner, Judy smirked as she watched Nick pull out his favorite pair of shades and rest them upon the bridge of his nose, clearly prepared for what was to come. Nodding in agreement before pushing open the doors to the corresponding hall-way, the three mammals took down it's clean and spacious length as they approached the first turn, which they reared around and came face to face with a pair twin office doors some twenty feet down the hall-way, both positioned near the very end and opposing one another smartly.

Tugging Jack Savage along by his side of the hand-cuffs, Nick's russet-colored ears twitched as he heard the lever-shaped door handle on the left office's entrance rummage timidly around before unlocking, the medium-sized door in turn swinging wide open from the inside, briefly displaying the interior of the office before being shut once again.

However, the small mammal that had exited the aforementioned office seemed to be too invested in the papers he clutched in his paws to even notice the police officers.

An average sized rat, just a little bit shorter than Judy, in fact, continued pacing down the hall, his attention fixated completely on the multiple sheets of paper that he held between his clawed fingertips, which ran over the ink-printed words delicately, caressing them in an almost gentle fashion. The rat's angular face was crowned with a wavy handlebar mustache, its tips curled into fine and intricate points.

The rat, whom Nick classified as Dmitri, due to his very recognizable handlebar mustache, was dressed in a maroon colored satin vest over a black button-up dress shirt and identically colored slacks; Very much like what Vladzotz had attuned and equipped himself with, save for the fact that Dmitri's undershirt actually had sleeves instead of empty holes. His fur was a dark, deep chocolate brown hue that complimented his eyes, which were adorned with shining hazel irises, but smokey, with threads of veins and capillaries creeping into his corneas, indicating either a substantial lack of sleep, or involvement with a very certain drug...

Despite all of the rat's interesting features, what caught Nick the most off-guard about the smaller mammal had to be his tail, or more accurately, the lack thereof...

Unlike his father, Grygorri Ratsputin, whom owned a long, smooth, and whip-like tail, Dmitri's tail (or what was left of it anyways) was nothing more than a mere stump of pink flesh, probably severed around the quarter-length point sometime in the past. The rat's nub of a tail was covered in little scratches, almost like paper-cuts, and was lined with multiple scars and other long sealed flesh wounds.

Nick wouldn't have been surprised if Dmitri's tail had been forcefully removed by some clawed mammal...

Regardless, the rat kept on walking towards the group of officers, stopping some five feet away from them before looking up from his various papers. He sighed disappointingly.

" _Rytsar_! Get your witless derriere out here!" Dmitri hollered out loud, tilting his head in the direction of his brother's closed office. "We have some _expected_ company!"

The fox and two bunnies slightly jumped in trepidation as the aforementioned door jerked, accompanied by surprisingly loud and cringe-inducing thud. The handle fumbled around, and seconds later, the door flew open and revealed another rat, dressed more or less exactly like his brother, but with the colors inverted. Quite unlike his brother, Rytsar's tail was free of any external damage, and swirled hypnotically around the base of his thin ankles.

Also unlike his brother, rat number two had no facial hair aside from his fur, which was a lighter black color, just like Grygorri Ratsputin himself. Rytsar's beady little eyes were just like Dmitri's: Light brown, though, lacking the watery webs of veins in and around the whites.

If it weren't for their difference in choice of clothing color, hair style, and their tails, the two brothers would have been near impossible to tell apart.

Nick reasoned that that must've been the reason why they equipped themselves so differently from one another in the first place.

Dmitri coughed into his fist audibly, effectively earning the undivided attention of all the mammals standing in the hall-way.

"Brother dearest, I believe the deal was fifteen dollars, no?" He muttered with a smirk. "Cough it up, please."

His brother groaned, wiping at his eye sockets as if they were aching him. He slowly parted his fingers, revealing two hazel-colored orbs.

"Oh, for the love of... Eh... _Fine_." Rytsar grumbled lowly. "But for the record, I was _still_ partially correct! That _must_ count for at _least_ a one-third reduction!"

"You were the one that started it in the first place, brother. Now you must pay your dues in full!" Dmitri stated, putting out an open paw toward Rytsar, who shuffled around clumsily in his pockets before pulling out a few crumpled up dollar bills and reluctantly dropping them in to his brother's waiting fingers, which closed tightly around the cash.

"I'll get you next time..." Rytsar claimed, furrowing his brow. "That much I promise."

"You tell yourself whatever helps you sleep at night, brother." Dmitri retorted with a triumphant smirk on his face.

"Uh, excuse me?" Judy interjected rather softly, yet still causing both rats to turn towards her with interest laced into their twin expressions.

"Heh... Were you two having some sort of bet?" Nick asked on his own terms and interests. "I like it!" He snapped his fingers and directed a finger gun toward them.

"Hmm. Yes, that is correct. We had a bet in place for the arrival of two police officers, plus one convict." Dmitri confirmed, finishing with a polite nod directed at Jack Savage.

"You did?" The female bunny asked simply.

"Indeed. We figured that _someone_ would send a few officers over to question us about father's latest round of political upheaval." Rytsar claimed, his face sullen.

"Well, you _are_ right." Judy muttered before straightening herself out. "I'm officer Judy Hopps, and this is my partner, Nicholas Wilde. We're here for-"

"Wait, I _know_ you! Nicholas Wilde!" Rytsar cut in, staring at Nick with wide eyes, yet a smooth and steady tone of voice. "What are you doing _here_ , of all places?"

"My partner and I are here working on an internal-investigation on behalf of the ZPD." Judy concluded officially, pointing to the shiny police badge pinned on her breast-plate.

Rytsar just nodded toward Judy and smiled in an amused sort of fashion before returning his attention back to the russet-colored fox,who shifted his weight from foot to foot.

A few short moments of silence ensued, only broken by Rytsar's attentive chortling and snickering. He soon recomposed himself and spoke aloud to the pack of mammals;

"You're supposed to be at city-hall, aren't you though? It's a surprise to see _you_ here especially, officer Wilde, considering everything that you have been through recently..."

"What do you mean?" Judy intervened, but to no avail, as Dmitri stepped forward and glared straight at Nick while adding on to his brother's previous statement.

"Yes, we know all about you, fox." Dmitri hissed, his words much more crude and uninterested. "Father has spoken _quite_ highly of you, as of late."

"Is that so?" Nick mumbled, narrowing his eyes as they locked with Dmitri's. Clearly, Ratsputin wasn't one for keeping his thoughts on other mammals to himself.

"Quite. He says you're his wild-card. Rather vague, but not surprising: Father is very heedful _and_ wary with his plans. Now, I presume you wish to question the two of us?"

"That's right, yes." Judy confirmed, all the while wondering what the rat brothers had said. "We just want to ask you a few questions, and then we'll be on our way. Easy does it!"

"Easy does it." Rytsar repeated flatly.

"Well, if it is answers you want, then it is answers that you shall get." Dmitri stated. "I'm not one to deny the commands of authority, unlike my brother Rytsar, here."

"If you're talking about that one time in Tundra-Town with that sea lion-" Rytsar started, but was silenced by his brother, who quite literally clamped a paw over his muzzle.

"We'll not get into that." Dmitri cleared his throat audibly before releasing his hold on his brother's snout. "Come along now, officers: Walk with us, and we'll fill you in."

* * *

2:00 P.M

Judy had always wondered how the news industry worked when it came to creating its papers.

But she had never imagined it to be like this.

Carefully following behind Dmitri and Rytsar as they made their way deeper into the bowels of the building, the two rabbits and and fox watched as the tile-lain halls slowly morphed into concrete and brick, and the sound of active machinery begun to fill the air and ring against their ear-drums. Alongside the whirring noise of electronics and other mechanical instruments, a strong and powerful odor forced its way into their nostrils with each step closer, smelling heavy of paper, ink, paint, and wood.

The two rat brothers promised that they'd answer any question that they threw their way, but first, wished for their accompaniment on a small tour around the facility. Judy would have preferred to skip right to the questioning, but Nick's insistence on doing the tour was too much for her to deny.

Seeing no real harm in the activity, and no real rush for time either, the trio of mammals decided to accept the rat brother's offer.

Eventually, they all reached a large set of double metal doors, devoid of any real knobs or handles. Pushing hard against them, the rat brothers opened access to one, massive ware-house, where dozens of mammal workers milled about; Weaving in between literal towers of stacked papers and other materials. Conveyor belts ran through and along massive machines, pipes and tubes sprouted from every inch of ceiling and wall, connecting to the many mechanisms and devices, many of which were very loud and smelly.

"Welcome, to the print room!" Rytsar announced loudly to combat the surrounding sounds. "You might want to try these on for size, _especially_ you two!"

The rat pointed to Jack and Judy, both of whom were clutching irritably at their sensitive ears, which were twitching in pain and discomfort from the ravaging noises.

Rytsar handed them both a pair of yellow-colored earplugs, which they promptly stuffed into their ear canals.

The female bunny sighed in relief once the plugs were in, and her counterpart rubbed tenderly at his sinuses.

Dmitri handed a pair to Nick as well, who gladly accepted: He may not have had the hearing capacity of a rabbit, but his ears were still racked with uncomfortable noises.

Once the plugs were positioned comfortably into his ears, Nick took to examining the storm of machines in front of him. The small army of employees was using hydraulic lifts and other construction equipment to move and reposition massive rolls of brown-ish white paper, each one as thick and as dense as a tree itself.

"Now, these rolls of paper can weigh up to half a ton!" Dmitri called out to the crowd of mammals.

" _What_?" Nick yelled back, his ears still filled with the loud and powerful sounds of the nearby machinery, yet only slightly hampered and suppressed.

"I _said_ , that these rolls of paper can weigh up to half a ton!" The rat repeated, this time a bit louder. "We use them to make the news-papers, obviously."

"Gee, really? I had no idea." The fox grumbled to himself, despite knowing that nobody else would have been able to hear him.

Meanwhile, Dmitri had moved the group to another section, and pointed to a stack of thin metal sheets, each one lain with light, blue-colored words etched into the metal itself.

"These metal plates are made of refined aluminum, with the images used in the papers themselves already burned onto their surfaces!" He explained with a tone of confidence.

Rytsar then jabbed a finger towards several metal rods further down the conveyor belt, each one connected to a singular machine, which in turn was filled with tubes of varying sizes and shapes, pumping a dark fluid around like blood within an artery. He hacked a little bit on his own spit before explaining the inking process, all the while clutching his throat.

"The ink dispensers then cover the blue-prints and indentions on the metal sheets with the ink, which is heated using a technique we call heat-setting, which bakes the ink, drying it into the paper. There's also another way of inking the papers that we call cold-setting, which is where we soak the ink into the papers before drying them out. After that, much of the ink is then colored one of four different pallets by adding varying layers on top, giving the words, lines, and pictures different colors, or lack thereof."

The group of mammals continued their tour, making their way even deeper into the complex, where more machines were presented to the fox and two rabbits, who tried to make sense of the two rat's voices behind the constant and powerful roaring of the mechanics around them. Nick personally couldn't stand the smell that much, either: It was intoxicating, but not in a good, or appealing sort of way.

Rytsar and his brother Dmitri showed them around some more machines and other systems farther down the conveyor belt, and eventually to where the ware-house ended, where trucks carried the finished stacks of paper back and forth in a constant, never-ending cycle of refilling and shipping. A very clock-work cycle, if there ever was one.

Soon enough, the five of them all retreated back to the confines of the break room, which was (thankfully) far enough away from the main ware-house to effectively block out the sound that emanated from it. There, the officers intended on questioning the two rats over their father and his mysterious work. The break room was small, and only contained few couches, tables, and one water cooler crammed into a corner next to a plastic potted plant.

Sitting down on one of the couches, Nick leaned back and stretched his arms out in front of him, relishing the feeling of the satisfying _pop_ that accompanied the action. Jack Savage plopped down next to him before putting some distance between the two of them, only restrained by the restrictions of the hand-cuffs that bound to his wrist. Meanwhile, Judy herself took to standing right next to the couch, choosing not to sit down for whatever reason.

The female bunny pulled out her yellow-colored notepad from the police-issued utility belt wrapped around her waist-line. She eyed the rat brothers as they positioned themselves across from her, neither choosing to sit down either. Instead, Dmitri leaned broodingly against one of the room's walls while Rytsar stood out in the open, calmly awaiting the coming bombardment of questions.

"Well, I guess we'll just start with the basics then..." Judy straightened herself out a little bit. "As we mentioned before, the three of us are here on an internal investigation-"

"Yes, yes, we know. Let's skip to the important parts, shall we?" Dmitri grumbled, causing the bunny cop to trail off disappointingly before huffing audibly.

"Fine. First things first: Are either of you aware of the fact that your very own father, Grygorri Ratsputin, has been threatening the mayor of Zootopia herself with extortion?"

The rat brothers looked to one another and shrugged before turning their attention back toward Judy, who stood with her pen ready to jot down any useful information.

"Yes, father has been prone to mention his, ah... _Hobbies_ , quite often during idle chat, as a matter of fact." Rytsar stated slowly while Dmitri rolled a coin across his knuckles.

"Hmm. Alright, alright." The female bunny mumbled to herself, writing down their response. "Have either of you ever assisted him in his extortion schemes?" She asked.

"No." They both replied in unison, no hesitation whatsoever.

Judy nodded, scribbling away at her paper. She spoke aloud;

"Interesting, interesting. Now, back at city-hall, we've heard mention of some kind of state-secret: Documents that were uncovered from the conclusion of the Night-Howler case all those years ago. According to Mayor Lyncoln, your father is trying to obtain them for his own personal reasons and motivations. Do you have any idea of what these motivations could be, or what precisely these supposed documents are, exactly? Maybe you've heard him mention them around you sometime ago?"

Both Dmitri and Rytsar were silent to the count of five, which only expired when the later of the two rats chuckled lowly, effectively breaking the silence.

"You don't know what those documents _really_ are, do you now?" Rytsar mused, an amused smile playing at his lips.

Nick and Judy shook their heads, neither noticing that Jack Savage had shifted his weight uncomfortably in his seat, tugging at collar of his white button-up all the while.

"Of course they don't!" Dmitri added quickly, glaring at his brother. "Their ignorance could fill the void of space itself!"

"We're _right here_ , you know." Judy mumbled. "There's no need to act like we aren't."

"To be frank, officers, we really just don't care." Dmitri growled in response before returning his attention back to his brother.

"Should we tell them?" He asked of Rytsar.

"You're _obligated_ to tell us!" Judy near shouted. "If not, then you're impeding our investigation, which is _more_ than enough reasoning I need to arrest the both of you two!"

"Well _I'm_ not telling her anything with _that_ dreadful attitude." Rytsar murmured to his brother, who nodded in seeming agreement and understanding.

Judy's right paw flew to her face as she closed her eyes and sighed heavily, dragging her finger-tips down across her cheeks and lips in disappointment.

"Look, I understand what you're going through and why, but we _really_ need to-" Judy started, but trailed off when Nick shot his arm to the ceiling.

"Dmitri, Rytsar, you two seem like _very_ cooperative mammals, to me... Don't you think that you could help us out with this, even a little bit? Please?"

The two rat brothers glanced at each-other, as if they were reading the mental thoughts and ideas of the other.

"He has a point... I _am_ quite cooperative." Dmitri mumbled, fingering his curly mustache.

"No, you dolt!" Rytsar chided to his brother. "He's telling you what you _wants_ to hear... Don't let him play you like the treacherous fox that he is."

"Hey now, that's a little uncalled for, pal." Nick added, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.

"I don't see any reason why _not_ to tell them, brother dear." Dmitri continued, completely ignoring Nick's comment.

"You wish to work against our own father? You're _deluded_!" Rytsar snarled menacingly, to which his brother scoffed, clearly unimpressed.

"Hear me out for just a second, really... This could work out quite well for us all, in the end..."

"What do you mean?" Rytsar questioned.

"The officers don't know anything about the documents: They simply wish to know, that is all. It gives them no true advantage over anyone, their only stake being the fact that they now know just a little bit more than they did just before. I truthfully don't think that it would hurt to tell them..."

"Wait a moment, what's your game, here?" Nick interjected, his tone of voice drastically different from before. "Why do you all of a sudden just want to help us, huh?"

Dmitri and chuckled lowly to himself, and slowly dragged his tongue across the top row of his pointed teeth, all the while locking eyes with the fox across from him.

"Ah, well... To save myself, of course: If you ever _do_ manage to capture our father, the two of _us_ could end up being dragged down along _with_ him. Guilt by association, you see. Handing over this information to you near guarantees our safety from the justice system, for the moment, at the very least. Though, it _is_ more than just _that_. I have personally grown fond of you, fox... There is so much more to you than what father has told us, officer Wilde. But most of all? I'm just curious to see what will happen!"

"So, you're willing to tell us all about these documents?" Nick asked for clarification. "Willing to tell us everythin' you know about them?"

"I most certainly am." Dmitri confirmed, a coyish smile slowly parting the sides of his lips.

" _Whatever_..." Rytsar grumbled. "I don't even see why you want to know so much about them in the first place."

"Alright, go on then." Judy urged, her pen armed and ready for the slew of oncoming knowledge.

Dmitri smiled wide before taking a deep breath in.

"The documents that our father is searching for are unknown to virtually the entirety of the city's populace, since all the evidence had been hidden away once the Night-Howler incident had been stabilized, and order was brought back to Zootopia. It's all one, great, big, conspiracy, really: The kind of stuff that's swept under the rug not because it's helpful, but because it's convenient. Father has told us of his invention before, his _grand design_ , as he liked to call it. He was quite proud of its function and purpose."

"But what was it?" Judy inquired, leaning closer. "What _are_ the documents?"

"To understand just what exactly these documents are, what they stand for, and why, you must go back to the very beginning of the Night-Howler attacks of four years ago, where this whole mess started in the first place. And you know, it's somewhat ironic, really... You've never even _heard_ of the documents, yet because of your coincidental involvement in bringing down mayor Bellwhether from office during her brief reign of power, you indirectly halted and foiled the plots for phase two."

"Phase two?" Nick repeated.

"Yes... You don't _really_ think that Dawn Bellwether could have gotten away with practically _ruling_ over the _entire_ city just by inspiring fear from the Night-Howler serum, do you? _No_ , the Night-Howlers were but the _first_ phase in her and father's grand design for what they both, _especially_ Bellwether, considered to be the ultimate mammal utopia."

Dmitri hesitated, taking a short moment to breath in and out before resuming his explanation.

"Phase one of the plan was to promote wide-spread fear and panic using the Night-Howler serum: To make prey animals believe that predators truly _were_ nothing more than savage, blood-thirsty mongrels. After a certain amount of time, phase two was planned to be initiated. A scape-goat. Something for the public to hold on to, and to quell their growing fears and desires. Their answer was to come in the form of phase two: The introduction of Dawn and Grygorri's little project... _The shock collar_."

The rat let his previous statement hang in the air for a few seconds. He continued;

"Years ago, assistant mayor Bellwether, along with her team of sheep, all the while provided with funding by father himself, began work to develop a prototype shock-collar that would be introduced to the public following the Night-Howler attacks. Father and Bellwether hoped that since the public would be so afraid of predators by that point, that they'd easily be able to swoop in and deliver a scape-goat: The shock-collar, which was planned to be tested on prison populations first, before ultimately being distributed to the predator populace in the city itself. Alongside this, it was planned that once the collar was approved for the general populace of predators, Mister Savage's company would provide funding for the mass-production of the devices using the city's own taxes. It was a perfect, and viscous circle, really... You have to admire the genius behind it."

"But, what does this supposed shock-collar _do_ , exactly?" Nick asked of the rat, all the while resisting the urge to throttle the male rabbit sitting beside him.

"A good question, officer Wilde... As father oh-so officially stated, the shock-collar was designed to be the _pinnacle_ of bodily-suppressant and behavior-adjustment technology."

"So, it controlled emotions." The fox concluded.

"Precisely. It was designed so that whenever the wearer's emotions started rising unpredictably, the collar would administer a minor shock to the wearer's neck, reminding them of their unpredictable emotions, and persuading them to quell them. The more powerful their emotional state, the more powerful the corresponding shock. Although it was originally intended to make aggressive predators less hostile by suppressing their ability to feel anger and rage, it _also_ suppressed their ability to feel sorrow, pleasure, and even happiness. There was no way to single out any particular emotion, so in the end, they were _all_ left effected."

"That's... _Barbaric_." Judy mumbled. "Why would Grygorri Ratsputin want to help that monstrous little sheep, anyways?"

Dmitri seemed to really think over the female bunny's sudden question, stroking at his curly mustache and narrowing his eyes in deep thought. He finally answered;

"I am not so sure. Father has a long and unfortunate history with predators, making and giving him a rather _unique_ perspective."

"That's putting it lightly!" Rytsar muttered from behind.

"Perhaps. Hate isn't born, only created, as they say. I guess, in the end, father grew to despise them. And besides, I think he was also just curious to see what would happen!"

"Like father like son." Jack Savage stated lowly.

"What made him so hateful?" Judy asked, her interests clearly piqued.

"I'm afraid _that_ question isn't the reason why you're here, is it? You need not know what it at this particular moment in time, so I will _not_ tell." Dmitri stated boldly.

"Fine, whatever floats your boat" Nick grumbled aloud. "But I have another question... You said it yourself: We stopped Bellwether, therefore stopping her plans for phase two, right? If your daddy knows that there's no way that he can convince the city populace to accept the shock-collars now, why does he want them? What use does he have for them?"

Dmitri nodded in understanding before responding.

"Well, fast forward to the present, and the documents are _still_ locked away somewhere in city-hall. Father, having helped design them himself, wants them back for his own personal reasons. After slowly gathering information on the whereabouts of the documents, he eventually learned that the mayor is one of the few who knows where the documents are hidden. And so, he begins visiting her, trying to convince her to reveal what she knows about the documents, and where she was keeping them."

"That doesn't exactly answer my question." The fox added.

"I was just getting to that, mind you. Anyhow, to answer your question, I'm not sure, honestly... I'm really not."

"So you don't know, do you?"

"I'm afraid that that is correct. I hate not knowing, but sadly, it's the truth. If you want the answer to _that_ specific question, you'll have to find it on your own, officer Wilde."

"Hm... Fair enough."

"Well, there you have it, officers: Father's grand design, the shock-collar. The documents that you're so obsessed about are blue-prints to his design. Your questions have been answered. If I may speak candidly, I believe that you three should go now. I have a meeting scheduled for thirty minutes from now, and I'd hate to have to kick you all out myself.

"Right, we'll go. We've learned more then enough. Thank you... Thank you for everything." Judy mumbled, her gaze for off and thoughtless.

Dmitri chuckled.

"It was my pleasure... I guess you could say that this whole entire experience has been quite... _Shocking_ for you, no?"

He cackled gleefully along with his brother, whom opened the exit door and shooed the officers out.

Leaving the building and returning to the cruiser, there was but one thought that was shared by all three of the mammals, _especially_ Judy...

 _We need to tell chief Bogo_...

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I certainly hope that you lot enjoyed what chapter 61 had to bring to the table this time around! Be sure to drop a nice review detailing your thoughts over the chapter and its scenes, _especially_ over the most recent revelations and discoveries, and also over the scenes involving Rytsar, Dmitri, and even their father Grygorri! I would love that _very_ much! And do feel free to favorite and follow the likes of this story if you haven't already, of course! **

**I _highly_ appreciate each and every single one! _Truly_! :)**

 **That being said, I really only have one more announcement for you all to take to heart for this update. Once again, I've been gifted with an extraordinary piece of art in honor of this story of ours! To recall, just last time, we were gifted with a painting of the Nocturnal-District: This time 'round, we have a full-color scene of the Outback-Island itself, _and_ one of The Docks! If any of you wish to get a full resolution and absolutely beautiful look at both of the titular districts, you can find those art pieces (along with _tons_ of others) on my Tumblr account, which is labeled identically as my account here on fanfiction:  upplet**

 **You can for sure be expecting more artwork in the future, near and far!**

 **Well, that's pretty much everythin' that I've got for you all right now... Thanks a lot for reading, and do stay tuned for chapter 62, comin' your way soon! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **:)**


	59. Insight

**Hey Everyone!**

 **I just want to quickly take the time to bring up the fact that this latest of chapters has a rather special (and optional, of course) addition to accompany it...**

 **More music!**

 **You read that right, indeed: More music! This time around, I suggest the following music piece for the very final scene in this chapter, which follows through with a POV from Grygorri Ratsputin's perspective as he works out the strings of his plan at his personal homestead somewhere in Tundra-Town.**

 **I think that it'll be quite interesting to follow through the eyes and foot-steps of such an intelligent and mysterious character, so it only fits for the following music suggestion to be just as mysterious and smartly produced as he is! Of course, you don't** ** _have_** **to listen to it, but I** ** _do_** **recommend, of course! :)**

 **Here's what it's called:** ** _Marleybone Beachhead Theme_** **. Yeah, that's pretty much it. I think it's a fitting choice.**

 **All yours, my friends! :)**

 **Yeah, this latest chapter isn't the longest, but I assure you, chapter 63 is gonna be _huge_ in every sense of the word! This specific chapter was designed more so to focus on the after-effects of the team learning about the state-secrets, and to add a wee bit more focus to the perp, Grygorri Ratsputin himself. Indeed, the next update is going to be quite large, at that: With a big and detailed chapter (And a _very_ particular and interesting scene planned out within it.), some new and exciting public announcements _and_ some more art-work posts to accompany the new chapter as well! I _can't wait_ to release it, truly!**

 **Regardless, I do certainly hope that you enjoy what this slightly shorter than normal chapter has to bring to the table today!**

 **That's all that I have for you lot for now, so without further ado, I present to you chapter 61 of When Instinct Falls, _Insight_**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"Intelligence without ambition is like a bird without wings." - Salvador Dali

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin

* * *

2:30 P.M

After the revelations and insightful knowledge earned through their visit with the rat brothers, it was fair to say that all three mammals left with a little piece of them no longer intact.

Neither Nick nor Judy could come to terms with the fact that the world they lived in was even more broken than they could have ever possibly imagined before. Both were very much aware of how their society tended to lean towards the simpler options, blocking out the righteous ones. Predator and inter-species hate were among the most notable of such predicaments, their wake leaving vile foot-prints that would taint the city for many years to come.

None would forget the atrocities that were committed during such times of civil and political unrest. But _this_... This was something else entirely.

Both the fox and bunny alike could hardly believe the tale that was recounted to them by Dmitri and Rytsar: Shock collars, designed to suppress the very things that made mammals who they were. Emotions suppressed and sundered, severed and simplified. And to think, the city of Zootopia was so close to acquainting itself with these mechanical abominations. If it were not for the combined efforts of Nick and Judy, working against Dawn Bellwether and her co-conspirators, the city would most likely be a very different sort of place than what it was in the present day.

A world of enhanced prejudice, heightened segregation, and a _true_ crime against mammalia: There were very few minds capable of encouraging such a state of condition.

Unfortunately for them and their work, Grygorri Ratsputin was no normal mammal. His work alongside Dawn Bellwether had gone virtually unnoticed and unappreciated ever since the conclusion of the Night-Howler case all those years ago, when the savage mammals were put to rest, and city was reunited under a more common goal. Behind the celebration and the confusion, it was apparent that the rat had managed to evade suspicion or prosecution for his involvement with Bellwether's plans, even if he only assisted in the creation of the shock collars themselves.

"Now, the only question remaining is _why_... Why did Ratsputin conceive such a nefarious device, and _why_ does he want it back only now?" Judy mused out loud.

Piled back into their ZPD issued police-cruiser, the trio of mammals positioned themselves in their respective seats as they prepared themselves for the short journey back to the ZPD Head-Quarters, Precinct One, all the while digesting the horrible truth that they had learned from their insightful experience in the two rat brother's printing shop.

"Yeah, _and_ why _this_ filthy degenerate didn't tell us about them!" Nick growled, pulling Jack Savage closer to his snarling face.

"I had my reasons." The male rabbit grumbled, carefully evading direct eye-contact with the furious fox before him.

"Mass production of those... _Things_..." Nick hissed lowly. " _WHY_?!" He shouted aloud, shaking the male rabbit. " _Why_ would you do such a thing?!"

"Nick!" Judy exclaimed, effectively earning the fox's attention. "Calm down. _Please_... We _need_ to keep our wits about ourselves for the rest of the case."

Judy knew that Nick must've been taking the idea of the shock-collars personally. She couldn't blame him, though.

"Don't you _get it_ , Carrots?" The fox growled. "This perverted scum of a mammal _lied_ to us! He told us that he didn't know _anything_ about those state-secrets!"

"Yes Nick, I understand, I do... Just relax, okay? After we drop him off at the station, we'll all be done for the day, and won't have to worry about anything until tomorrow, so just _please_ try not to kill each-other at _least_ until we get back to the station!"

"Listen to the lady, foxy." Jack Savage added with a coyish smile. "She knows what she's talking about."

" _You_ obviously knew what you were talking about when you told us about those documents... Damn liar, that's what you are!" Nick spat, his eyes narrowing in apprehension.

"I am what I am. Let's leave it at that, shall we?"

Crossing his arms glumly, Nick ignored the stinging sensation that shot through his wrist and fore-arm as the cuffs squeezed against his pulling, but he didn't care a single bit. Breathing in slowly through his quivering pink nostrils, the fox took to trying to calm himself down; In and out, in and out, in and out, again and again, one at a time.

 _Once we report back to Chief Bogo, we'll be able to throw that scumbag back in jail where he really belongs..._ Nick mentally reassured himself.

The cruiser glided down the smooth asphalt of the Savannah-central Park road, its destination set and steady for the reckoning of all that they had learned thus far.

* * *

10:52 P.M , _Somewhere in Tundra-Town_

Though knowledge is, and always has been power, you would be a mindless fool to think it anything but unrestricted...

For nearly all of his life, Grygorri Yefimovich Ratsputin had known that the sky itself was _not_ the limit: That the strength of one's will and the fortitude of one's resolve could easily over-power even the most harrowing and tenacious of obstacles and challenges in life. That if your mental power was great enough, you could prove yourself to be so much more than what you looked like on the outside. That if your determination and your wit were with you every step of the way, there was no reason _not_ to succeed,

Your mind is absolutely and unquestionably your greatest weapon: It is everything about you, yet all that you ever really need.

It could drive you to unparalleled heights, and could conceive the most unfathomable of things in the blink of an eye. Your mind is _far_ more than just some vessel of brain-power and thought: The mind is a tool of learning and intellect, of personality and wisdom, of righteousness and belief. It is, and always will be, your greatest asset of all.

It is what makes you... _You_.

Grygorri Ratsputin saw the world through an eye-glass of unparalleled insight: From birth, he had been a gifted child, capable of things others could only dream of. While other children of his age frame grew up indulging themselves in idle play, rough-housing, and cartoons, Grygorri spent his personal time reading, watching clouds float by in the sky, and learning all that he could about the world around him. He was, and always had been plagued by an insatiable appetite for knowledge, even of the most simple of things.

From the outside looking in, one could assume that the rat had a mind like a steeled-trap. But if you asked him, he would say that he had a mind like a black hole: Deep, relentless, and almost terrifyingly hungry for the pursuit of anything lain in its path, swallowing and absorbing vast amounts of knowledge and information just because it could.

The rat was intelligent, but far from naive: He understood that the world could be a cruel and relentless place, yet he still had dreams of his own accord and desire. Growing up, Grygorri watched other children as they announced to the world their plans for the future, and what they wanted to be when they grew up, in specific. He saw patterns in their choices: The rabbits would choose meek, simple jobs to fulfill some subconscious and primal desire to stay safe, the larger predator and prey species such as rhinos and elephants would go for the more heavier-lifting jobs, and the smaller ones were stuck with the rather back-water careers and occupations.

Grygorri was told that rats had little options in their choice of career, due to how they were perceived by the world around them. Rats could only amount to what they were expected, no matter their determination or resolve, they told him again and again. Rats were supposed to be dull and gullible, yet Grygorri was a child-prodigy, if there ever was one. Rats were thought to be pathological liars: Completely untrustworthy, even _more_ so than foxes, raccoons, or even weasels. Yet Grygorri loved telling the truth.

He grew up surrounded by pessimistic ideals and thoughts. Rats could tell nothing but lies, he was told more times than even _he_ could count.

Yet in spite of it all, Grygorri Ratsputin had known _exactly_ what he wanted to be when he grew up...

The young rat wished to give knowledge to the entire world, and become the very first rat news anchor in all of Zootopia itself!

But society had _other_ plans, apparently.

The young Grygorri Ratsputin was no shy soul: He told all that he could about his dreams and his passions to become the very first rat news anchorman. He wanted to spread knowledge to the world, and give everyone the same opportunities that he had and perceived. However, his ideas were less than the very dirt beneath the ground to his peers and his associates: Teachers told him that such a career had no place for mammals like him and his kin. That rats couldn't be in news, because they could only tell lies.

He was not deterred from his efforts, though, as he continued to strive and prove to others that rats were more than just lying, and treacherous thieves. Those around him saw his species as dull and predictable, stupid and ignorant; Grygorri was relentlessly tormented by his superior class-mates for being smarter than the average rat. Even in his adult life, he was haunted by the powerful memories of the horrible things that they had done to him _and_ his family, all in the cruel name of prejudice and racism.

However, the most atrocious act wrought against him and his kith was undoubtedly the one that _truly_ broke his soul...

 _Scrtch-ch-ch-ch!_

The rat's pointed claws dug against the wooden surface of the dining table, leaving light cicatrix indentions in their wake.

His fingers balled up into a tight clenching fist, causing one of his nails to splinter. Wincing, Grygorri raised his finger up to his eyes, and examined the broken tip on one of his claws. The rat's jaw hung slightly agape, and his eyes twitched irritably. He found himself shaking uncontrollably, his temper rising and causing his fur to stand at attention.

Growling to himself, Ratsputin pulled himself away from the table before reaching down and retrieving his cane. He pulled gently on its hilt, enticing a small and sharp _click_ from the tool and causing the cane's body to slide away like a scabbard: Grygorri unsheathed his blade, and expertly twirled it about in his wrist, the sharpened stick of metal swishing around as it cut through the air and empty space around it.

He slowly brought the blade to his face, where he held it vertically in front of his cold, black-colored eyes. He visually inspected the fine edges, delicately running one of his fingers down its length, testing the blade's efficiency. Judging by the fact that even as delicately as he caressed it, his fingers drew small amounts of blood, he reasoned that his precious sword was up to his current standards.

The rat closed his eyes and breathed in and out slowly, thinking back to his past experiences. Not too long after that specific... _Incident_ , as he liked to call it... Ratsputin begun to delve into more physical forms of knowledge and learning: He spent years training himself how to use and brandish a blade, not just a knife, but a _true_ sword. He practiced fencing, and other forms of sword-play, honing his skills until he mastered them.

The rat sighed longingly.

Sheathing his sword back into its proper place, Ratsputin breathed in deeply before stepping forward and making his way out of the aforementioned room, instead choosing to direct himself down a painting-lined hall-way, intent on heading town to his secret archive, where he stored all of the physical evidence on those that he black-mailed.

Grygorri Ratsputin's home was a loner's paradise: An estate erected unto one of the farthest corners of Tundra-Town, where no one could bother him. The property was quite large, with vast fields of snowy forest surrounding his home, which itself was build of wood and brick; Old and archaic in design, but surprisingly modern and well-kept in terms of quality and cleanliness.

The rat whom owned the property had always been subject to powerful bouts of OCD and perfectionism, convincing him to keep his residence as clean and tidy as possible. Aside from hired guards, servants, and watch-men, Ratsputin was the only true resident in the entire estate, his three children having moved out long ago in pursuit of their own dreams. His former and only mate, dead from a blight of cancer. Now, Grygorri lived by himself, away from the world, but for more than just his own personal preferences.

Advantages came with his rather hidden-away estate: Here, he was safe and secluded from anyone who had a bone to pick with him. He had survived multiple assassination attempts in the past, usually from former victims of his extortion schemes who had truly nothing left to lose. Here, he hid and protected his rather copious collection of physical evidence that he used for black-mailing and other acts of influence.

With an expression completely lacking of any sort of emotion, the rat continued through his home, occasionally stopping to admire a painting or art-piece as he made his way towards his personal archive. Eventually, he reached the end of one of his hallways, where a large book-shelf was positioned against the ending wall. Walking up to it, Ratsputin pulled against the frame while pressing on a teeny button on the back of the structure, causing the shelf to slide open like a door; A secret door, to be precise. Within, a rather minuscule and simple room housed a single hole, which descended down-ward in a spiral stair-case, leading to the hidden basement where he stored his collection.

Just as he was about to step inside, a sudden pain caught in his chest. He coughed into his fist, quickly pulling out a handkerchief before bringing it to his mouth. Retching harshly, he inhaled slowly through his nose before breathing out as calmly as possible, all in an attempt to quell the irritation that plagued his lungs. The pain in his chest quickly subsided, and the rat was left panting heavily as he leaned against the doorframe. His vision blurred around the edges.

Shaking his head irritably, Ratsputin refocused his gaze before glancing down at the cloth he held between his bony fingers. A streak of dark, crimson liquid had spattered against the surface of the cloud-white material, staining it like paint. Ratsputin clenched his teeth together in frustration as he messily folded up the cloth before stuffing it back into one of the pockets on his suit and turning his full attention toward the musty stairwell before him.

Closing the book-shelf behind him for good measure, the rat descended the flights of stairs, soon enough finding himself in a rather spacious room, lined with shelves, containers, and other dusty objects of random accord. The room was neatly situated, but rather messy, especially for his standards: Towers of medical records from random citizens, files upon files of tax resumes and applications, and even stolen items that he had acquired from the homes of other mammals for his own nefarious purposes. Plastic tubs were choked full of documents and other applicable sources, ranging from physical evidence to digital evidence, in the form of hard-drives and storage systems.

Entire shelves were lined with items of seeming insignificance: Torn-up diplomas, shattered picture frames, broken spectacles, photographs of random mammals, objects and places, stolen paintings, pictures of ultra-sounds and smiling animals, glass jars filled with organs and bloodied juices; Samples taken from test subjects in his pursuit of knowledge over the mammalian anatomy, including containers of various eyes, tissue samples, bodily fluid, and even bones. Grygorri was no registered doctor, but even still, the Zootopia General Hospital was more than generous to supply him with anything that he asked for, more or less.

But to Ratsputin, each and every individual item in his collection told a story. A legacy. Nothing in this room was mere junk to him: Every last item and object in his home was worth an immeasurable point of value to him, not necessarily due to their financial worth, but because every single item and object in this particular room was a weapon: A foot-hold of leverage against his enemies and victims.

Civilians and other _normal_ mammals, as they probably liked to imagine themselves as, were so careless and naive: Information about them so blatantly posted on social media, their web-cams left unattended, allowing Ratsputin to capture video surveillance of his victims going about their daily activities. In one space of his archive, multiple computer monitors and other screens and projectors broad-casted recorder videos of traffic cameras, security cameras, and so on. Entire public systems all hooked up to his archive.

Pacing over to a rectangular table in the corner of his abode, Grygorri set his cane down on its smooth wooden surface before glancing over to a multitude of chess-pieces stashed at the very end of the table. Reaching over and singling out the black-colored king piece, Ratsputin wrung the object in front of his eyes, twisting it carefully and examining its outer coating, which was jet-black and completely clean, free of any dust or scratch marks.

A low smile tugged at his lips.

Setting down the chess piece and turning towards the projector, the rat selected a series of videos from the traffic cameras in the Nocturnal-District, tuned to the events of seven years past. Grygorri sifted through his archive in search of a very specific folder; As he waltzed around through the wall-like shelves that filled the center of the room, his bony fingers stroked lightly against passing objects, wiping away dust and decay in their wake. His hands twisted about delicately as if they had minds of their very own, intent on searching for and finding the object of the rat's current objective.

Scanning over the shelves line with hundreds of folders, Grygorri's claws fingertips traced across the sides of the papers in an attempt to single out a very particular one. His vast and impressive collection of documented citizens was very copious, containing files and records on politicians, police officers, crime-lords, doctors, lawyers, and government officials: Virtually anyone of significant influence. Soon enough, Ratsputin found the papers he needed, and placed them on the very same table that supported his cane-sword.

Inhaling deeply through his nostrils, the rat felt a shiver settle down his back-bone as the folder's scent filled his nose with the smell vanilla and mildew.

The vanilla-colored folder was labeled with the name of Nicholas Piberius Wilde: Pinned to the corner of the very first sheet within, which detailed the fox's occupation and personality, a king of diamonds was fashioned on with a single paper-clip. The rat carefully pulled the card out of its hiding place, and kissed it a single time while chuckling lowly to himself.

Putting the item back into its proper place, Ratsputin took to continuing his searching over the traffic cameras. Eventually, he found what he was looking for: The night that Vladzotz's manor had been burned to the ground, and his family along with it. Grygorri smiled delicately, and clicked the play button.

On the projector, a clear image could be seen of an orange-colored fox approaching the bat's manor from the south, looking inside the windows before beginning to dump gasoline and other flammable materials across the front porch and walls of the house. Time passed, and the rat watched with intent every second of the recording, from start to finish: He took note of how Vladzotz had momentarily spotted Nick as he tried to flee the arson scene, only for his attention to return to that of one of his children, who could clearly be seen flying from the wreckage of the house, its coat of fluff ablaze with flames of orange and red.

"Oh, now _that_ is malicious..." Ratsputin mumbled to himself, snickering slightly. "You have no idea the pain that you caused, do you, Nicholas?"

Grygorri's onyx-black pupils dilated to minute pinpricks as the video recording came to an abrupt end, and another image suddenly broad-casted on the projector board.

The rat let out a low, long laugh, the image on screen nothing short of ironic: Judith Laverne Hopps, posing with Fru Fru's daughter, who bared the same name as the aforementioned lapin. Grygorri made a mental note to pursue her, since such connections to a mob-boss and district crime-lord could prove to be quite unfortunate, on her part.

Ratsputin stroked his curled beard, thinking over the coming steps that he'd have to take to ensure his victory of the police officers hot on his tail. The rat's beady and calculating eyes darted around the scene of his collection, viewing over the various artifacts and other bits of documentation and evidence that he had acquired over the years.

An idea started to formulate within his mind: Something that would berid him of that vulpine and lapin once and for all... All the while getting him what he wanted most...

"That mayor... So stubborn. Refuses to know her place... Refuses to give in to my demands. But _you_..." He mumbled, tapping the photograph of Nick Wilde.

He stifled a slight and dry chortle beneath his breath.

" _You_ , Nicholas, are an _adversary_... But come tomorrow..."

Grygorri reached into one of the pockets in his court-suit, pulling out the one, singular item that he knew would bend the fox to his will: A single, silver-coated family locket.

"You will be an _ally_."

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **We got another more bite-sized chapter to tide you off for the coming few days. Don't worry though! Chapter 63 is gonna be _quite_ large, very extensive with new bits of knowledge and other interesting topics, _and_ it's surprisingly fluffy. That's a good bonus if I ever saw one! Stay tuned for it, of course!**

 **Even though this particular chapter was rather small in comparison to some other chapters that have been released to the public as of lately, I still very c** **ertainly hope that you enjoyed this latest chapter of mine! Do be sure to leave a nice review detailing your thoughts on it, of course! I'd _love_ to know what you all think of my work! And do feel free to favorite and/or follow this story if you haven't already: I _greatly_ appreciate each and every single one! _Truly_! :)**

 **As for Ratsputin himself, well; you'll be learning more about him and his plans soon enough. Stay tuned!**

 **But regardless, I thank you all for reading this latest chapter of mine! Do stay tuned for chapter 63, comin' your way soon!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	60. Mental Bastions

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Mega-quick author's note here, but I just wanted to mention something real fast for the sake of clarification, and so that you lot aren't confused at all...**

 **The very final scene that takes place in this chapter details exactly how Grygorri Ratsputin managed to acquire the locket from Vladzotz himself. Thus, that particular scene takes place several days _earlier_ than the events in these current few chapters. I just wanted to let you all know, of course! :)**

 **Many of you were seemingly wondering over how Ratsputin got his lil' paws on the locket in the first place, and though I was originally planning to just detail that topic in a quick and brief few lines of dialogue and hinting, I have just now decided to expand upon that very particular scene for the sake of immersion, further story-telling, and characterization! I thought that it was a pretty neat and interesting scene to begin with, so I see pretty much no harm in providing with some more free content for you all!**

 **Now, without any further ado, I present to you all chapter 63 of When Instinct Falls, _Mental Bastions_**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"Better three hours too soon than a minute too late." - William Shakespeare

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"I must govern the clock, not be governed by it." - Golda Meir

 ***DOUBLE BONUS QUOTE*** (Because you all deserve it!)

"The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time." - Bertrand Russel

* * *

3:00 P.M

Nick knew that it would only be a matter of time until they at last returned back to the ZPD Head-Quarters.

Their latest mission had been one of great suspicion and conspiracy: State-secrets, long forgotten sins, dirt brushed lazily under the rug, dusty skeletons in the old closet.

Every step of the way, something had been gnawing at the back of Nick's head. Something just didn't add up, no matter what way he looked at it, whether it be from this angle or that, from one or one thousand miles away. One prospect was too low, another too high, and when one finally seemed to even out, it flipped over and completely threw itself out of whack, along with all of the others as well.

It was only after they had learned about just what exactly the state-secrets were that everything had started to fall properly into place.

City-hall was hiding blue-prints for a weapon of disastrous potential: Shock collars, practically designed to drive emotion to utter extinction, at least in the likes of the predator race. _That's_ what Grygorri Ratsputin has been after all of this time. It had been a miracle that the new mayor had been able to resist his corrupting influence for this long, but like all things, it would only be a matter of time until she too finally snapped, and gave the rat what he wanted most of all.

Ironically enough, it had been Grygorri Ratsputin's very own children that had revealed the information on the peculiar state-secrets to the trio of mammals bent on the safety of the city and its residence. The rat twins had claimed that the documentations themselves had been reviewed and looked over by the ZPD before being locked away from the world. Bellwether planned and designed it, Ratsputin funded it, and Jack Savage intended on mass producing them for the entirety of the predator population.

The source of blame was on everyone and everywhere.

But in the end, all of it pointed back towards one mammal, the one that had sent them on the entire mission in the first place: Chief Bogo himself.

Practically kicking down the door to the water-buffalo's office after a brief slew of introductory knocks, Nick roughly dragged Jack Savage inside, with Judy following behind shortly. The fox hadn't waited for the chief's permission to enter, so he was ready for the ensuing round of chiding that he knew would come with such an unofficial entrance.

"Officer Wilde, just what have I told you before about entering my office without permission?" Chief Bogo grumbled, raising himself up from his black-colored office chair.

"With all do respect, sir, we have some stuff that you might want to hear about." Nick retorted, his emerald eyes locking with Bogo's hazel ones.

The water-buffalo snorted audibly through his thick nostrils. He spoke aloud as he slowly seated himself once more;

"And what could be so important that it requires my utmost and immediate attention? You _should_ have just made an appointment with Clawhauser back at receptions instead of barging right in here in the middle of the day, but I presume that you wouldn't really have done so if it wasn't for something with at least _some_ shred of importance... I'm guessing that it has something to do with the internal-investigation case at city-hall that I just recently assigned to the three of you, no?"

"That's right, chief." The fox stated lowly. "We just recently got back from city-hall, and now we know _exactly_ what we're dealing with."

Nick's previous statement caused the water-buffalo's eyes to widen in anticipation and shock before narrowing in apprehension and readiness.

"Do you now? And what exactly _are_ we dealing with, officer Wilde?" He asked broodingly with an under-tone of genuine curiosity.

"The three of us found out what Grygorri Ratsputin is after down at city-hall. Shock collars, huh? We _also_ found out that, apparently, _you_ knew about them the entire time: That, as a point of fact, it was _you_ who gave the order to lock them away from the public, instead of letting them all know just what exactly Bellwether was planning from the beginning. That it was _you_ who'd rather hide the truth and lie than show everyone what that despicable little sheep _really_ had planned for the city, had planned for _me_!"

With that last word, Nick clamped his free paw around his throat and squeezed, emphasizing the barbarism and cruel, sadistic nature of the shock collars.

"You knew what we were going up against, and what it meant for the city!" The fox growled at Bogo, causing Judy to swallow nervously, sensing tension in the air.

"Officers, I only told you what you _needed_ to know for the case." Bogo interjected calmly. "What those documents are was never a part of it."

"But you _lied_ to us... Just like _this_ conniving little scum!" Nick snarled, pulling Jack forward. "You both lied right to our faces! And worst of all, you both knew that you were!"

"Officer Wilde, the pretenses of the case demanded that-"

"Cut the crap!" The fox shouted out loud.

" _ENOUGH_!" Chief Bogo thundered, effectively silencing the room. "I hope you know that I have every right in the world to _fire you_ for misconduct and challenging authority!"

The whole room stayed silent as the water-buffalo continued, each mammal flinching as his harsh words fell upon their sensitive ears.

"Perhaps I should have told you two officers about the documents, but then again, I could have been charged with sedition against the city! It was agreed upon by the city-council that no one should ever know what was in those documents. So _no_ , you _didn't_ have to know what exactly you were handling: You were only supposed to know why you were handling it, which was to keep it _safe_ from Grygorri Ratsputin, who poses a greater threat to this city than perhaps anything we've ever faced before!"

"Chief, we-" Judy started, but was near-instantly cut off.

" _Quiet_ , Hopps! I don't care what you know or don't know!"

Judy visibly shrunk, her long and floppy ears flattening themselves against the back of her neck and shoulders in shame and submission.

"The _only_ thing that I care about is _this_ creep-" Bogo pointed to his white-board, where a picture of Ratsputin hung. "-Being stopped before he can cause any further damage!"

Eyeing the white-board, it was apparent that the chief must've been quite hard at work, as of late; Dozens of colorful yarn pieces were strung between various pictures, notes, and papers pinned against the wall, nearly every single one of them leading back to the photograph of the rat, which was positioned directly in the center of the entire mess.

Bogo continued carefully;

"I know what you're thinking, officer Wilde: You think that I'm only trying to save my own hide, by assimilating the evidence left over from the Night-Howler case of the shock-collars into the paws of the ZPD." He shook his head. "That's where you're wrong... Nearly _every single thing_ that I do here has a purpose, but that is not one of them!"

As much as he wanted to deny it, Chief Bogo was right: Nick had sort of rushed in throwing blatant accusations at him. He kept himself silent as his boss continued.

"One of the more specific reasons why I didn't want you to know what you were dealing with was because I knew that you would be revolted by the idea of such a thing. That it might interfere with your mission. I admit, the shock-collars are a despicable mechanism, but don't think for _one_ second that I am _not_ against them! Understood, officers?"

Nothing but silence.

" _Understood_?!" Bogo repeated, this time much louder and with more intensity.

"Yes sir!" Nick and Judy both stated directly in unison, planting their paws above their heads in a stead-fast and respectful salute.

The water-buffalo shot a glare at Jack Savage, whose ears shot up the instant that he locked eyes with the irate chief of police.

"Uh, yes sir!" He stammered quickly, mimicking the same pose as the two other officers.

"Good. Now take this rabbit back to the cell-block!" The chief ordered, pointing at Jack. "Get him out of my office!"

"Sir, d-don't you want to hear the details about our case?" Judy piped up, earning the buffalo's attention effectively.

"I believe that I've heard enough for today." He claimed, glaring daggers at Nick. "Besides, Mayor Lyncoln just called: She informed me of tomorrow's meeting at city-hall."

"Oh, that's great!" The female bunny exclaimed. "Alright sir, we'll take care of Jack immediately."

"Dismissed!"

* * *

3:10 P.M , _Cell-Block A_

"Uh, no no _no_!" Jack stammered irritably, pushing against Nick from behind. "I'm _not_ going back in there!"

"Can it, Savage! I'm not in the mood for this right now. You're going back to your cell whether you want to or not!" Nick growled, his teeth visibly bared in growing frustration.

"No! C-can't we just work through the night? I-I was under the impression that I wouldn't have t-to go back in there until we were f-finished! Right?"

"Yeah, well your little impression was wrong, Jack." Judy added. "Stop struggling, or we're going to have to result to force."

The male rabbit snorted audibly, a cruel grin surfacing on his face, parting his lips as wide as they could go.

"Ha! Wouldn't be the first time you've heard _those_ words before, huh Alaina?" He hissed mockingly. "I can think of a few others while I'm at it, you know!"

Judy gasped and took a step back, releasing her hold on the male rabbit, who continued his tirade with fervid bitterness and unrestrained words.

"Tell me if _this one_ rings any bells for ya!" Jack snarled. " _I trusted you, even when everyone else didn't_! You could say that the very same statement works for _my_ current-"

 _FLZSSCH_!

" _Ack_?!"

 _THUD_!

The sour, metallic smell of electricity lingered in the air, tiny tendrils of smoke billowing off of the spot where Nick's taser had found its mark, directly between the small of the male rabbit's back, where the prongs of the device had sunk into his sensitive flesh and delivered a static charge of over fifty thousand volts directly to his body, causing him to fall over and hit the ground hard, his erratically twitching body soon going limp just a few short seconds later.

"About time someone shut him up." Nick grumbled as he fastened the taser back to his utility belt and turned around to face his mate. "You alright there, fluff?"

Judy swallowed.

"You didn't have to do that, Nick." She simply stated, to which the fox snorted audibly and responded back carefully;

"Why not? He was resisting apprehension, not to mention the fact that he was practically spitting on us. He was asking for it, Whiskers. I'm sorry if you don't see it that way."

The female bunny sighed in a sense of seeming disappointment.

"Let's just throw him back in his cell, shall we?" She asked, her inquiry followed with a slight chortle. "It's starting to smell like fried rabbit in here."

* * *

9:00 P.M

Their efforts had been substantial, and their sacrifices had been quite generous, but in the end, there was no place like home.

Having to deal with the scrutiny and ignorance of Jack Savage for the past full day was one thing, but topping it all off with another six of paper-work? Forget about it!

After both the bunny and the fox had reported their recent findings to Bogo, and dropped off the male rabbit back to his cell for the night, the two of them were quite distraught to come face to face with the monstrous mountain of paper-work that had been erected atop their respective desks, ranging from old case-files to criminal documentations and public records. Nick especially never enjoyed the methodical experience of filing papers, or classifying evidence: He was a free-range fox, as he liked to consider himself as, and very much enjoyed being able to walk around, and do as he please, all the while getting payed for it! That was one of the main reasons why he enjoyed accepting the larger cases, as a matter of fact.

Dropping off Jack had been a welcoming moment of bliss followed by six hours of anxiety, but now, it was at last time to head home and relax.

Nick and Judy, after departing from the ZPD, immediately set out towards their apartment, where they both planned on instantaneously crashing: That much paperwork can take a lot out of you. Upon reaching their home, they both stripped themselves down before retreating to the warm folds of their own bed, sleep soon following peacefully.

* * *

As much as he wished that he could deny it, Nick Wilde was all too familiar with nightmares.

Ever since his father had left him that cold and fateful night all those years ago, his dreams throughout the following weeks had been nothing short of lucid. They weren't varied, new, diverse, or even very intricate: There was always the same concept, the same underlying meaning and purpose, and the same terrifying, nightmarish situation.

Nick would dream that he was falling.

A simple concept as it was. Falling somehow, somewhere, for some reason. Eventually, the dreams became too much, and the young fox sought for aid from his mother, whom would tell him that most dreams, nightmares being no exception, had an underlying purpose behind them, one way or another. She told him that when he fell in his dreams, it was often symbolic of a real life situation of losing control; Being completely powerless as you plummet toward the ground, destined for an inevitable, painful, and fatal impact.

The nightmares had raged on for entire weeks on end, but soon enough, like all things good or bad, they too came to an end.

For the longest of times, Nick wasn't sure what the dreams truly meant for during that point of his life. He was young, and naive: Abandoned by his father and subject to horrid bullying in the vile name of prejudice and racism. Perhaps his dreams really _were_ analogous with his life at the time: Zero control, completely and utterly powerless to the winds of fate that carried him through his life, day after day, year after year.

One lifetime of pain and misery.

But after years of pushing the old and bitter thoughts of his past to the back of his mind, Nick at last realized that the reason behind his nightmares must have been because of his father's leaving, and everything that went along with it, including many of Nick's old hopes and dreams, long forgotten and buried in the ever-shifting sands of time itself.

Nick had had very few nightmares ever since.

But now, the instant that the fox's eyes closed for good, his conscious was thrust into a world of darkness and terror.

He was falling, just like in his youth: The ground beneath his very feet had swallowed him up and spat him into an inky abyss. He was falling through a dark, rocky pit, with tendrils of shadow wrapping around his body and pulling him even deeper into the depths. Nick felt pressure building in his chest, and his vision blur with a hazy sort of glare.

The walls of the cave melted, and he then landed upon his back onto a hard surface below him.

Nick felt a chilling shiver course its way up the length of his back-bone, causing him to sit up and clutch at his shoulders, his canine teeth chattering together rapidly.

Everything was cold... Colder than the deepest, iciest lake in Tundra-Town.

He looked around, eyeing his surroundings: Nothing. Just pitch blackness. Though within a few seconds time, the shadows melted away like receding tidal waves, revealing the interior of some long, dark hall-way. The wall-paper was a dark purple color, and was lined with intricate designs and patterns. Paintings of random materials hung from the walls, ranging from flowers to some sort of shadowy landscape: It looked familiar to the fox, almost.

The carpet that he sat upon was clean, but fettered and damaged with age. It was colored identically with the purple walls, but the boards beneath it were a perplexing mixture of black and brown, rowed together orderly and following down the length of the hall, which was as dark as could be. The fox steadily rose to his feet, standing on two legs as he clutched at his fore-head tenderly, rubbing at his sinuses and trying to quell the painful throbbing in his brain and the piercing ringing in his ears.

He blinked slowly, his emerald-colored eyes readjusting to the darkness around him. His mind cleared itself for the first time, and he was able to sense things clearly.

The first thing he noticed was the music.

Deep, rich, and reverberating chords echoed through the hall-way, bouncing around in his ear-drums and causing his fur to stand on end, erect with a tingling sense of pleasure and emotion: The music was enticingly beautiful, and caused the fox's eyes to roll up into his head, and his lips to curl into a slight smile. He sniffed the air deeply, breathing in straight through his quivering nostrils.

Wood, mildew, and some other peculiar smell... Almost like fresh mineral water: More of a taste than a scent.

Nick took a step forward, and slowly continued down the length of the hall-way, which only grew darker and more inky with each step closer to whatever lied at the very end.

All the while, the music continued peacefully. It wasn't anything like Nick had heard before: Deep, but gentle, piano-like, but much more powerful.

As he neared closer to the very end of the dark hall-way, which he could sense was growing closer with each passing step forward into the blackness, the tranquil music started to change quickly. At first, the song was sad, slow, and dreary: Like a long-forgotten dream being crushed, or something very precious and dear being lost, or destroyed entirely.

Now, the song was playing unpredictably: The notes were intense, fast and harsh, like anger personified. Beneath the melody, the lower notes were deep and horrific, like an erratic and energized heart-beat. Now that the song had picked up, Nick recognized the instrument behind the many notes: It was an organ, a very large keyboard instrument.

The fox begun to feel the floor-boards beneath his feet vibrate as he drew closer and closer to the end of the hall-way, which stood directly in front of him, looming tall and solid; A large pair of double doors, fashioned from some type of wood, but carved unto with disturbing designs and imagery, including symbols shaped like claw marks and scratches.

But in the very middle of the door, the crowning symbol was undoubtedly the massive, crooked, and pointed slab fashioned into the terrifying shape of a bat.

Nick felt his heart race within the walls of his rib-cage, and his breath quickened in turn. He recognized this as Vladzotz's manor. It wasn't the first time that he had been here, after all. Without any form of previous action to effect, the large double-doors then swung open slowly and smoothly, revealing the interior of the proceeding room.

Looking inside carefully, Nick eyed the room in it's entirety: Large and spacious, with the only true decoration being at the opposing side of the room, where a massive organ was fixed into the center of the wall; Its brass-colored pipes rising dozens of feet into the air, nearly reaching the very tip of the ceiling itself. The slits and openings near the middle and top of the many pipes blew out clouds of dust, indicating that the organ was quite old, much like the very house it resided in. The wood that lined the desk of the organ was carved very intricately, designed to look almost as if the instrument had wings stretching taut and reaching out from its left and right flanks.

In the very center of it all was the performer of the piece, a large bat looming over the organ keys, playing with a methodical sense of reverence and disposition.

Vladzotz's body swayed rhythmically to the reverberating sounds that emanated from the instrument he played upon. Glancing to the front of the organ, the fox took note of how the organ's case and desk was free of any music sheets or records, the only object resting upon it's surface being one, single silver-coated amulet. The bat's eyes were completely closed shut, and judging from how passionate his notes were, and how his body swayed to the sound of the music, it was clear that he was very engrossed into his solo performance. The bass was so powerful that the entire room shook with each underlying note that was pressed beneath the bat's sharp and highly elongated talons.

Nick took a single step back in apprehension.

 _This is all just a dream... This is all just a dream..._

As the fox's left foot came down on the floor-board behind him, it uttered a painfully obvious and surprisingly loud creaking noise. Nick cringed hard as he watched Vlad's hyper-sensitive ears twitch slightly in a subconscious response to the sudden and unwelcoming noise that the board had spawned, causing the bat to lose his expert composure.

 _DRNG_!

The fox felt his heart beat even more rapidly against his chest as he witnessed Vladzotz fumble on a peaking note; One of his talons hitting the wrong key, causing his rather tedious composure to completely evaporate, and for the music to completely stop. Painful, heart-throbbing silence filled the dark room to the very brim. Nick swallowed hard.

Vladzotz slowly swiveled his head to the side, one of his blood-red eyes glaring directly over his shoulder and right at Nick.

"You always were a stupid fox... You can hide your secrets, but will suffer in silence because of them." Vladzotz uttered, turning around and stepping away from the organ.

The bat lord looked just as menacing as he ever had before: Gleaming, massive fangs, large, fuzzy ears, leathery wings large enough to encircle Nick's entire body. He looked exactly as he had the night that he had tried to burn Nick alive, with a pure black vest and slacks, the only spot of color being a blood-red bow tie and trim along the edges.

However, this Vladzotz was free of any damages done by the ensuing fire: No missing eye, no hoarse and wretched voice, no horrid wheezing and no grisly scorch patches.

"Your actions will only bring you pain, Nicholas. Nothing more, and nothing less... Just pain." The bat continued lowly.

"What's going on here? What is it that you want?" Nick questioned quickly.

"You are asking the wrong questions, fox..." Vladzotz took a few small step forward. "What is it that _you_ want from _me_?"

The fox stayed quietly, clearly confused as to the bat's verbal advances.

"You are not here to _fear_ : You are here to _conquer_!" He roared, his large fangs glistening in the dim light. "Your pain has brought you here, and now you must _learn_!"

Vladzotz snarled and took a few small steps closer, causing Nick to stumble back in apprehension.

"Learn? What's there to learn from _you_? You're a monster!" The fox retorted, trying his hardest to maintain a strong eye-contact with the menacing bat.

"You have so much to learn in such little time... But the pain wrought by your own selfish acts can still be purged."

"Pain," Nick repeated, almost dreamily. "Why did you never feel... _P_ _ain_?"

The fox meant every word with sincerity. For as long as he had known Vladzotz, the bat had shown little to no emotions other than anger and guilt. Nick thought that he must've been impervious to emotional pain, given the fact that he has proven himself to be quite callous, but the moment that took place between the two of them respectively in the depths and raging fires of the bat's ancient manor all those months ago suggested otherwise.

Still, no matter what Vladzotz truly felt or not, he certainly didn't seem to take a liking to Nick's previous statement.

"You _always_ feel it, Nicholas..."

He growled broodingly and stretched out his massive, leathery wings, and beat them down hard a single time, lunging forward slightly and taking a few short feet to the air, gliding right towards Nick. The bat crashed into him, both mammals toppling over and falling to the ground, with Vladzotz landing atop and pinning Nick beneath his weight.

"But you _don't_ have to _fear it_!"

Nick winced, blinking his eyes rapidily and in trepidation as beady droplets of saliva dripped down onto his face with each word that the bat hissed down to him from above.

"Why are you here?!" Vladzotz roared madly. " _Why_ are you here?!"

Despite the fact that the fox continually told himself that this was all nothing more that some lucid and deluded night-terror, he couldn't shake the racking amounts of fear that had begun to build up within him: It all felt so real. Vladzotz's metallic-scented breath, his defiant shouts and menacing expression... All of it felt so unbelievably _real_...

Looking into the bat's blood-red eyes as he throttled him around, Nick saw a literal flame searing behind his corneas: A burning fire of anger and pain raging within his mind.

The fox took to thinking over Vlad's consistent and confusing choice of words: Why _was_ he here? Why did his dream bring him here to Vlad's manor, of all places?

Meanwhile, the burning fire behind the bat lord's eyes had only grown larger over time, and now, the entirety of _both_ his eye sockets was aflame, with the burning glow pooling in the center, directly where his pupils would have been.

 _Brought here to learn_... _Brought here to conquer_. _You always feel pain, but you don't have to fear it_...

Nick's emerald-colored eyes locked into the flaming pits that were burning into Vladzotz's face.

"I am _not_ afraid of you!" The fox snarled, pushing back up against the bat and shifting his weight forward slightly.

"You're just a dream! If I can beat you, I can beat anything! _Anyone_!"

Vladzotz screeched horribly and stepped back, releasing his hold on Nick and allowing the fox to regain his footing and stand upright.

" _You're just a dream_!" He yelled once again.

With each word, Vladzotz shrunk smaller and smaller. Nick yelled those four words over and over again until the bat had melted away into nothing but a pool of shadow and a tiny flame, no bigger than the tip of a match-head. The fox collapsed onto his haunches, sitting down with a thud on the floor and sighing heavily. He felt tired... So tired...

He closed his eyes for a few brief seconds. When he opened them again, he was no longer in Vladzotz's manor.

Now, the fox was in a large and spacious clean office, with red-carpet beneath his feet, and rows of book-shelves against the walls. In the middle of the room, a set of couches surrounded a single table. Farther back, a decently-sized and black-colored office desk was positioned in front of a towering floor-to-ceiling window, with a brilliant view of the glowing moon across the horizon, the night sky dotted with hundred of bright starts and other celestial bodies.

It only took him a moment to realize that he was now in Jack Savage's office.

"So, you beat the bat, overcame your fears, and now you're stuck with _me_. But unfortunately, I reckon that I'm the very _least_ of your problems, Mister Wilde."

That smooth, suave-sounding voice was one that Nick knew all too well. With his paws clenched tightly into a pair of double fists, Nick whirled around to the sight of the couch rotunda, where Jack Savage calmly lounged atop one of the sofas, his feet kicked up onto the small, glass coffee table in front of him. This dream version of Jack Savage was dressed much more professionally than the one that Nick had been working alongside the past 24 hours or so, complete with a shining black tuxedo and slacks, and a single blue flower pinned to the left side of his breast, complimenting the piercing turquoise coloring of his eyes, which shined with an amused sort of light. In his right paw he held a small glass of scotch, filled to the very top with the sweet and amber-colored liquid.

"Come on now, Nicholas... _Sit_. I won't bite, I promise." The striped rabbit stated peacefully. "We have _much_ to discuss."

"What's going on, Jack?" Nick questioned, his teeth bared together in frustration. "Why is this happening?"

Jack Savage lolled his head slightly, his eyes fixated on Nick with a coyish and confident sort of expression. He spoke aloud;

"I thought that you would have figured that out given how easily you managed to conquer Vladzotz, especially considering all the trouble that he's caused you throughout your miserable life. Never before have I met a more unfortunate or tormented soul than yourself. You are life's figurative punching bag: Beaten down every other day."

The male rabbit chuckled lowly to himself as he brought his glass of scotch to his lips, slowly sipping before swallowing and continuing his explanation.

"Despite all that, she's very fond of you, you know." He muttered.

"W-who?" Nick inquired, his head tilted slightly to the side.

"Judith. Laverne. Hopps." Jack replied slowly. "Such a bright and shining soul, that one is. It's a miracle that someone as rotten as you hasn't driven her off, as of yet."

"What... What are you getting at?"

Jack Savage smiled wide before closing his eyes; Caressing one of his ears with his free hand as if relishing some sort of feeling or sense.

"She yelled your name. Again, and again. It was music to my ears." He murmured almost dreamily.

Nick's heart skipped a beat: He was talking about the moment that he had tried to attack Judy.

Growling, the fox ran forward and lunged at the male rabbit, tackling him off of the couch and onto the ground, with Jack's scotch drink spilling across the red-colored carpet.

"Oh, now _that's_ more like it!" Jack cackled gleefully. "Show me what those claws can do!"

"You're pathetic!" Nick yelled, socking the male rabbit across the face a single time, a satisfying crunching noise accompanying the action.

" _Finally_... It took you long enough." Jack hissed.

Nick faltered, and his eyes widened: The rabbit's words were not his own. His mouth moved, but his voice was all of a sudden far deeper, and much more piercing and harsh.

He recognized the voice, and backed off, stumbling away from Jack upon hearing it speak aloud once more, this time much stronger;

"You're all puppets to me." The voice of Grygorri Ratsputin echoed, resonating throughout the office, which began to fall apart and disintegrate into blackened ash. " _Pawns_!"

The scene of Jack Savage's pristine and spacious office vanished, and then, Nick found himself kneeling on the white-tiled floor of a clean and tidy bathroom; The very same that he had encountered Ratsputin in just the other day, where the filthy rat had knocked him aside and humiliated the fox wholeheartedly and without mercy or hesitation.

"You especially, _Nicholas_." Ratsputin mocked, stepping out from one of the stalls and slamming the door behind him.

The fox shook his head. All of this was coming at him too fast. He needed some time to recover.

"This isn't r-real. _You_ aren't real." Nick muttered to himself, pointing at the rat. "This is all just some messed-up dream."

"You poor thing. Your mind seems to be falling apart, doesn't it?" The rat taunted. "Much like the two of us, there is a contrast of power between you and your own thoughts."

"What d-do you mean?"

"You say that too often!" Ratsputin growled loudly. "Use that head of yours and _think_!" He commanded. " _WHY ARE YOU HERE_?!"

Each of the rat's words sunk into Nick's mind like water to a sponge; Absorbed and taken into consideration in the fullest.

This was more than just some nightmare: It was a mental journey of realization, all in an attempt to make him realize the source of his personal problems.

"I'm here... To learn what's broken." The fox muttered, his voice impossibly soft. "Me."

Ratsputin's lips slowly pulled apart in a disturbing smile, revealing his pointed and beady teeth. He spoke out loud;

"That's right. You need to realize that the source of all this inside pain is not because of me, Jack, or even Vladzotz. It's because of you and _you alone_."

"I-I understand now."

"Of course you do, of course you do." Ratsputin mused. "Shatter the source of your ailments, Nicholas. Break the cycle, and at last make yourself at ease."

He leaned forward, so close that his nose nearly brushed against Nick's.

"Stop hiding. Stop lying. Stop denying. Obliterate the bastions that you have erected, and from there, you _will_ heal."

The entire world turned dark and terrifyingly inky once again, and the fox felt a dizzying pulling sensation in his head, gut, and upper-body region, his stomach muscles crunching tightly as he shot bolt upright in his very own and very real bed, his panting breaths heavy and his russet-colored fur beaded with tiny drops of cold and chilling perspiration.

The nightmare was over.

His erratic stirring had awoken Judy, whom with ears and eye-lids drooped in exhaustion, swiveled her head around her shoulders to glance at the fox that had disturbed her.

"N-Nick? What's wrong?" She asked sluggishly, all the while stealing a brief glance at the nearby alarm clock. "It's midnight... Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, heh..." The fox chuckled dryly. "I-I was just... I..." His facade grin melted away. "I had a dream..."

"A dream?" The bunny repeated.

" _Bad_ dream..." Nick corrected lowly.

"So, a nightmare?" Judy pressed, wiping away at her eyes and turning towards her husband.

"Yeah... A nightmare..."

"Do you remember any more than that?"

The fox nodded slowly.

"What was it about?"

Nick pursed his lips and furrowed his brow broodingly: He knew _exactly_ what it was about, and the potential that it had to make things sour between him and his wife. Ever since his child-hood, the fox had done his best to ensure that the world didn't know what he was _truly_ thinking behind his facade expression of confidence. However, not too long after meeting Judy Hopps herself, she begun to work his way into him; Changing his beliefs, ideals, perspective, perception, and way of thinking, above all else.

However, ever since he had been sized up and horridly blue-screened by Grygorri Ratsputin, his old ways had started to return to him once again.

It could be said that he didn't want anyone to see that the rat had gotten to him, and quite effectively at that. The fox had kept what happened to him in that bathroom quiet every step of the way because he secretly hoped that he could deal with the situation on his own, all by himself, without any help from anyone else, no matter what.

Yet despite all that he had attempted to hide from the world, hide from Judy, it was apparent that nothing could prevent his wife from eventually finding out in the end.

"Carrots, I-I got somthin' I need to tell ya..." The fox admitted, sighing disappointingly. "You probably aren't gonna like it very much, but I think it's still best that you know."

"Does it have to do with what the nightmare was about?" Judy questioned with raised eye-brows, to which the fox nodded in confirmation. "What is it, Nick?"

The fox exhaled slowly through his nostrils.

"I haven't exactly been very open with you, as of late, whiskers. Back at the city-hall... Something happened that I-I should have told you about."

Without saying anything, the female bunny inched a bit closer, her demeanor now completely wide awake and focused on the fox before her, whom spoke aloud;

"When I was, in the bath-room... I met with Ratsputin. _He_... He almost killed me, fluff."

"What?" Judy asked breathily.

"He didn't hurt me, hee just... _Ugh_." The fox sighed. "It was _my_ fault... I harassed and provoked him, and he pulled out a sword-"

"A _sword_?!" The female bunny interrupted once again.

"Yeah. His cane isn't really a cane. It's just a sword in disguise... _Heh_... We should _probably_ tell that to Bogo tomorrow, eh?"

"No kidding." Judy mumbled. "But what happened after that, Nick?"

"Ratsputin could have killed me. He was _so close_ , too... But he didn't. He said that the only reason I was still alive was because he saw me as useful to him."

"How so?"

"I dunno. Probably just a bluff, but if I had to guess, it would have something to do with black-mail... I think he's planning something with us, carrots."

"But Nick, why didn't you tell me this earlier?" The female bunny interjected. "Why keep all this to yourself?"

The fox sighed lowly.

"That's a good question." He grumbled.

"Level with me here, slick. I won't tease you, I promise. I just want to know, that's all."

"Right, I know, I know." The fox breathed in with his eyes closed. "It's just... I-I didn't want you to see that something actually got to me... _Ratsputin_."

He clenched his fists, but exhaled and relaxed, shaking his head back and forth.

"That rat _needs_ to be stopped... He's a threat to us _all_ as long as he's out there. The dream was about him, Jack, Vladzotz: _Everyone_ that has ever troubled us. They were all angry at me, more or less, yet at the same time, I think that they were all trying to help me in their own, twisted way. I-I saw Vladzotz in Castle Fangpyre, Jack Savage in his office, and Ratsputin in the same bathroom that he and I duked it out in earlier yesterday afternoon. It was pretty weird, But I think I learned something important from it."

"And what would that be?" Judy asked simply.

"That you can't hide your emotions from everyone. I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you earlier, Carrots... I did a dumb-fox thing, didn't I?"

The female bunny snickered and lightly punched the fox in the arm.

"C'mon, slick: It's not like you did anything illegal, right? I still think that you should have came through with what happened, but it doesn't matter anyways."

"You're not mad at me?"

"Of course not! You made an honest mistake, and you're trying to correct it. I see no reason to be upset at all."

"Okay, good." He chuckled. "I'm glad that you ain't cross with me, Carrots."

"You ain't off the hook just _yet_ though, Slick!" She retorted with a coyish sort of smirk. "Tomorrow, we'll get back to work with nothin' to hide, alright?"

"Nothin' to hide!" The fox repeated.

"Good. We're a _team_ , Nick. _Don't_ forget that." She sniffed lightly. "I-I remember when we first came back here after locking up Jack Savage."

"Kinda hard to forget." He mumbled in response.

"Yeah. But that's not important: What _is_ important is that you helped me in my time of need. You've always been there for me, and I'm more than happy to return the favor."

A smile crept its way across the fox's muzzle.

"I appreciate that, Fluff." He wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders. "More than a dumb-bunny like you could ever understand."

"Oh, _ha_ ha. Let's just go back to bed, alright? We got a _long_ day ahead of us in the morning, I'm sure."

"Right on that." Nick agreed, releasing his hold on the female bunny and flopping back into the mound of pillows behind him. "I'm pretty tired, anyways."

Judy curled up closer against him, and sleep came to them both sooner than expected. Yet no dreams followed: Only the careful beating of their hearts, and the steady breathing of their lungs, chests rising and falling up and down in near unison, their minds swimming in peaceful slumber for the coming hours of the darkened evening.

* * *

11:37 P.M _, 35 hours ago..._

The sweet crunching sound of the snow beneath the rat's feet was music to his ears.

Nothing soothed him more than the sounds of nature itself. Grygorri Ratsputin enjoyed few things as much as the senses he could detect, whether it be smell, taste, or sound. However, nothing seemed to come quite as close as the sound of ice being crushed beneath the toes, and the chilling feeling that radiates up the ankle afterwords.

Grygorri Ratsputin's favored district was undoubtedly Tundra-Town, with its ice-caked forests, sleet-drenched fields, and crystal blue water. It was one of the primary reasons why he situated his state of residence within the borders of the cold district, that and the secluded region of the mountains to the east, where his personal estate was located.

It had been another night of tranquil strolling around the chilly land that surrounded his property; The rat was quite fond of late night walks, especially since it had been a near daily ritual between him and his now deceased wife, whom enjoyed the night-time atmosphere just as much, if not even more so than Grygorri Ratsputin himself.

But now, he was home: Seconds after closing the front door behind him as he reentered his house, the rat detected the slight pitter-patter noise of paw-pads and claws on hard smooth wood. Turning around in the direction of the oncoming sound, Ratsputin locked eyes with his personal butler, a middle-aged, snow-white ermine named Alexander.

" _Sir_! We're so glad that you're back!" The ermine cried.

"Ah, why thank you, Alexander." Grygorri stated calmly. "Has our esteemed guest arrived yet?"

"Yes sir! I believe that he's in the living room, still awaiting your salient appearance, sir."

"Excellent! Please, do prepare the two of us some tea, while we chat." Ratsputin asked politely, causing the ermine to nod hastily before scampering off toward the kitchen.

Nodding in approval, the rat himself removed his outer cloak and sturdy court-suit, hanging the both of them upon a nearby rack, hoping that one of his care-takers would attend to their needs. Now dressed in his plain, black-colored vest, he set out in the direction of the living room, where he intended on meeting with his esteemed guest.

Adjusting his cravat neck-tie as he quickly paced down one of the hall-ways in his home, the rat couldn't help but think about how his guest was probably not very fond of tea. Snickering to himself, Ratsputin simply adored intentionally provoking others just to see their corresponding reactions: Knowing how other mammals functioned and reacted to certain things could prove incredibly useful, especially in his particular field of work in news and black-mail itself. He cleared his throat audibly in an attempt to quell his rather persistent chortles, and then stepped into the living room where he intended on meeting his guest, all the while trying not to think about the many possible outcomes...

Regardless, he tried not to get too immersed in his own private thoughts: There was important business to be done, and advantages to be wrought this very evening.

Entering his living room, Grygorri glanced around the lavish and cozy decor in search of his guest, whom he didn't see anywhere near the fire-place, which itself was flanked by two padded chairs, complete with a single, small coffee table directly between the. The room itself was very dark, with the only light source being the pitiful fire from the hearth.

The rat irritably pulled out his golden pocket watch, intent on checking the current time of day.

11:40 P.M

Directly on time (Almost), in the exact coordinates of the rendezvous point, Ratsputin's very own home, no less, yet still no apparent sign of the bat thus far.

" _Vlad_! Are you there?" The rat hollered aloud to the seemingly empty room. "Where are you?"

"You are _late_." A low, yet sensuous sounding voice spoke out from the shadows.

Movement in the very corner of Ratsputin's left eye caused the rat to face his guest, whom had apparently been hanging from the ceiling the entire time, his form cloaked in the shadows of the room. Unlatching himself from the roof and dropping surprisingly elegantly to the floor-boards below, Vladzotz recomposed himself as he straightened out.

Eyeing him quickly up and down, the rat took note of the bat's new wardrobe change, his current outfit equipped with the likes of a smooth, and very articulate vest positioned over a white button-up and black slacks, much like what Ratsputin himself was wearing, the only difference being the blood-red trim and bat-shaped bow-tie that wrapped itself around Vladzotz's furry nape.

Compared with how the bat had looked the last time the rat had crossed paths with him, it was apparent that his previous injuries had healed quite substantially, with his fur reclaiming the burn marks that had been singed into his flesh, and his hoarse voice having smoothed itself out over time ever since Vladzotz had received his physical ailments.

Now, the bat's charcoal-black fur grew haphazardly from his chin and neck, almost like a sort of beard. His fangs were still as wicked and massive as ever, gleaming menacingly in the dim light that was being emitted from the nearby fire-place. Vladzotz looked near identical to how he had before the accident, the only truly noticeable exception being the likes of his missing eye, whose once empty socket had been sealed over with scar tissue growths, which only seemed to draw more attention to his good eye; Red as blood.

"Your voice is sounding _much_ better, and your burns have healed _remarkably_ well! Though, that _eye_ of yours... _Heh_... A dear shame _that_ can't be replaced."

"You had better have a _very_ good reason for calling me out _here_ , this evening." Vladzotz growled. "I _cannot_ just be summoned like some mongrel _pup_!"

"Apparently you can, since you're here now." Ratsputin retorted with a disappointed sort of frown, his head tilting slightly to the side as he seated himself upon a nearby chair.

The bat snarled lowly, causing his razor sharp incisors to reveal themselves from behind his slimy black lips.

"What is it that you want, rat? I've been far too busy to deal with matters as pestilent and demanding as _yourself_!"

"But you wouldn't have came here if those were your real thoughts, no? I admit: Sahara-Square Sundries was a complete and utter failure. _I_ blame the bloody rabbit. But you and I have _not_ yet severed our terms of agreement! If you didn't know that, you wouldn't have bothered coming. You're still curious to see what I have in mind, aren't you?"

Vladzotz didn't answer, leaving room for Ratsputin to continue his previous explanation;

"As much as I loathe to admit it, I need your assistance."

From the shadows, Vladzotz stifled a slight and dry sort of laugh.

" _You_ need _my_ help? That's a first."

"No matter the needs behind it, I assure you that my cause is justified and _well_ worth your time, though it _does_ require one single action on your part, Mr. Fangpyre."

"Of course. And might I ask just what exactly you would want of me?" The bat questioned lowly, causing the rat to smile wide.

"Simple enough, my friend. I believe that you are familiar with the name, Nicholas Wilde, no?" He asked as he crossed one leg over the other.

The bat stayed silent to the count of five before speaking aloud;

"You know the answer to that already, Grygorri. Skip the undesirables and just tell me what's going on."

"Alrighty then." The rat muttered quickly. "To be blunt, I need your family locket so that I can use it as a tool of leverage against that foxy friend of ours."

"What?! You dare demand consent for the use of _my_ prized possession as some bargaining chip?!"

"Precisely. Can I have it?"

" _No_!" Vladzotz roared.

"You're not making this easy on me, are you?"

"I refuse. Why would you need it anyways? You have dozens of other things to use against _him_!"

"Yes, that is correct, but your precious locket could prove to be much more useful than anything else as a foot-hold against that wretched vulpine! With it, I can ruin him!"

The bat was silent for some time, his gaze seemingly out of focus as he stared off into the distance. Sighing heavily, the bat reached into the inner pocket of his vest, which was positioned directly over his beating heart. Tugging on a beaded chain, Vladzotz carefully pulled out the silver-coated amulet, and dangled it hypnotically in front of him.

"You _will_ return it, whether your latest plan works or not."

Surprisingly, Vladzotz tossed it directly towards the rat, who caught it in his right paw without flinching. He then spoke out loud;

"Thank you. And don't worry, I'll return it in a few days time, I promise. You have the word of Ratsputin."

"Not a scratch."

"Not a scratch!" The rat repeated jovially. "But just on the matter, don't you know that it's unhealthy to create emotional bonds with inanimate objects?"

"That locket frame is over three hundred years old, and the picture within is the only one in existence. To me, it is priceless." The bat muttered deeply, coughing a single time.

Grygorri simply smirked as he wrung the amulet in between his fingers, carefully examining the metal coating that surrounded the picture.

"I must say, for being over three centuries old, this frame is in _pristine_ condition! What's your secret?"

"The Fangpyre family has passed the frame down for generations upon generations. It is an ancient relic of our family history. Bathed in blood, to slow visible aging."

"Ah, so that must be another reason why you care about it so much then."

"Good evening, master Ratsputin and company!" A shrill voice squeaked form the other side of the room.

Turning towards the source of the noise, both the bat and rat alike locked eyes with a snow-white ermine, holding a silver tray of tea and biscuits in his paws. Pacing over timidly towards the center of the room, he placed the platter on the tiny coffee table between the bat and the rat before bowing a single time towards Ratsputin and exiting the room.

Staring down at the frothy brown liquid, Vladzotz sniffed in through his nostrils, his leaf-shaped nose scrunching up in distaste.

"What is this?" He asked.

"It is tea time, Mr. Fangpyre!" Ratsputin stated cheerfully, holding up his tea-cup with his pinkie finger raised in a genteel sort of mannerism.

"Tea time?"

"Tea time is fun time!" The rat snickered at Vladzotz's confused expression.

"Hmm... It isn't what I _personally_ prefer..." The bat claimed. "But I'll accept." He rumbled, plucking the glass between his sizable talons and bringing it to his lips.

"So, what else is new, Mr. Fangpyre?" The rat mused wily. "I heard that you've been throwing your lot in with that _other_ bat, as of late. How's that going for you, hmm?"

"It's a business association, and nothing more." Vladzotz snarled, his single, blood-red eye narrowing in contempt as he took a sip from his tea-cup.

"Oh, is that right? _Ha_! I can smell her _all_ over you!" Ratsputin winked coyly, a smirk growing across his muzzle all the while. "You two must be getting along _quite_ nicely..."

"Enough of this useless defamation!" The bat lord growled loudly. "You need not know anything of that sort, Ratsputin."

"No need to be so bitter-minded, Vladzotz! I was just asking an honest question, after all."

"How did you know?" Vlad asked. "How could you tell that I..." The bat trailed off into silence as Ratsputin smiled wide, showing off his pointy teeth.

"Well, I noticed that you started delving back into your criminalistic ways after you recovered from your injuries and took to the underworld once again! You truly are an elusive sort, Vladzotz! I applaud you on that one, in the very least. But yes, alongside that, I've figured that some sort of catalyst or motivation would be behind it... Something, or in this case, _someone_ , to help motivate you back into your usual doings. I know that this isn't the _first_ time you two have met, but after that, ah... _Incident_ of yours, with the fire, I wasn't surprised that you didn't come into contact with one another for some time, making it quite obvious when you two resumed where you left off."

"Yes... Hmm. You _are_ good." The bat coughed a single time. "So what about this plan of yours? What is it that you intend on doing with the shock collar documentations?"

Somehow, Ratsputin smiled even wider.

"Oh, have I got a story for you!"

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Woo, we had a nice and lengthy chapter this time 'round, didn't we? It may have been a really finger-numbing for myself, but it is all worth it to deliver to all of you! That being said, do feel free to leave a review detailing your thoughts on all of the recent events: I'd adore knowing what you think of Jack's actions, Bogo's reasoning, Nick's nightmare, Judy's reassurance, and Ratsputin's meeting with Vladzotz! And of course, I _always_ appreciate new favorites and follows, certainly!**

 **Regardless, I thank you all _so very much_ for reading this latest chapter of ours, and I _certainly_ hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did! :D**

 **That being said, let's jump right into the latest announcements!**

 **For starters, I'd just like to quickly mention that I have received yet another generous piece of fan-art, this most recent one detailing the scene where Nick confronted Jack in chapter 60, _Gambit_ , and told him off for being ignorant and rude. Definitely one of my own personal favorite scenes in the whole story, so if you'd like to take a gander at the art piece, you can find it on my Tumblr account, which is labeled identically as my fanfiction account: upplet**

 **Alongside that, I'd also like to bring up the fact that the third bonus chapter is comin' your way here soon enough! This time, I decided to choose the topic myself, but don't worry: The fourth one will be your free pick, of course! Regardless, I hope that you're all lookin' forward to what I have planned out!**

 **That's all for now, my friends! Do stay tuned for chapter 62, comin' your way soon, as always! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: You'll also be learning about the aforementioned "other" bat that Ratsputin was referring to in the next chapter. I'd love to know your thoughts on it in the form of a review, if you read it. Stay tuned, and do enjoy yourself, all the same!**


	61. Bats in the Belfry - Bonus Chapter

**Hey Everyone!**

 **I wish to welcome you all to the third bonus chapter of When Instinct Falls! This time, I decided to choose the topic myself! In this new chapter, we follow through the eyes and footsteps of two very different, yet enticingly similar characters, Vladzotz himself, and a brand new character to this story, Lucy Sang.**

 **The latter of the two is not of my own creation, as a matter of fact, so I would like to give a big ol' thanks to my good friends Mind Jack and Berserker88 for introducing me to this character of theirs! She makes an appearance in their collaborative story, Born to be Wilde! If you like fulfilling crime stories with lovable characters and an intriguing plot, than do take the time to check out their work! I know that I sure love it! Thank you both very much for the splendid opportunity and generous consideration that came with it! Thank you! :)**

 **That being said, do allow me quickly to explain the premise/plot of this new bonus chapter: For starters, ever since the release of the previous chapter, much to my surprise, quite a few of you begun to PM me, asking who this aforementioned 'other bat' exactly is, and just what her relationship is with Vladzotz as well. This latest bonus chapter of ours is the very first installment in a rather short series of three one-shots (all bonus chapters) that I have planned out, each of which details the relationship between these two characters respectively. Not only that, but in the future, you will be sure to find that Lucy plays a big role in several important plot points. You'll see. Anyhow, back to describing the actual bonus chapter...**

 **This first one details how Vladzotz and Lucy first met, and will eventually be followed up with another two installments to follow along in the aftermath.**

 **Lastly, do keep in mind that this first one shot of ours takes place roughly a year before the events of Vladzotz and Nick meeting once again back in arc 3.**

 **I hope that this clears up some of your burning questions and ideas, so now without any further ado, I present to you the third bonus chapter! :)**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"I feel so helpless because love can be so cruel." - Beverley Knight

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"Sadism is all right in its place, but it should be directed to proper ends." - Sigmund Freud

* * *

Nothing better than another day of pilfering, pillaging, and purloining the good citizens of Zootopia.

Lucy Sang has always had the black-beating heart of a thief: She adored the anticipation of the planning, the thrill of the heist itself, and relished in the rewards acquired.

The female bat's current track record had exceeded countless millions of cash over the years, and she had no intention on stopping anytime soon. To her, there was very little that exceeded the excitement and pleasure that she obtained with pulling off the perfect theft, whether it be derived from the likes of a nigh-priceless painting from an art museum, or something as simple as a cookie from a cookie jar.

She feared no one, and cared not for anyone but herself: When mixed, these two traits had spawned a being capable of nearly anything that she set her sights upon. Determined and ruthless, cunning and unwavering, Lucy considered herself to be the perfect thief. Such arrogance and narcissism would often lead her into rather tight situations, where she would have to use her quick flight abilities and even quicker wits to slip away unscathed. Few times had Lucy ever been subject to defeat, or forced to flee from the paws of her enemies.

There were plenty of mammals and shadowy organizations alike that had much use involving freelance for a hired fang such as herself.

Her small size had never been a problem in her own eyes: She had long since mastered the art of deception, trickery, and other unconventional ways to get what she wanted. In the past, the female bat had succeeded in taking down mammals many times her own size: Sometimes, pure brute strength wasn't the best trait to have, after all.

The young bat took every given opportunity to her advantage, so when the prospect of yet another heist reached her sensitive ears, she was more than happy to accept.

Lucy Sang had swindled, swiped, and stolen her way across nearly every inch of the city of Zootopia; There were very few places, secure or public, that hadn't held witness to her likeness before, yet her most recent adventure would take her to the plumbless depths of the Nocturnal-District, where she intended on acquiring all sorts of new and hidden treasures from the home of the district's most notorious criminal figurehead, Vladzotz Fangpyre III, whom held residence in a large mansion near one of the more back-water neighborhoods at the far corner of the region, quite a ways away from the nearest public space. It was the perfect place for a heist.

She had been to the Nocturnal-District many times before, and being a vampire bat herself, was quite prone to spending her free time there, as the darkness of the underground provided a much more lenient sensation upon her eyes than the searing sun-light on the surface world, where her species was at the mercy of an addled visage among other watered-down senses, due to the drastic differences in climate and geography of the two corresponding regions.

The Nocturnal-District itself was one, massive cavern lain beneath a billion tons of rock and metal: The underground cave was huge, and lined with thousands, if not millions of sharpened stalactites clinging to the cavern ceiling, and stalagmites sprouting from the muddy, rocky ground. Light-lit roads swirled around on the cavern floor, some even snaking around the bases of the massive stalactites, some of which had beacons and other sources of light crowned on their pointed tips.

Watery streams and other cenotes pooled in the lower parts of the cavern's floor, where buildings made of rock and stone were erected; Entire neighborhoods built from the very ground beneath their feet, and above their heads. Factories, mining facilities, ware-houses, and entire insect farms were situated on the outskirts of the district, farther off from the hustle and bustle of the public areas.

Strange, bio-luminescent plants bloomed along the narrow and winding streets and side-walks, and dotting across the ceiling of the cavern, millions, if not billions of glow-worms clung to the rocky roof and stalactites, creating a scene that looked almost like the night sky on the surface, except far brighter and more colorful, with the soothing blue light emitted from the worms raining down upon the district below, where it reflected off of chunks of crystal lain within the very rock of the district itself, creating a swirling miasma of kaleidoscope-esque colors and scenery, and providing ample visage for even the most sunlight-attuned of mammals to see down in the darkness of the district.

Despite common assumptions and beliefs on the surface from those too stubborn to believe otherwise, the Nocturnal-District itself was a surprisingly bright and colorful place.

Aside from the delicate amounts of blue light that the glow worms themselves gave off, they also happened to create glowing lavender vines of slime, which they dangled in webs from the cavern's surface, intent on capturing passing insects to devour, with some of the strands so thick and strong that they could have easily been swung from one to another, assuming that you didn't get stuck, that was. Farther down below, large, pool-like deposits were carved into the bedrock to allow the worm's secretions to be stored.

As sightly as the Nocturnal-District was, it was simply nothing that Lucy herself hadn't seen before, though.

Fluttering down from her previous perch, Lucy surveyed from her hiding spot on the cavern roof: She had been carefully and quietly watching her hunting ground from above, intent on learning all that she could of its landscape and layout, especially in the hopes of if she needed to make a quick and hasty sort of escape from the premises.

As she swiftly flapped down from her watch-point, she couldn't help but notice her shimmering reflection mirrored onto the side of a nearby crystal embedded in the cavern ceiling; A large, light purple amethyst almost as big as herself, in fact. Momentarily pausing to examine the mirrored projection of herself, Lucy ceased her flapping as she clung to the side of the crystal, opened her mouth and picked at the base of one of her needle-like fangs before eyeing up and down the rest of her own body.

She was dressed in her usual criminalistic attire, which consisted of nothing more than a skintight, jet-black jumpsuit stretched over her hourglass shaped frame, save for her bony wings, which needed the extra mobility for aerial usage and flight. Sleeves were practically non-existent in vampire bat clothing, given the shape of their bodies. Large ears protruded from the top of Lucy's head, and a pair of jade green eyes drew her near undivided attention, enamoring the female bat with a sense of individuality and pride.

She shook her fuzzy head: No time to be distracted by shiny objects! There was work to be done!

Down below, she could clearly see her target, the manor of the bat-lord Vladzotz, and the property that surrounded it: For about a quarter-mile radius around the center point that was the mansion itself, there was nothing to behold but blackened rock and charred boulders, the remnants of old homes that had been destroyed by some fire.

The mansion itself was very large, dark, and brooding: It emitted a strong aura of authority and power, seemingly snuffing out and absorbing the light from the surrounding area, which was visibly and noticeably dimmer in comparison than other parts of the district. It was built of black brick and dark purple wood, with spiraling towers jutting out from the corners of the building itself, complete with colorful stained-glass windows of yellow, blue, and red; Each one centered with the harsh shape of a black bat, which seemed to suck away from the surrounding colors of the window. Stone gargoyles carved into the forms of bats and claws lined the edges of the roof.

Dotted around the property, fences of sharpened metal, and black, scraggly old trees trying to grow in the dim light of the glow-worms from above created a sort of natural wall separating the mansion itself from the surrounding neighborhoods and other properties that were dotted across the Nocturnal-District. It was an edgy loner's paradise.

Some parts of the manor seemed to be older and more archaic than the others; With far more ancient looking wood, and brick singed with scorch patterns and other marks.

Though never having met or even seen the owner of the manor and its territory, Lucy was quite familiar with the rumors that surrounded him and his work. She had been told that the bat himself, Vladzotz Fangpyre, was among the most notorious and powerful criminals in the entire city, with much of the Nocturnal-District's criminal underworld grasped tightly in his iron grip of power and influence, much like Mr. Big controlled the same aspects of Tundra-Town's own seedy criminal underbelly. Such prominent and dominant criminal figure-heads had been dubbed as crime-lords by the Zootopia Police Department; With a single one placed at the forefront of each of the city's respective main districts, Vlad being at the top of the food-chain in the Nocturnal-District, where he controlled nearly every inch of organized crime in the entire region.

That fact alone was enough for Lucy to emit some shred of respect towards his likeness. She had to admit that the thought of striking a deal with a mammal as powerful as crime-lord would hold much favorability for her track-record. For most of her life as a professional thief-for-hire, she'd done whatever jobs came her way, be it as simple as eavesdropping, or as complex as pulling off a jewel heist, but the idea of working alongside a full-fledged crime-lord... Now _that_ was compelling!

She snickered to herself.

It still wasn't enough to keep her from breaking into this mammal's home though, apparently!

Smiling coyly to herself as she flapped down from her surveying point and landed on one of the manor's multiple chimneys, the female bat gripped the edges of the bricks between her clawed fingertips and begun to scale right the length of the imposing structure, her talons digging into the little nooks and cracks between the blackened bricks.

Upon reaching the top, she peered over the edge of the chute and looked down into the depths of the chimney.

On top of the shadowy visage, the bricks themselves were midnight black in coloration, making it nearly impossible for even her to see down the chimney's length. Preferring not to clamber down the hole and get herself dirty with soot and ash, she instead clicked her jaws together and activated her sense of echolocation, carefully listening for the reverberating sound-waves to return to her anxious, sensitive, and waiting ears.

As the coming waves of sound ricocheted off of the walls of the chimney, she listened closely and with intent, soon detecting the out-line of some barred, metal structure near the very bottom of of the chimney: Some sort of barrier that allowed the smoke to escape, but prevented anything else from slipping inside.

"Drat." She quietly cursed to herself as she stepped away from the chimney, intent on finding another way into the house. "Guy must've really thought of all the loose ends."

Beating her leathery wings down and carrying her weight from atop the peak of the chimney, Lucy landed softly on the black-colored shingles that lined themselves across the roof of the house. Despite her small size and stature, she was careful not to cause too much of a ruckus: She had no intention on being detected during her intrusion into the house's interior, especially since the manor's master was a bat as well, whom likely shared her own very acute sense of hearing, not to mention echolocation abilities.

Still, she knew the risks of breaking into his house: In the past, she'd heard rumors placing Vladzotz to be a horribly ruthless mammal, having killed countless petty criminals, brigands, whistle-blowers, police officers, and government officials through the power of his mob. Usually by drinking them dry, or burning them alive, for some odd reason. The bat-lord's rather peculiar fascination with fire didn't stop there, apparently: Lucy had also heard rumors and tales that the male bat had lain the entire neighborhood that once his home to ashes in retaliation of someone else trying to burn his own home down, some few years past.

Judging by the blackened patches of rubble and ruin surrounding the property, it was quite apparent to the female bat that those rumors were actually true.

In the end, Lucy had chosen to break into Vladzotz's house for more than just the prospect of acquiring some loot: Being the prideful and exploitative young bat the she was, she also simply hoped for some sort of challenge to accompany the opportunity in the first place. It wasn't infrequent for her to find herself breaking into other mammal's homes just for the pure, thrilling fun of it, sometimes not even taking anything of significant value after departing from the scene. It was just a simple habit.

Lucy wasn't sure just what exactly she would find here in the bat's manor, but at the very least, she wanted the personal achievement of breaking into a crime-lord's home.

Creeping silently along the length of the roof, she eventually found herself on the complete opposite edge of the building, where she jumped off of the roof and flapped down to one of the nearby stained-glass windows, examining the many bright and colorful shards of glass. Biting her tongue deliberately between her teeth, the female bat carefully traced a circle along the edge of the window, her sharpened talons sliding roughly against the glass, leaving blank cicatrix marks in their wake. She then pushed lightly against the glass frame with her clawed feet, gripping the edge of the shard with her clawed toes as she slipped inside the building without so much as a single sound.

Lucy expertly fluttered down to the floor, carefully set down the ring of glass that she had carved, and then took in the sight of her brand new environment.

The walls that surrounded her were lined with an old, crinkled-looking purple wall-paper, with mesmerizing swirls lain into the material itself. The female bat's eyes widened at the sight of different paintings hung along the length of the hallway that she had just now broken in to; Many of seemingly moot objects, such as fruit, sunsets, and bones.

Lucy herself was a fan of the fine-arts: Having indulged in the creation of her very own paintings, fashioned almost exclusively from the blood of her many different victims. She had a very indulgent love of blood, and wasn't shy from occasionally attacking a rodent in the dead of night, during her spare time, just for the thrill of the hunt. Most vampire bat civilians got their fill from hospital donations ordered by the city-government, but Lucy still preferred the thrill of the hunt, especially with mammals smaller than herself, as she found it amusing to watch them struggle. Likewise, she had also heard rumors that Vladzotz and his Nocturnal-Mob drained the blood from the bodies of their victims, such as snooping reporters or rival gang members.

She could appreciate the shared interest.

Nodding her head in approval, Lucy continued down the length of the darkened hallway, careful to stick to the edges of the walls just in case she needed to make a quick escape into one of the many rooms that were lined throughout the hallway and its equally ridiculous amount of branching corridors. More paintings, more wall-paper, and a few potted plants here and there. So far, there was nothing of significant value, or at the very least, seemingly nothing worth her precious time nor substantial effort thus far.

Soon enough, the female bat found herself detecting a strange, yet soothing slew of reverberating sounds, of which emanated from somewhere deeper in the heart of the manor itself. Organ music, she deduced it to be: The deep, resonating notes that sent strong ripples throughout the framework of the house, and the powerful chords that caused her eyes to rattle in their sockets gave the identity of the instrument away to her quite easily.

As she continued sneaking around through the depths of the mansion, the music only continued on. Despite her efforts to distance herself from it, it only seemed to grow louder and more powerful with each step that she put forward. The interior of the manor was a winding maze of hallways, corridors, and rooms that even her echolocation had trouble navigating through!

The hallway eventually led to a set of double spiral staircases, which she fluttered down from the balcony between, and then entered (Surprise surprise) yet another long, dark hallway, the only difference this time being that the space itself was a tad bit thicker than the previous one that she had navigated her way through just upstairs.

Reasoning that the organ and its performer were down the length of this specific hall, she compelled herself to avoid it in fervid caution of being caught, but for some reason, she found herself inching ever closer towards the source of the organ music: She wasn't sure why, but she reckoned that whatever was at the end of that hallway held secrets that few had ever seen before.

Lucy Sang knew that aside from physical items, knowledge itself also held a high place among her own mind in terms of value and worth: The female bat was no stranger to blackmail, and although it wasn't her favored method of criminal activity, had delved in the art of extortion many times before in the past. If there was something, anything valuable at the end of this hallway, even if it was in the form of something far less than touchable in of itself, she would gladly take heed in its enticingly sweet indulgence.

One step after another brought her closer and closer to a set of massive, thick, and wooden double-doors, purple-ish in coloration and intricately carved with strange designs and other markings, ranging from claw slashes, to bones, and even one, massive bat shape in the very center of the structure; The very same symbol that adorned the stained-glass windows from the outside of the manor..

Despite being much much closer to the source of the powerful organ music itself, which she reasoned was just behind the very set of doors in front of her, the tone of the notes had gradually lowered and lowered, the harsh, erratic chords like the pulse of a beating heart, melting into sad, somber, and drawn-out notes of a lighter intensity and power.

It was a much sleepier tune: So effective that Lucy Sang begun to feel her very own eye-lids droop as the sweet sounding music filled her sensitive ears.

Shaking her head from side to side, the young vampire bat forced herself to focus on the task ahead of her.

Thankfully, the doors themselves had a slight crack in them, granting her rather easy access into following room. Upon setting foot inside, Lucy marveled at the sight of it all.

The room was very big: Far larger than anything else that she had yet to encounter, at the very least. Thick, black-marble columns flanked on either sides of the room, which led up to the very center of the opposing wall, where one, massive organ stood as the focal point of the entire room. Towering brass pipes rose dozens of feet into the air, where they nearly reached the very roof of the room itself. The organ's pipes and tubes connected to a large wooden mantle, which was lined with three rows of ivory white and black keyboards, extending wide in a semi-circle. The wooden trunk of the organ was etched with smooth and undulating designs, extending outward almost like bat wings.

Sitting atop a stool in the center of it all, a middle-aged vampire bat was at the mercy of the massive organ, which dwarfed him in comparison. The bat's formal-looking outfit consisted of a midnight-black vest and slacks, with a blood red bow-tie and trim. He seemed to be about a foot taller than Lucy. His large wings were folded neatly against his arms, and his long, skeletal fingers tapped slowly and very delicately against the various keys of the organ, each point of contact enticing a long, slow note to emanate from within the frame of the organ, traveling up the rather towering length of the many brass pipes and exiting through various slits in their stature, blowing out dust and other flakes of decay from inside.

It didn't take a genius to realize that the bat playing the organ was none other than Vladzotz Fangpyre himself, the resident crime-lord of the Nocturnal-District.

Narrowing her eyes in apprehension, Lucy slowly and carefully crept closer to the bat, making sure to stay on his blind side to prevent detection from his likeness. The female bat couldn't help but notice that with each passing note wrought from the powerful organ, the tempo slowed down even more until nearly a minute passed between each and every individual note.

The song had slowed down substantially, and as Lucy neared ever closer to the base of the massive organ, she tilted her head to the side as she watched Vladzotz's fuzzy head slump broodingly upon the conclusion of one, final, drawn out and somber note, the finger that had pressed the corresponding key falling limp and unmoving at his side.

Lucy stood still to the count of ten, the only sound in the entire room being her own heart-beat and breathing, her chest delicately rising and falling with each passing second.

Steeling her resolve and will, the female bat inched forward until she was nearly parallel with the frame of the organ, giving her a full view of the bat that played upon it. His angular face was drooped, and his expression very relaxed. Vladzotz's eye-lids were closed shut, and his chin rested against his own chest: He was completely sound asleep.

A maniacal grin playing across her lips, and Lucy had to try really hard not to bust out laughing: This would be too easy! She could explore the house to her own accord in full!

Smiling wide, she contemplated the prospect of attempting to pick-pocket the dozing bat, but quickly decided against it, since the act had the hazardous potential of awakening him from his rather peaceful slumber. Enveloped by curiosity, she fluttered up to the comparatively gargantuan organ and hovered above it, flapping her wings again and again, yet careful not to accidentally press one of the sensitive keys, or to unintentionally brush against Vladzotz, whom had started to snore softly from deep within his throat.

A shimmering glimmer caught her eye, and when she glanced over to its source, she had to keep herself from gasping aloud.

Lying against the boarded frame of the organ's surface, a metal, oval-shaped amulet rested against the wooden stand, directly where the music sheets would have been held, if there were any. The amulet's surface was very shiny, and glimmered even in the dim light of the room itself. Tilting her head to the side, she carefully maneuvered herself over to the item, which she swiped from the surface of the organ before flapping away quickly and landing a couple feet away.

Examining the amulet between her talons, the female bat's jade-colored eyes widened in sudden realization: The amulet was made completely out of pure silver!

 _Ooo, I could probably fetch a good price for this thing! So shiny!_ She thought to herself, smiling all the while.

Fiddling around with the object for a few more seconds, Lucy unintentionally pressed something on the side of the oval-shaped pendent, enticing a light clicking noise, and causing the amulet's center-piece to swing open delicately like some sort of door, or chest. Tugging slightly on the lid of the amulet, she was mere moments away from revealing whatever was inside, when a brief blur of movement from the side of her left eye caused the female bat to turn around just in time to catch the sight of Vladzotz's upper body falling forward, causing the male bat to face-plant into the keys of the organ, a myriad of horrific sounding, out-of-tune notes following the instant that his face came into contact with it.

 _DRRRONG_!

Vladzotz instantly shot up, his large ears standing on end as the disastrous sound of the organ filled the entire room, shaking the very foundation itself.

The instant that the adrenaline had left him, the male bat swiveled his head around as if looking for something: It took Lucy a moment too late to realize that he was looking for his amulet. Beating down his powerful wings a single time, the larger bat raised himself into the air and away from the stool before plummeting back to the ground, this time landing on his feet. He swiftly scanned over the entire set of the organ, soon turning around and spotting the smaller-sized vampire bat, whom held his amulet between her two wings.

His eyes narrowed in suspicion, but held a surprising lack of shock. "Who-Are-You?" Vladzotz questioned lowly, his eyes narrowing as he glared down at Lucy.

The female bat smiled sheepishly and tried hiding the silver-coated treasure behind her back.

"To know me, is to hate me..." She stated simply, to which Vladzotz jerked his head back in confusion. "I-I am blood painter!"

"Who are you?" The male bat repeated, his head tilted slightly to the side.

Smiling wide to herself, Lucy took the opportunity to berate the larger bat before her inevitable departure: She needed a plan, and hoped to stall Vlad while she thought of one.

"I am over the ground, yet under the sky! I am she who flies unseen!" Lucy stated cheerfully, hoping that her riddles of introduction would catch her counterpart off guard.

"Interesting." Vladzotz mumbled, clearly amused by the female bat's attempts at stalling. "And just what else do you claim to be?"

"I am Night-Flier, and Blood-Drinker..."

"Lovely titles." The male bat muttered beneath his breath, curiously sniffing the air around Lucy. "Go on."

"Window-Slicer!" Lucy concluded, to which Vladzotz chuckled lowly.

"Now _that_ is interesting! But might I ask why exactly you have _my_ locket behind your back, Window-Slicer?!" He growled mockingly, taking a single, large step forward.

"I-I came not to steal, oh, Vladzotz the tyrannical, but only to gaze upon thyne hallowed halls of your magnificent lair, so fine as it certainly is!"

"Do you think flattery will keep you alive?" The male bat interjected, his tone deadly and unwavering, and his muzzle positioned just inches away from Lucy's.

"No, but I bet this will!"

At the conclusion of her final statement, Lucy spat directly into Vladzotz's blood red eyes, causing the larger bat to reel back in disgust and surprise, his wings flying to his face to wipe away the saliva coating his muzzle. Meanwhile, the female bat had turned tail and fled, all the while cackling in amusement, quickly slipping the silver-coated amulet into her own skin-tight body-suit before zipping it back up and freeing her wings, using them to beat down hard, hurriedly flapping away from the scene of the crime.

There wasn't very much of a doubt in her mind and body as to whether or not she should have fought or fled: In nearly any other given situation, her night-vision and echolocation abilities would have rendered her a far greater threat, but unfortunately for her, it was no secret that the other bat had the very same abilities as well, evening the playing field. That was where the equilibrium between the two creatures stopped, however: Vladzotz was larger and undoubtedly far stronger than herself, which coupled with his very own darkness-oriented abilities, would have rendered any fight between the two of them quite one sided, to say the least.

Just as she exited the hall-way leading up to the room where she had found Vladzotz and his locket, Lucy heard a horrific and blood-curdling screech of rage emanate from somewhere behind her: It sounded a lot closer than she would have personally preferred. Sparing a brief glance over her shoulder as she flew up towards the balcony on the second floor that she had encountered earlier, she spotted an enraged Vladzotz tailing shortly some thirty feet behind her, his teeth bared and red eyes burning with anger.

Just before passing out of sight to the second floor, Lucy stuck her tongue out at the male bat from between her lips, and cackled at the brief sight of his expression growing even more menacing in response to her persistent amount of taunting and teasing. Vladzotz growled as he beat down his wings and tried to close the distance even further.

"Catch me if ya can, Vladdy!" The female bat hollered back at him.

Passing over the wooden railing, the female bat glided as quickly as she could down the length of the hall-way, purposefully knocking over pictures and other decorations along the way both in an attempt to slow down Vladzotz and to purposefully provoke him. From behind, she heard his enraged shrieks and cries, which only further motivated the female bat to escape as quick as she could manage. The last thing she wanted was to be captured by her adversary: Such a scenario likely wouldn't ended well for her.

Spotting the window that she had broken in through earlier at the very end of the hall-way, Lucy tucked in her wings tightly against her body and slipped straight through the opening in the stained-glass window, her lithe body free of any contact with the sharp glass. Smiling to herself, the female bat momentarily thought herself to be home-free, thinking that there was no way that Vladzotz could or would follow her. She was a fair bit smaller than him, and there was no way he'd be able to sail through the window.

Milliseconds later, she was proved horribly wrong.

Crashing straight through the stained glass window, which erupted in a shower of colorful shards, Vladzotz laughed maniacally, his wiry fur dotted with broken glass pieces.

" _Crap_!" Lucy stammered loudly, quickly turning around and continuing her departure from the scene, her heart beating rapidly against the walls of her rib-cage. "Gotta go!"

In all her years of thievery and deception, there had been relatively few times where she had actually had to flee from her opponents, and none in a way as frantic as this.

It was definitely a first.

However, there was one single thing that was working in her favor: Being the smaller of the two bats, Lucy was much faster and, also more agile than Vladzotz, whom himself likely had far more endurance due to his more powerful muscles, but lacked in the speed and agility factors that gave Lucy such a high advantage over him. Even as she hastily flapped away, with Vladzotz following shortly behind, she could tell that each passing second only put even more distance between the two of them.

She knew that she couldn't hold out forever, though.

Down below, she could see the land-scape of the Nocturnal-District as it passed by, the many hundreds of rocky buildings that dotted the region whirling through her field of vision. Inside her oil-colored jump-suit, she could feel the smooth, cool surface of the locket as it pressed itself against her breast, snug and secure despite all of her rather swift maneuvering and aerial stunts. Stealing another brief glance behind her, Lucy took note of how Vladzotz had increased his speed substantially... No, it was _her_ that was slowing down! If she had to keep up flying with her current speed for any longer, then she would surely fall victim the male bat's wrath.

She needed a way to lose him for good... But how?

Realizing that she had no time to waste, Lucy Sang folded her wings against her body and dipped down, plummeting towards the rocky ground below. Chirping in echolocation a single time as she fell downward, the reverberating sound waves soon returned to her waiting ears: She reasoned that the ground was rapidly approaching, nearing just a few dozen more feet, and that Vladzotz was some twenty yards behind her, performing the very same move in an attempt to catch up to the faster female bat.

Some two dozen feet from impact with the ground, Lucy harshly shot her leathery wings out to the side and pushed against the air, causing her to curve away and begin to glide parallel to the ground below her. Briefly looking back behind her, she growled in frustration as she watched Vladzotz repeat the very same maneuver that she had; His larger form now drastically sped up due to the momentum that he had achieved from the sloping plunge just a few seconds earlier. Lucy gulped, recognizing her big mistake.

He would be directly on her in a matter of mere seconds!

Turning hastily to her right, Lucy arced her flight path as she glided lower and lower to the ground until she was hovering just a few short feet over the narrow and winding streets of the Nocturnal-District, weaving around rows of cars and other vehicles in an attempt to lose the larger male bat, whom she reasoned must've still been on her tail.

Just barely dodging the heaping back end of an eighteen-wheeler, Lucy cork-screwed in mid-air so as to momentarily capture a glimpse of her pursuer: Sure enough, Vladzotz was still flying strong, his movements and reactions just as quick as her own. His fur was still covered in a few pieces of colored glass, but otherwise, he looked fine.

"Damn!" She growled out loud. "This guy really doesn't know when to quit, does he?"

She almost instantly regretted uttering those previous words to herself, for as soon as they left her mouth, a piercing sense of nausea begun to settle its way across her chest and shoulders. Fatigue begun to grow within her wings, and the young bat couldn't help but notice that her pace of flight had slowed down even more so than ever before.

She needed a new plan to work with, and she needed it immediately.

Growling to herself, she performed another mid-air cork-screw to steal a look at Vladzotz, whom was showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, even as she bobbed and weaved her way around stalagmites, bill-boards, cars, and entire buildings. Just before leveling herself out, Lucy's jade-colored eyes noticed what she at first thought was the starry night sky, but in reality, was nothing more than a sea of glow-worms; Millions upon millions of fluorescent blue bugs clinging to the ceiling of the Nocturnal-District itself.

 _Glow-worms... Glow-worms... Wait, that's it! Glow-worms! Haha!_ Her conscious mused, soon being enveloped by a brand new idea that just might work!

Smiling to herself, Lucy Sang beat her wings down harder, this time shooting upwards towards the cavern ceiling, flapping her wings again and again as she closed the distance between herself and the thick tendrils of glow-worm slime that dangled down loosely from the roof of the Nocturnal-District. Upon nearing the bases of the disgusting vines, Lucy whirled around and took heed of Vladzotz, whom was charging straight for her, his fangs bared menacingly and his talons out-stretched, ready to sink into his waiting prey.

The female bat simply smirked, and right when Vladzotz was about to collide with her smaller form, she quickly darted out of the way, making sure to fold in her wings and duck her head in to make herself as small of target as physically possible. Her sensitive ears twitched at the sound of the male bat as he flew directly above her, his shouts of anger and rage suddenly morphing into a rattling yell of shock and surprise, of which was soon followed by a sickening splat sort of sound, like dropping a sack of heavy bricks into a pool of thick maple syrup.

Turning around and eyeing the fruits of her labors, Lucy giggled audibly at the sight of Vladzotz hopelessly entangled right-side up in the thick-blue strands of glow-worm slime, struggling about as he tried to free himself from his gooey prison, yet to no true avail, in the end. Flapping around harshly while growling in anger, the bat managed to tear one of his wings away from the sticky vines, only to immediately immobilize itself once again after coming into contact with even more strands of slimy glow-worm goop.

Vladzotz thrashed around for a short period of time before tiring out and relaxing his entire body, going limp as he hung from the vines of goo and glop, his wiry, dark-black fur caked with bits of slime and dirt, causing clumps of his fur to stick together in messy chunks. He seemed to have finally exhausted himself from all the strong movements.

"Haha! That was easy! So easy!" Lucy cackled, fluttering a bit closer to Vlad, who lunged out in an attempt to grab her, causing the female to back away a bit. "Woah there!"

"Window-Slicer! Blood-Painter! Night-Flier! You despicable little wretch!" The male bat hissed in anger. "Come closer so that I can rend you into tiny pieces!"

"Oh, I don't think so, Vladdy!" She retorted, causing her male counterpart to visibly seize up in surprise. "Yeah, that's right! I know who you are!"

"What?! You do?!"

"Yup! I _also_ know how useful glow-worms can be now! Who could've known their slime could apprehend someone like you? Certainly not me! I was just shootin' in the dark!"

The female bat reached over to Vladzotz's forearm, where one of the slimy glow-worm larvae was crawling up the length of his outstretched and immobilized wing. She plucked up the glowing creature before popping it into her mouth and swallowing it whole and alive, the soothing blue light visible as it traveled down her throat, bound for her stomach.

"They also taste pretty good too!" She claimed, licking her lips hungrily.

"Who are you?" Vladzotz questioned angrily for the third time. "And why do you humiliate me so?"

Lucy smiled devilishly and flapped around to the male bat's opposing side, out of his field of view. "No reason! It's just fun to make other mammals squirm." She claimed darkly.

Grunting aloud, the female bat landed on Vladzotz's back, where she clung to his oil-dark vest before clambering around to his shoulders, positioning herself right next to his neck.

"Get off of me, you devious trickster!" He roared aloud.

"Hmm... To answer your other question, do allow me to introduce myself: My name is Lucy! Lucy Sang! It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fangpyre!"

She stuck out her wing towards Vladzotz's in an attempt to shake it, but the male bat instead swatted her arm away from him with his own.

"Release me, you deceitful wench!" He demanded. "Release me so that I can rip you to shreds!"

"Well that's not very nice!" The female bat retorted. "Don't think that I'm gonna bother helping you outta there with a tone like that, Mister!"

Vladzotz growled and cursed her out some more, each insult flowing off of the female bat's ears without any real sort of traction, influence, persuasion, or even consideration itself: She was near-callous to any sort of verbal profanity towards her likeness. She just simply didn't care what others thought about her, especially her very own victims.

"Heh... I still can't believe that you actually fell for my lil' trap!" Lucy stated, knocking Vlad on the back of the head with her knuckles.

"Who are you to dare challenge me?" Vladzotz snarled.

"Oh, just drop the tough-guy attitude, Vladdy. You're just embarrassing yourself now." She giggled audibly. "You went through so much just to fail miserably! And for what?"

She unzipped the front of her body-suit and dipped two of her clawed finger-tips inside, pulling out the silver-coated amulet by its beaded chain before zipping up her suit again.

"For this thing? Ha! What is it, anyways?" Lucy asked breathily, twisting the amulet around in her talons before bringing it to her face and gnawing on its metallic surface.

Vladzotz growled audibly, yet failed to intimidate the smaller bat perched on his back.

"What ish et sheposed teh be?" The female bat inquired once again with a mouthful of metal.

"Stop- _Biting_ -It!" The male bat demanded, hissing each word in singular emphasis, causing Lucy to remove the item from between her jaws.

"So you _do_ care about it, don't you?" She snickered. "Well, if it wasn't obvious enough already... You practically chased me across the whole district just for this thing!"

"It is not just some thing!" Vladzotz corrected angrily. "It is a token of memory! An object of immeasurable value to me!"

"Immeasurable, huh? I like that!" Lucy claimed, fiddling around some more with the amulet. "What's inside it? Tell me your secrets, shiny treasure!"

After a few seconds of thumbing over the item, the female bat unintentionally clicked over the minuscule button on the side, causing the pendent to pop open like a tiny lid.

"There we go! Now, to see what treasure lies within!" She mused, carefully opening the pendant and staring inside.

She frowned. "What is this? It's just some piece of old paper!" Lucy grumbled disappointingly.

"No! It's more than that." Vladzotz snarled broodingly. "Look closer, you inconsiderate heathen!"

"Alright, alright! Gees!"

Sparing another glance into the locket, this time, Lucy was able to make out the fact that the piece of paper was actual an old photograph of a family of four rather regally-dressed vampire bats, including the likes of two small children. It was quite apparent to her that the larger bat that stood in the back-ground was Vladzotz Fangpyre himself.

"Huh... Reminds me of my old family." Lucy mumbled, trailing off before shaking her head. "So why do you care so much about some grimy old photo, anyways?"

"That locket... Is the very last remaining picture that I have of my old family."

"What?" Lucy interjected. "What's so special about that, then?"

"It isn't special just because it is the last of its kind: It is special because my family is no longer with me! It... It is the only thing that keeps me from forgetting their faces."

The female bat lowered her leathery wings slightly, genuine curiosity peaking her interests.

"What happened to them?"

Vladzotz was silent to the count of five.

"They..." He hesitated, swallowing hard. "They perished in a house fire, six years ago. It was murder. Burned alive by the flames wrought from another's contempt."

The male bat craned his head around, and managed to look the smaller one directly in the eye.

"That locket was one of the few things that survived the fire. Their memories have driven me to do drastic things."

"Drastic things, huh? Like what, exactly?"

"I've pursued the arsonist behind my family's death for years, at this point, but to no avail."

Lucy made a hmm sort of sound beneath her breath: She was all too familiar with loss and destruction. After all, it was what led her to her current life of crime in the first place. Though in the end, she refused to think back on it, since she didn't really like emotions and other side-tracking feelings to get in the the way of her and her precious work.

But despite it all, she still felt some shred of pity for Vladzotz.

"That's unfortunate, it really is." She spoke earnestly. "But I'm still keeping this!" Lucy showed him the locket frame. "I stole it from you fair and square, Vladdy!"

"Do what you wish. I'm in no position to interfere." Vladzotz replied glumly.

Admittedly, Lucy, aside from being slightly taken back by his story, was rather surprised by his sudden loss of resolve: He just willingly gave up and into her demands.

"Whatever I wish, ah?" She mused seductively. "Now _that_ sounds like something I could sink my teeth in to... Quite literally."

Slipping the empty locket frame back into her skin-tight jump-suit, Lucy edged a bit closer to Vladzotz's exposed neck.

"Mmm... You look like you're in pretty good shape." She stated, licking her lips in anticipation. "I can only wonder what your blood tastes like..."

Vladzotz growled audibly, but displayed no sign of resistance toward her advances, and made no attempt to shield his exposed neck from her hungering fangs.

"Don't mind me, Vladdy, but I'm just gonna suck on you for a little bit. I'm pretty thirsty from that workout you gave me. Just relax..." She soothed. "I'll be gentle."

Lucy then sunk her razor sharp incisors into the side of Vladzotz's furry neck, where she easily pierced a vein, causing the blood to flow directly into her waiting mouth, where she lapped it up greedily with her long and thin tongue. The male bat held no response of pain nor irritation, yet Lucy could still feel the tension clouting the air around them.

All the while, the female bat continued to lick at the small wound that she had administered to Vlad's neck, sucking up teeny streams of blood before swallowing audibly.

After a few short minutes, she pulled herself away from the male bat's neck, but not before planting a delicate kiss atop the very same wound that she had fed from.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it Vladdy?" She teased, giggling fervidly to herself. "If it makes you feel any better, your blood was delicious! Among the finest I've ever had!"

"Now that you're through with your feeding, just leave me be, woman. You have humiliated me enough as it is."

"You're right." She stated flatly.

Vladzotz raised one of his eye-brows in apprehension, clearly not expecting that sort of answer from his female counter-part.

"I am?" He mumbled.

"Yep. One hundred percent. I mean, you're right about the humiliation part, sure, I mean, you're hanging from _poop_ for crying out loud, but you're also right about the other stuff. It was fun, but I think that I've seen quite enough of you for now, Vladdy. Although, I wouldn't mind seeing some more of you in the near future, if you catch my drift."

She smiled coyly at Vladzotz's bewildered expression, and laughed cheerfully immediately after.

"If you want your locket back, just come and find me, Vladdy... I'll be waiting for you."

And at that, Lucy kissed the larger bat square on the forehead before winking slyly at him and leaping from his form, taking to the air of the Nocturnal-District, flapping off with Vladzotz's precious locket in tow, and leaving the male bat alone with no one but himself. He sighed longingly, and then tried again at the glow-worm strands, this time managing to free his whole left leg, and luckily preventing it from being caught and stuck in even more luminescent vines.

Raising his head and staring off into the distance, glaring off towards where he had last seen Lucy, Vladzotz growled before thrashing about it anger, causing the photograph inside his breast pocket to dislodge itself and flutter delicately down a few inches before sticking to the side of a glow-worm slime strand, directly where Vladzotz could see it.

Gasping aloud, the male bat reached outwards and hastily pulled the photograph from the goo before wiping it delicately on his own clothes, cleaning it of the slimy filth.

Raising it to his face, Vladzotz pursed his lips as he stared into the faces of his deceased family, eyeing over the features with a sense of sorrow and desire.

In that moment, he suddenly realized that Lucy must have given it back to him when he wasn't paying attention, taking only the empty outer coating of the locket for herself.

He closed his eyes and sighed longingly; His wiry black fur standing on end as a chilling shiver settled down the length of his backbone. Thinking back over the peculiar string of events that had taken place within the last few minutes, the male bat felt a peculiar sort of feeling swell up in his chest: One that he hadn't experienced in many years...

It was admiration, it was satisfaction, and it was gratitude.

But above all else, it was endearment.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Oh, now this was a very fun write! Never before have I made such a lengthy chapter in such a short amount of time! I had an absolute blast with this one!**

 **I certainly hope that you all enjoyed it too! Do feel free to leave a nice review detailing your thoughts on this new prospect of ours, and of course, what you think of Vladzotz and Lucy Sang, too! I'd love to know whatcha think of Lucy, her personality and actions against Vlad, etc.**

 **If you have any questions about anything, feel free to ask!**

 **Lastly, if you'd like to see a really good drawing (Not mine!) of how Lucy Sang looks, then head over to my Tumblr account, where you can easily find it!**

 **Anyhow, that's just about all that I got planned out for you lot right now. Stay tuned for chapter 65, Confrontation, comin' your way soon enough! :D**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: Just to provide some further clarification for those curious, I like to headcanon that vampire bats in Zootopia are a fair bit larger than their real-life counterparts, for convenience sake. Besides; in a world of walking, talking animals that stand upright with opposable thumbs, I figured that having vampire bats be bigger than normal wouldn't hurt. It isn't much of a detractor, though, so do keep on reading!**


	62. Confrontation

"You can't correct what you aren't willing to confront." - Unknown

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"Great heroes carry the journey's burden not on their shoulders, but in their hearts." - Unknown

* * *

To confront the root of all things malicious to oneself, you must first identify what it means to you, before identifying what it means for itself.

Though the vile feeling of guilt, melancholy, and even regret had been eating away at the fox's mental foundations for quite some time at this point, it was only just recently that he truly realized the error of his ways, and the extent that it had corrupted him so. For years upon years, Nicholas Wilde had trained himself in the ways of deception and charm, honing his skills until he was able to craft an emotional facade around his true thoughts, that translated itself into a physical bout of confidence and ignorance, respectively.

Meeting his beloved Carrots, however, helped to some degree: She taught him that hiding your true emotions was unhealthy, and in the end, would only lead to more pain.

Nick thought of himself as cured. As it turned out, that was only what he wanted to think, and not actually so: Deep down, the fox still maintained and harbored his desire to blend in effectively, and to appear as charismatic and emotionless to the outside world. Over time, these festering feelings bubbled up to the surface, but it was his recent encounter with Grygorri Ratsputin that at last caused them to burst fourth and drown his conscious in a sea of ill-tempered thoughts, behaviors, and ideologies as well.

At last, perhaps, may the fox be rid of his old ways, and welcome in the new, for the final confrontation was upon him and his mate, and with it, the bitter truth...

They would at last come face to face with the mysterious documents; The wretched state-secrets leftover from the tragic Night-Howler case all those years ago.

With the evidence in their possession, they stood a much higher chance of bringing down Grygorri Ratsputin once and for all, or at the very least, thwarting his current plan of obtaining the documents for him and him alone. Under the watchful eye and esteemed protection of the ZPD, they would surely be safe.

Or at least, that is what they hoped for.

* * *

11:59 A.M

Consider it the day of reckoning, if you will: To them, it was the long awaited day of triumph.

After clocking in at the ZPD Head-Quarters, both Nick and Judy alike made their way to chief Bogo's office, where they intended on meeting with him to fulfill his summoning of them: The water-buffalo (via Clawhauser's reception line) had called the two tiny officers forth to his own work place, no doubt to tell them of something important, of course.

Seeing as they had nothing else to do at the moment, the two of them instantaneously set out for their rather cranky superior's place of work.

Upon reaching it, they promptly let themselves in and closed the door behind them, save for the twin set of knocks that they both administered in unison onto the hard wooden surface of the office's door.

Turning toward chief Bogo, they took in the sight of his hulking form digging around through one of the multiple filing cabinets stashed in the corner of the office space.

"Afternoon, officers..." He greeted calmly, his gaze no less averted from the papers that he sifted through with his hooves. "I'll be sure to keep this rather brief."

"We're listening." The fox claimed, all the while shoving both of his paws deep into the pockets on his navy blue colored trousers.

"For some reason, the mayor has personally rescheduled the meeting to an hour earlier than what was planned: You two will be leaving immediately to arrive on time."

* * *

12:10 P.M

Time for the final confrontation with the mayor.

With city-hall in their sights, the bunny and the fox set out towards the towering building; Casually strolling across the park pasture that separated the ZPD Head-Quarters from the Grand Central Station, city hall itself, and a number of other prominent buildings of influence and power.

Admittedly, both Nick and Judy respectively were somewhat suspicious and slightly confused as to why the mayor so suddenly decided to reschedule their aforementioned meeting, which had been firmly and appropriately set in stone no more than twenty four hours past, at this point in time. Soon enough, the two partners set foot in the building and both then promptly made their way towards the elevators, which led them to the floor of the mayor's office.

As the two of them entered the small-sized receptions lobby that connected to their final destination, being the mayor's office itself, the fox couldn't help but notice that the receptionist herself, the vixen, Megan Fawkes, wasn't at her usual post behind the desk's counter, leaving entire towers of paper all by themselves. Though at first thinking the sight as rather peculiar, Nick quickly shrugged off the thought in its entirety, thinking that she must've perhaps been on break, or something of that sort.

The lobby itself was completely empty, with the only souls in the entire room being the bunny and fox cops themselves, whom made their way down the length of the hall-way that led up to the large oaken doors that separated the mayor's office from the receptions lobby. Pushing against the sizable door, the two police officers entered at last.

Setting foot inside the office, all the while ensuring that the door was firmly shut behind them to prevent any unwanted contributions, both Nick and Judy alike faced down the sight of the mayor's office, with its velvety red carpet floors and cozy, tranquil atmosphere. Behind the large office desk positioned on the far side of the room, directly in front of the floor to ceiling windows that lined the corresponding wall, the black-padded seat of power was facing the sky-line, its occupant silent and unmoving, but clearly noticeable.

"Afternoon, Mayor Lyncoln!" The female bunny called out excitedly, her tone quite jovial. "It's us, officers Hopps and Wilde! From the ZPD!"

Silence.

Nothing but pure, unrestricted silence.

"Mayor Lyncoln?" Judy murmured in question.

The figure behind the chair chuckled lowly, the bass in the source's chords causing Nick's russet-colored fur to stand on end in apprehension.

That was definitely _not_ the mayor.

"Mayor Lyncoln?" She repeated, her voice much softer and more cautious than before.

The black-padded chair behind the office desk slowly swiveled around until it was facing the group of officers, whom gasped aloud as the chair's occupant presented himself to the room. Sitting comfortably with a lengthy ball-top cane lain across his lap, a large rat stared down the bunny and fox with a pair of cold, calculating eyes: His piercing gaze burning harsh into their respective forms. A devious sort of half-smirk played across the rat's lips, causing two rows of pointed teeth to reveal themselves, each tooth as white as snow.

" _Oh_ , how good of you to join me, officers!" Grygorri Ratsputin hissed. "I've been expecting you, but I have a _slight_ feeling that _you_ weren't expecting _me_! Isn't that strange?"

"Ratsputin!" Nick growled, putting a paw on his utility belt. "What did you do with the mayor?" He asked, to which the rat snickered audibly before responding aloud;

"The mayor? _Ah_ , I presume that you're referring to that despicable bobcat, no? Don't worry, she's perfectly safe, out enjoying some brunch in the lobby cafe, as a matter of fact."

"What?" The fox questioned, his head jerking back in sudden confusion.

"Don't tell me that you _actually_ thought it was the mayor herself who rescheduled this meeting? _Heh_... Don't you _dare_! Ha!" Ratsputin cackled gleefully, smiling all the while.

"What the heck is going on, Ratsputin?" Nick snarled, pulling out his tranquilizer gun and pointing it directly at the rat, who simply grinned even wider than before.

"Is it not obvious? I'm just here to speak with you, of course! That's all there is to it, I assure you." Grygorri claimed.

" _Speak with us_? We're supposed to be seeing Mayor Lyncoln!" The fox stated loudly. "We're here to talk to her about those documents you're after! They belong to _us_!"

For a brief moment, Nick could have sworn that he detected a trace amount of fear in Ratsputin's eyes, as though something Nick said bothered him. He quickly masked it.

"Hmm... I see." The rat mused lowly. "Unfortunately for you, the mayor won't return here for another forty five minutes, so you best make yourselves at home, I suppose."

Nick ground his jaws and teeth together broodingly. This was all just another step of Ratsputin's twisted plan: He had somehow managed to rearrange their appointment with the mayor so that _he_ could get a few words of his _own_ in before they spoke with her face to face themselves. And now, here he was sitting casually in the highest seat of the land. The fox watched with contempt as the rat pushed the chair once again, causing it to swivel around in one full revolution before refacing the front of the desk, like a bored child playing a game. Because the seat was outfitted for a mammal larger than him, he was rather small for it, but still large enough to prevent it from being too comical.

"That isn't your chair, Ratsputin, and we aren't going to listen to you!" Judy began. "This office belongs to the mayor of Zootopia, _not you_!"

The rat simply smirked, all the while shifting his weight in the chair as he kicked up his bony legs onto the desk in front of him, crossing them at the ankle.

"But, this _is_ my office." He claimed, his oil-black eyes staring unblinking and cold into Judy's own violet orbs. " _I'm_ the one that pulls the strings around here."

Judy growled and took a slight step forward, but halted in her tracks when Nick put a paw in front of his mate, and locked eyes with her. His expression was stern, but cautious.

The female rabbit stepped back, while the fox returned his attention to Ratsputin.

"What is it that you want?" He grumbled aloud. "Why go through all of this effort just to speak with us, huh? We have a _land-line_ , ya know!"

"Good question, Nicholas... _Why_. Thing is, I don't _need_ a reason why. If I want something, I get it. And right now, I want _you_ , fox..."

"Slow down, pal, I'm already married."

Ratsputin cackled humorously, his dry-sounding chortles echoing around the space of the office.

"Your wit is something I've always appreciated... However, I'm afraid that your first statement falls utterly short of the problem at hand, here." He stated darkly.

"Which would be?" The fox asked.

"Your assistance to me, of course."

"What? You're crazy if you think that we'll help you!" Judy piped out, causing the rat to glare harshly toward her likeness.

"Oh, but I think not. Leverage is a _very_ powerful tool, officer Hopps..."

The rat frowned frowned, momentarily trailing off. He then pointed a crooked finger at Judy before muttering;

" _Say_ , I believe that this is our first time truly meeting in person, is it not, Judith?"

"I guess it is." She mumbled. "Don't expect me to shake your paw."

"Frankly, I'm not here for trivial greetings." Grygorri stated in a matter-of-fact sort of tone. "My only purpose is business: Nothing more, nothing less... Just business."

"Business, huh? You're gonna need a better reason than that to keep me from tranquing that smug look right off of your ugly mug!" Nick growled, gripping his weapon firmly.

"Hmm... Very well." Ratsputin mumbled in agreement as he reached into the inside of his court-suit. "Would _this_ count as a better reason, Nicholas?"

The fox seized up as his emerald-colored eyes locked onto the glimmering surface of a silver-coated locket, dangling hypnotically between Ratsputin's gnarled fingertips.

" _Hahh_... H-how did you get that?" Nick stammered breathily.

"As I've told you before, a magician never reveals his secrets." Grygorri stated wickedly. "It matters not how I obtained it... What matters is what it is capable of."

"Nick... Is that...?" Judy muttered lowly, to which the fox nodded his head in confirmation, causing the rat to smile from across the room. He spoke out loud;

"So you _both_ recognize it. Excellent, excellent. I have a feeling that the three of us will make a _wonderful_ team, wouldn't you agree?"

" _Team_? What are you getting at, rat?" Nick asked irritably.

"So daft as you are, to not see what is so clearly presented..." Ratsputin snarled. "This is my move, Nicholas... And _you're_ going to be a part of it."

"If you really believe that that little piece of metal is enough to make us help you in any way, then you're sorely mistaken." The fox retorted.

"Oh, but that's not all! This pendant has seen much over its life, being over three hundred years old, but I'm afraid that it's only the _beginning_ of your own problems."

"What do you mean?" Judy piped out from beside her foxy mate.

"Ugh, I _despise_ those four words..." Ratsputin claimed, rubbing at his sinuses. "I hate having to explain myself to others. _However_..."

He reached out and pushed against the computer monitor atop the surface of the office desk, twisting the screen around until it faced the two officers.

"I reckon that _this_ explains more than enough on its own."

Nick and Judy's twin sets of eyes widened at the sight of the security camera footage, which displayed a dark and burning mansion as it fell to the ground, a tiny, digital version of Nick running away from the scene with his clothes soaked in gasoline and caked in ash and dust: It was from the night that he had burned Vlad's mansion to the ground. Watching over that accident from so many years ago, the fox felt a pang of guilt swell in his chest. Working with Mr. Big had been a terrible mistake. His biggest regret.

"Oh, sweet cheese and crackers." Judy murmured.

"Mayor Lyncoln is such a stubborn soul. She _refuses_ to bend to my whims. She simply doesn't trust me." Ratsputin snarled lowly. " _You_ , on the other paw..."

The rat smiled wide as he eyed over the two officers. He continued;

"You are favorable in her eyes. _I_ cannot get the documents myself, yet she is willing to entrust them upon _you_ ; an arsonist and a crooked cop... Isn't that funny?"

Judy seized up upon hearing Grygorri's previous statement.

"Yes, I know _all_ about you, Judith..." He chuckled lowly. "Every last little detail. Your cooperation with Mr. Big may very well be considered as treasonous to the ZPD."

"We needed his help for the case!" Judy shouted back. "If he hadn't had helped us, Mayor Bellwether would have gotten away with her plot!"

"So, you're patting yourself on the back for working alongside a crime-lord, bravo." Ratsputin grumbled.

"Shut up!" The fox shouted to the rat, whom glared at him irritably. "Just stop talking!"

Unimpressed, Ratsputin leaned back in his chair.

"So you see, Nicholas, _every_ mammal has a price that he is willing to accept, even for what he hoped never to sell. Now your cause belongs to _me_."

He smirked triumphantly and narrowed his beady black eyes.

"You will bring the documents to my private estate in Tundra-Town no more than three hours from now. You both will come _alone_ , and will be compliant to my whims."

"And if we don't?" Nick spat back bitterly. "What if we just arrest you right now? The public is on _our_ side!"

The rat growled and shot to his feet, his back pushing against the chair behind him and causing it to topple over and fall to the ground. Though his head just barely reached over the top of the desk (which Nick would have found funny in just about any other scenario), Ratsputin still handled himself and his words with confidence and much vigor.

"The public? **_The public_**?!" He thundered menacingly. "You're even _more_ absent-minded than I thought!"

Grygorri jabbed one of his crooked fingers at Nick, and twisted it around slowly, as if imaging his claw piercing through the fox's heart.

"I _own_ the press! I _own_ the media! So I _own_ the public opinion! I can _ruin_ you, fox! I can completely overturn your world in an instant!"

Ratsputin roared, slamming his fist down on the wooden surface of the desk in front of him, causing a nearby glass of water to shake and nearly topple over.

"And when I do..." Ratsputin hissed harshly, his pointed white teeth bared menacingly. "I will be there to kick you while you're down!"

Silence enveloped the room to the count of five, every second of which the rat slowly breathed in and out, recomposing himself over time.

"You want us to bring _you_ the documents, instead of taking them back to the ZPD..." Judy mumbled, breaking the previous silence. "But what happens after that?"

The rat seemed to think over the bunny's question; Staying silent for a few short seconds before eyeing her with a sense of contempt as he gave her his answer.

"The two of you are only ever a means to an end. Once I'm through with you both, we will part ways once and for all, as if nothing _ever_ happened."

Nick nodded slowly, almost trance-like, seeing no clear way out of this one. He didn't see how the rat's scheme could possibly work, but he had a bad feeling that it was just another step in his master plan. The fox made himself a mental note to think up a plan of his own to get he and Judy out of this situation as soon as they were away from Ratsputin. An idea began to tug at his conscious, but it left him as he noticed Ratsputin's movements: His glazed green eyes watched the rat as he tucked his paw into a pocket and pulled out a small, golden pocket watch, of which he glanced at momentarily before irritably shoving the tiny item back into its proper place within his archaic court-suit.

"You've served me well, officers." He stated. "I hate to leave you so soon, but I'd rather prefer not to deal with the nuisance that is the mayor's return."

"Yeah, pleasure doing business with you." Nick grumbled sarcastically, to which the rat smiled darkly.

"Then I most humbly take my leave. Goodbye for now, officers." He nodded his head. "For both our sakes, I do hope that you perform as instructed..."

Ratsputin then paced off in the direction of the wooden double doors, one of which he opened upon reaching. As the rat stepped into the door frame itself, he momentarily halted and glared harshly over his right shoulder; One coal-black eye locking directly with the fox's emerald colored orbs on the complete other side of the room. Grygorri pulled out the silver-coated amulet and wrung it around in his bony knuckles, making sure to keep the item within Nick's line of vision for every second that passed by. He spoke out;

"We wouldn't want anyone to know about our _little secret_ , now would we?"

The rat's lips pulled apart in a cruel and maniacal smile. He kissed the metal surface of the locket before slipping it back into one of the pockets on the interior of his court suit.

"Remember this moment, lest you go from being an ally to an adversary... And that, dear officers, would only cause you _pain_."

Without another word to spare, the rat then closed the door shut firmly; His long and whip-like tail slipping through the door frame and just barely making it through without getting smashed between the closing slabs of wood. Anxious silence filled the room to the very brim. After all, just what was there to say after an experience like that one?

Nick and Judy were cornered: In his mind, the fox saw mental pictures of an army of shadowy black chess pieces surrounding a single, white colored king.

 _Check_.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Despite the rather shorter chapter than usual, I assure you that the coming few chapters are gonna be _much_ longer, and _far_ more filled, with chapter 66 being the second part of the bonus chapter mini-series, Bats in the Belfry, which will follow up on the series of events that were concluded in the previous chapter some time ago! I already have most of it lain out, so it shouldn't be too long before it arrives!**

 **Alongside the 66th chapter, the second part of Bats in the Belfry, the 67th chapter is in the works as well! _Checkmate_ , the very final chapter of the Ratsputin arc. At long last, the longest and most complex arc of 'When Instinct Falls' thus far will be concluded in one, massive chapter, _far_ longer than this one, and even the next one, too! The whole 5th story arc was designed to be this story's culmination of Nick and Judy's mistakes, with Ratsputin being the instigator. You'll finally learn every last detail of the rat's motivations and his master plan, and what it means for Nick and Judy, and the city of Zootopia as a whole. Once the puzzle pieces come together, it'll all make sense, I promise. I'm especially looking forward to writing about how Nick and Judy use their wits to save the day. ****I'm super excited to reveal the concluding chapter of this arc to you all, and I certainly hope that you're all excited for it as well!**

 **Don't fret though, my friends: I have the majority of both the 6th, _and_ 7th arcs respectively already planned out! Plenty more content to come, I promise!**

 **I'm very much lookin' forward to the 66th chapter, though: It's so fun writing about Vladzotz and Lucy, and contrasting them properly.**

 **That being said, I only have one final announcement before I bid you all adieu for now: We have just recently been gifted with a whole new slew of cool art contributions! One of them is an incredibly detailed sketch of Grygorri Ratsputin in his hidden personal archive, as depicted back in chapter 62. This one is very detailed as it is, and I think that it provides a brilliant insight into how the character himself looks and thinks!**

 **Secondly, in honor of the previous chapter, we've also got ourselves an art-piece of Lucy Sang herself! This one is also _fantastically_ detailed, and _very_ well done! If you'd like to take a look at any of these wonderful works of art (Which quite frankly, I _highly_ recommend), then you can find them on my Tumblr account, which is labeled identically as this one here on fanfiction:  upplet**

 **I just _love_ it when the community contributes itself to a project! Always so invigorating! :)**

 **Lastly, do feel free to explain your thoughts on the previous, present, and coming chapters in a nice review! I would absolutely _adore_ knowing what you all think of this project of ours, especially of the last bonus chapter, which I think is one of my very own personal favorite chapters thus far!**

 **But regardless, I thank you all so very much for reading!**

 **Well, that's pretty much all that I have for you lot at the moment, my friends! Do stay tuned for the coming chapters, of course! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	63. Wishes of Blood - Bonus Chapter

**Hey Everyone!**

 **I humbly welcome you to the 4th bonus chapter of When Instinct Falls, _Wishes of Blood_ , which now stands as the longest chapter to date! :D**

 **Just to clear something up real quick, this is in fact the second part of the bonus chapter mini-series, _Bats in the Belfry_ : In this chapter, we will be following where the last bonus chapter left off, and expanding upon the many different prospects that it brought to the table and to you, the many loyal readers!**

 **The third part in this lil' mini-series of ours will be released sometime _after_ the coming 67th chapter, Checkmate, which is planned to be the last chapter in the Ratsputin arc. I'm very much so looking forward to the release of both upcoming chapters, since they each have so many cool new elements to add!**

 **But for now, I gift you with _this_ : The single longest, chapter in all of When Instinct Falls to date... _This_ should tide you over for some time! :P**

 **Enough of this though then, eh?**

 **Let's jump right into this, friends! Without any further ado, I present to you chapter 66 of When Instinct Falls, _Wishes of Blood_!**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"Cruel is the curse of love, so luscious, yet so dangerous." - Unknown

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"It will have blood; They say, blood will have blood." - Macbeth, William Shakespeare

* * *

To the world, they were monsters... Nothing more, nothing less: Just monsters.

The night was their realm, the darkness was their accomplice, and the blood of other mammals was their sustenance.

Vladzotz Canomir Fangpyre The Third had never tasted anything other than blood throughout his entire life. His very species thrived on it: The diet of _all_ vampire bats consisted exclusively of mammal blood; Fresh, red, and savory to the fullest extent. Insects were not an efficient substitute in the slightest, thus causing various predator-oriented food chains such as Bugga-Burger to be completely out of the options for the vampire bat species.

His species was reviled for being the most primal of all the modern day, evolved predators, as they liked to call themselves: Vampire bats were the only ones that still needed the nourishment of other living mammals to function properly. In fact, if they didn't consume the proper amount of blood within a few short days, they would starve to death.

Many, many years ago - centuries on end - back when the early city of Zootopia had first outlawed vampire bats from drinking living mammal blood, there came a great and terrible consequence along with it: Thousands of vampire bats starved to death in the streets of the Nocturnal-District while the city government purposefully turned a blind eye. Nearly the entire vampire bat population had been forced underground and left to rot. The city cared not for them, and viewed the entire species as a volatile, monstrous, and disgusting mistake of nature, for during the old times when mammals walked on all four legs, while other predators had granted swift and near painless death to their respective prey, vampire bats slowly drained the life from any that they saw fit. Once the laws were put in place down in the Nocturnal-District, chaos erupted.

Over the course of a few short weeks, hundreds of vampire bats had perished. Entire families were wiped off the map.

Though many survived, the species as a whole was left decimated, and bitter. A shell of its former self. Eventually, the city-government finally decided to lend their long anticipated aid to the vampire bats down in the Nocturnal-District: A blood tax was called on the surface world, with donations and other contributions being offered to help save the bat families that had survived the bloodied aftermath of the carnage, and all that had been brought forth in its vile wake.

In the very end of it all, the whole event had been dubbed as the Blood-Crisis, because nothing that disastrous could be described as anything less than a crisis itself.

Growing up, Vladzotz had heard many different and diverse stories and tales surrounding the infamous Blood-Crisis... Apparently, the surface-dwellers didn't teach their young about the atrocities that had happened during the event, and that the city government had hushed-up the whole scenario, and consistently denied having anything to do with anything. Yet still, the vampire bats that had survived the Blood-Crisis passed down their tales and experiences from newborn to newborn, so that the story itself never faded.

The Fangpyre family had managed to overcome the horrors of the atrocity, but not without great pain, and even greater sin: They did what they had to do to survive.

Vladzotz himself had never had a truly hard or difficult childhood: He was raised in a very lavish lifestyle, with his upholding being in the same manor that he still lived in to this day. Yet despite all of the prestigious and silver-lined advantages that had been presented to him throughout his early life, he had still turned to a life of crime, in the end...

 _Why_?

If you asked Vladzotz himself, he would claim that the answer was quite simple, really: He was just biting back at the world that had nearly driven his species to extinction.

Ever since he had first heard the stories of the Blood-Crisis, a festering black hole of disgust and rage had begun to grow inside of him, all of it directed towards the city of Zootopia, which had rather let his entire species destroy themselves before offering up any form of assistance or aid. Vladzotz grew to despise the society that he lived in, especially with its small-minded and hypocritical slogan of 'Anyone can be anything', which the male bat saw as nothing more than a blatant, revolting, black-hearted lie.

In an effort to stay true to his heritage, _and_ to strike fear into those that sought to defy him, Vladzotz would often indulge in the consumption of blood, whether it be from his victims, or his own mob associates: Aside from unwavering loyalty and dedication, the bat lord himself demanded a weekly tribute of blood from his own men, so as to prove their allegiance and to sate Vladzotz's unquenchable thirsting.

To vampire bats, blood was their world: They lived off of it, used it in traditional rituals and outings, and saw it is as the life-giving liquid of the world, even more so than water.

Yet alongside all these different prospects, in bat culture, blood was also viewed as a symbol of courtship and affection.

Back during their little game of cat and mouse, when Lucy had sank her teeth into Vlad's neck, the male bat had been admittedly quite taken back: In bat culture, one vampire bat biting and feeding from another was something that was only performed by courted partners as a sign of trust, endearment, and tradition: This gesture in its entirety was known as a love bite. To the vampire bats of the Nocturnal-District, to pierce the very flesh of your partner was the ultimate display of commitment, faith, and confidence itself.

The bat lord Vladzotz wasn't easy to unsettle, but even _he_ couldn't deny that the female bat's previous actions had left him feeling rather uncomfortable with himself.

Even as he went about his usual routine as the head of the Nocturnal-District's largest criminal syndicate, Vladzotz's neck ailed him with a peculiar stinging sensation, the spot where Lucy had bitten and drank from him aching ever so slightly. The irritation that came with it was a subtle and consistent reminder of Vladzotz's failure to apprehend his female counterpart when he had the chance, thus rendering him exposed to her own whims and antics: Her administered love bite was an epitaph to his humiliating defeat.

Though, in the end, she _had_ still returned his precious family photograph, even if it _was_ a little bit slimy from the leftover glow-worm residue...

Despite such repeated shame and humiliation, Vladzotz was still insurmountably grateful for the act of kindness that she had bestowed upon him, however small. The male bat wasn't sure exactly why she had returned the photograph in the first place, but to him, it mattered not: He didn't care about the why's or the how's, in the very end of it all.

But still... Thinking back on the whole situation, he couldn't shake the prospect from his mind...

As he went about his work, ranging from the inspection of his mob's most recent arms import, to creating and composing his very own organ music, Vladzotz couldn't stop thinking about _her_ : Lucy Sang, she had called herself. Blood painter, night flier, window slicer: _All_ titles hiding the _true_ identity of a very cunning and devious individual. The male bat didn't recognize the name itself, and had no memory or desire to remember it, yet despite it all, those two words had burned themselves into the back of his mind.

 _Lucy_... _Sang_...

Ever since he had freed himself from the sticky vines of the glow-worms, Vladzotz had been trying his very hardest to completely forget the whole entire incident: He had been robbed of more than just his silver-coated locket, and of more than just his very own wine-dark blood, but also of his honor, dignity, and self pride as well. Upon returning to Castle Fangpyre, Vladzotz took to ignoring the questions that were bestowed to him by his criminal associates: He had no intention on letting them in on his addled state of mind.

Time went on, and the days dragged by: Three more passed by, each one only more frustrating than the last. Vladzotz tried distracting himself from the varying and complicated feelings that had been eating away at him. He played upon his towering organ, met in secret with criminal associates and business partners, and even devoted more time to tracking down the arsonist that had nearly lain waste to castle Fangpyre some six years past.

Yet in spite of it all, every step that he took, every deal that he made, and every piece that he played, there was nothing else on his mind but her and her alone...

 _Lucy... Sang..._

* * *

8:32 P.M

"I don't care if it takes ten years or ten _thousand_ years! _Make it happen_ , or your _head_ will be served on a _spit_ , so help me! _Understand_?!"

"Yes sir!"

" _Dismissed_!"

The male bat brought his wings to his muzzle, where he roughly wiped away at the grime that coated his blood-red eyes.

Three whole days had passed since the incident with the locket and the glow-worms. Vladzotz hadn't been very forgiving of his men for so easily allowing an intruder to trespass upon their territory, but in the end, the matter was settled effectively: There was no sense in assigning blame from one person to another, for it would have only caused chaos.

More precautions had been made to ensure that such an incident never happened again, no matter the scenario or situation at hand: Vladzotz had no toleration for sloppiness.

Now, he was alone in his bookshelf lined office, hanging from the ceiling on a specially designed mantle, just for him. He had just recently finished dealing with a status report on the whereabouts of the arsonist that he had been pursuing relentlessly for nearly seven full years, at this current point in time. Despite his hungering desire for vengeance against the murderer of his beloved family, Vladzotz still maintained his rather regular routine of business and criminal entrepreneurship: He couldn't afford to divert his attention away from the true goals behind his organization: Money, power, and fear.

He couldn't afford to be distracted...

 _Distracted_...

And there it was again...

That peculiar feeling of warmth in his chest: True pleasantry, he identified it to be... Something that he hadn't experienced in many, many years...

The only purest of exceptions being whenever he thought of...

" _Sir_!"

Vladzotz jarred around irritably, soon dropping from his position against the ceiling before elegantly landing on all fours to the ground below. Raising his head slowly towards the source of the sudden noise, the male bat locked eyes with his second in command, the raccoon, Gary Sprockson, or as he himself preferred to be called by his fellow peers, Sprock.

The raccoon was dressed in his usual attire, which consisted of a shimmering, blood-red trench coat positioned over an identically colored under-suit and vest.

"What is it?" Vladzotz questioned, straightening himself out. " _Why_ do you disturb me at this hour, Sprockson?"

"Well, uh, we found 'em, sir..." He replied carefully, to which the vampire bat's eyes widened in anticipation.

" _Excellent_... Meet me in the court-yard. From there, we shall discuss what needs to be done..." The bat lord muttered. "And bring the captives, as well..."

Nodding in agreement, Sprock scampered off into the dark, no doubt bound for the aforementioned court-yard, where Vladzotz intended on enacting his _other_ plan...

Alongside his usual mob boss business and his little side project of tracking down the mysterious arsonist from his past, the bat lord had also been keeping himself busy through the personal prospect of finding his old family locket, which had been lost from his possession for nearly four days, at this point in time.

After dealing with the captives, he intended on viewing another status report on the whereabouts of the female bat, who no doubt still had the item in her very own possession.

Vladzotz longed for its return, for not only was it immensely valuable and expensive as it was, but it was also an age-old relic of the Fangpyre family itself, dating even past the events of the Blood-Crisis, and even past the discovery and colonization of Outback-Island itself!

The locket itself had been passed down from one generation of the Fangpyre family to the next, leading all the way up to Vladzotz himself. The silver-coated pendent had seen much over the many years, being over three hundred years old at this point in time, but out of everything that it had been through, its most recent experiences being what made the bat lord himself love it so: To him, that silver talisman was an artifact of memory, serving as the very last remaining photograph of his long since deceased family.

Their time had passed, and although Vlad had grown to accept that fact, there were still moments where he wished he could feel the warmth of his lover pressing against him...

Shaking his fuzzy head irritably from side to side, the male bat growled broodingly to himself: There it was again... That _feeling_...

That frivulous, enticing, and demanding sensation radiating near his very own heart...

These peculiar sentiments were nothing short of familiar to him... This wasn't the first time that he had detected them, and he suspected that it wouldn't be the last, either...

They appeared to be be random, at best, yet were all connected by one specific factor: They only came in to being whenever he thought of that _other_ bat, Lucy Sang...

Vladzotz loathed the feelings that had been eroding at his mental foundation, as of late: He _despised_ the prospect of himself having some sort of petty attraction towards her. The mere thought of it made him sick to his stomach, and caused his mind to fume in disgust and fiery rage, for he _knew_ that he was not himself, in certain moments like these: Instead, he was a scatter-brained husk of poor thought, small-mindedness, and insipid desires, all of which had begun to effect him and his precious work, to an extent.

The male bat hated untimely distractions more than just about anything else, and once his mind had started teetering on the edge of day-dreaming, he realized that there was, indeed, something afloat with him: Something causing him to feel these provocative and powerful emotions, something causing his heart to beat faster and his mood to swell at the single thought of... _Her_...

He shuddered.

She had been the very definition of suggestive: Her honeyed words, evocative body language, and overall flirtatious demeanor had given it all away quite easily. In the end of it all, Vladzotz wasn't so sure as to whether or not the female bat had done so with purposeful intentions, or if she had just simply hoped to mess with her male counterpart.

No matter the case, it was all too apparent to Vladzotz that the former of the two was certainly a reality, at the moment...

Cracking his neck rather audibly, the bat lord then set out towards the aforementioned briefing room: There was very important work to be done.

Vladzotz continued down the length of the hall-way that led from his own personal office, eventually reaching a set of double stairs. Leaping from the balcony between them, the bat glided down to the first floor of the manor, sliding a few short feet before friction halted him as he landed. On the other side of the room, he spotted the doors that led to the property's court-yard; A decently sized space filled with dry grass, luminescent flowers, and other underground plants found only in the depths of the Nocturnal-District itself.

Flinging open the set of wooden double doors with his wings, Vladzotz dropped down to all fours before continuing across the grassy, outdoor space in front of him, stopping once he reached the very center of the court-yard, where a line of five different mammals, ranging from badgers to moles, were kneeling down on the ground with their paws trembling shakily behind their heads, each one of them tended to by one of Vladzotz's own men, whom all held sharpened knives against their captive's twitching throats.

"Sir! We have them all prepped and ready for your command!" A heavy-set badger exclaimed, digging his knife against the throat of the mole before him. "As you said, sir!"

The bat lord smiled and licked at his razor sharp incisors in anticipation. The group of five prisoners that were lain out before him were members of another pack of criminals from the Nocturnal-District: A group of ruffians and petty thieves who called themselves the Cave Crawlers, and specialized almost exclusively in minor crimes and other acts of delinquency. They weren't very notorious or powerful, but had a surprisingly well-organized criminal syndicate, and large numbers that extended even to the surface world.

Yet for all they amounted to, however small or large, they were not above sniveling and cowering in fear, having been taken hostage by the Nocturnal Mob, and at their mercy.

"You never fail to disappoint me, Russel..." Vladzotz stated lowly. "And just what did these _petty worms_ reveal to you?" He asked, jabbing a talon towards the line of prisoners.

"The arsonist, a vulpine, goes by Nicholas Wilde... It was _he_ who defiled Castle Fangpyre, sir... The prisoners claim that he works for the ZPD now, in Precinct One, no less!"

"Really? _Interesting_... What else did you manage to pry from them?" Vladzotz questioned, his head tilting to the side in curiosity.

"Apparently, they know all this about the target because he used to do business with them! They claim that he is married to a _lapin_ , believe it or not, who is _also_ an officer!"

"Yeah! We got all _sorts_ a' new Intel, boss!" Sprock muttered nearby, poking his knife into his prisoner's chin. "This one 'ere says that they both live in Savannah-Central!"

" _Excellent_... Russel, Sprockson!" Vladzotz singled out the badger and raccoon. " _You two_ are to find a way to attract the ZPD's attention, so that they'll send _our_ prey to _us_!"

"You'll trust us to act in your stead, sir?" The latter of the two mammals asked.

"I'll trust you to know what awaits you _should you fail_!" The bat lord roared, baring his fangs. "I have _other_ matters to attend to at the moment... The job rests with _you_..."

"And what of the survivors, sir?" Another one of the crimson-clad mobsters questioned his superior as he gestured to the sniveling mole kneeling in submission before him.

Vladzotz's face darkened as he turned away from the crowd of mammals, and without averting his vision from the empty space now in front of him, the bat's blood red eyes narrowed in hostility, and he felt his lips pull back slowly, revealing his large, pristine fangs. He snorted audibly before speaking aloud, his voice soft, menacing, and bitter;

" _There are no survivors_..."

Stepping forward and continuing across the length of the court-yard towards another set of doors, Vladzotz smiled darkly as the sound of sharp knives meeting flesh filled his sensitive ears from the behind of him. He spared no glance back, and only furthered his way towards the opposing side of the outdoor space before reentering the manor once more, this time bound for one of Castle Fangpyre's various lounging rooms, where the bat lord planned on meeting with more of his associates so as to delve more into one of Vladzotz's side projects: The reclamation and recovery of the locket that had been stolen, and the vengeance bestowed upon the thief that dared to steal it in the first place.

As the bat lord continued his journey into the heart of the manor, he couldn't help but realize just how off-centered he was feeling: Without anything to distract him from his own thoughts as he paced through the dark and hollowed halls of his home, his mind took to wallowing in the memories of three days past, back when the bat lord had met his match.

Vladzotz stopped firmly in his tracks, closed his eyes, and sighed longingly; Chilling shivers traced up the length of his back-bone, causing his wiry black fur to stand on end.

Tingling sensations radiated from his forehead, focused on a tiny spot directly between his blood-red eyes. He identified it as the exact location where Lucy Sang had kissed him, just mere seconds before flying off with his precious locket in tow. That single smooch, along with the one that the female bat had administered to the spot on his neck where she had fed from him, was the first kiss that Vladzotz has received in over half a decade.

Thinking back on the whole event in its entirety, the male bat reminisced to the female's final words before her departure;

 _If you want your locket back, just come and find me, Vladdy... I'll be waiting for you..._

Lucy's offer still rung strongly in Vlad's ears, tempting him to do just so: He wanted his locket back from that wench, _and_ he wanted to prove himself as the dominant bat!

But a deeper, underlying reason also motivated him, perhaps to an even greater degree than the others: Vladzotz simply wanted to see her again.

He wasn't sure as to _why_ , in the first place. Although she had caused great annoyance and humiliation to him, Lucy had been a rather intriguing sight to behold, in the bat lord's eyes: It was difficult to earn respect or admiration from him, yet for some reason, he viewed his female counterpart as a force worth pursuing, and worth his efforts.

Narrowing his blood-red eyes in anticipation, Vladzotz forced his mind to clear itself of all things intrusive and distracting as he entered the planned point of briefing over the likes of his side project: A spacious, bookshelf-lined living room, complete with a large fireplace tucked away into the corner, where a number of diverse chairs were situated nearby.

The only sound in the room was the crinkling of the flames beneath the mantle, which pooled an orange-ish red glow throughout the room, illuminating its occupants.

Sitting around the mantle was a trio of different mammals, each one formally clad in crimson suits or vests, the symbol of Vladzotz's mob. The small group of mammals consisted of one lithe mongoose, a portly raccoon, and a rather muscular binturong skulking a few feet away from the other two.

Just the other day, the bat lord himself had personally assigned the three of them to gather all of the information that they could salvage on the whereabouts of Lucy Sang. Using their rather effective criminal underworld connections, Vladzotz had hoped that they could uncover a substantial amount over the past few days, and now, it was time to behold the fruits of their respective labors.

" _So_... Explain yourselves..." The male bat ordered calmly, causing the three mammals to turn towards him immediately.

Rising from his chair, the mongoose locked eyes with the bat lord and spoke aloud;

"We didn't find much, sir, given' the rather, eh... _Tight_ time frame, but just a few hours ago we did manage to intercept _this_..."

He then reached into the interior of his suit, soon pulling out a slightly wrinkled envelope, sealed and unopened, but clearly agitated due to the means of its reclamation.

"Oddly enough, it's addressed to _you_ , sir..." The mongoose concluded, stepping forward and handing Vladzotz the letter, whom held it up to his eyes to examine.

" _Interesting_... No return address..." Vladzotz mumbled as he used the tip of one of his razor talons to slice open the top of the outer envelope, which he dropped to the floor.

Reaching in and pulling out the contents from within, the bat lord brought the wrinkly paper message to his face, and read silently to himself.

 _Dear Vladdy,_

 _Although the two of us didn't exactly get off on very even ground back in the Nocturnal-District, I'd genuinely like to get to know you better, and perhaps even be able to create a few bonds, from one bat to another. You interest me, Vladdy, and I have a rather sinking suspicion that the two of us could amount to some very fun things, in the future._

 _So how about it, tough guy? If you come find me in my flat, from there, we can work things out over some wine, and a nice meal._

 _If all ends well, you might even walk out with your precious locket too!_

 _I hope you can make it! Best wishes, sweetie!_

 _From, Window-Slicer_

The bat lord felt his heart skip a beat upon reading the final few words in his mind. Quickly skimming over the entirety of the letter once more, Vladzotz came to a sudden realization that the writing itself, which was in rather exquisite cursive and red in coloration, had been done in liquid blood. At the very bottom of the paper, positioned directly next to the ending line, a single kiss, _also_ done in blood, had been administered against the material; The luscious red blotch shaped into the puckering silhouette of Lucy's own lips.

Vladzotz growled deeply and crushed the letter between his talons, the harsh crumpling sound filling the silence of the air around him.

"What does it say, sir?" The nearby mongoose questioned, choosing his words carefully so as not to arouse any aggression from his boss.

"Go... _All of you..._ " Vladzotz snarled as he pointed to the envelope on the floor. "And take that _infernal_ thing with you! I _will not_ have it in my sights!"

Quickly scrambling down and plucking the opened paper coating from the carpet floor, the mongoose bid his master a silent and respectful nod before signaling his comrades to follow him out of the living room. After hearing the door close shut from behind him, Vladzotz's massive ears twitched slightly, and begun to take in the true silence that now filled the room.

The bat could both feel and hear the blood rushing around through his body; Its only accompaniment being the soft flickering sounds emanating from the nearby fireplace.

He cursed himself for being so susceptible and sensitive: In that single moment where Vladzotz had gazed upon the blood-wrought smooch on the letter, he had felt his heart flutter erratically, and his chest fill up with swathes of varying emotions and feelings, some more primal than others. The bouts of sentiment and other intuitions had been driving him mad, as of late: They never ceased from ailing his mind with insipid ideas and unfulfilling whims.

Although he hated the feelings that plagued him, he couldn't find himself to make them leave him, for they stood as the only true emotions that he had experienced in years.

Vladzotz simply couldn't bring himself to admit that deep down, he enjoyed them... He enjoyed them very much...

The bat lord shook his fuzzy head from side to side, briefly blurring his vision. After his gaze had resettled, he brought the crumpled up piece of parchment to his face, and he forced himself to look upon the very thing that had caused his outburst in the first place. His blood red eyes rested on the identically colored print of what he assumed had been Lucy's lips. Interestingly enough, it was the only spot on the entire paper that hadn't been harshly crumpled within Vladzotz's grip of anger, just a few short minutes back.

What could have prompted her to have done such an act of affection, especially having been wrought in blood, the very symbol of bat culture and endearment itself?

Growling broodingly beneath his breath, Vladzotz broke eye contact with the letter, and then rested his gaze upon the nearby fireplace, which flickered lowly some ten feet away. Narrowing his blood red eyes, the bat lord slowly paced over to the edge of the mantle, and while holding the wrinkled piece of parchment between his talons, hovered it above the fire: Burning it was the only way to keep himself from feeling the confusing senses that bounced around within his heart, mind, body, and soul.

Like all things that Vladzotz had ever loved or hated, this letter too, would be lost in flame; Burned to ash, and reduced to nothing but cindering ruin.

He hesitated...

Just mere milliseconds before he let go of the letter, intent on ridding himself of it and its wretched outings for good, a strange and peculiar sort of pattern within its material caught his eyes effectively. The bat lord brought his face closer to the paper, and examined the markings that had suddenly appeared. Hidden writing, he identified it to be: Words not visible through the naked eye itself, but only through some other form or condition.

Right below the blood-red smooch mark, a row of transparent numbers was visible through the paper, which was illuminated from the behind, the light of the fire seeping through the material and causing the hidden writing to reveal itself. The bat lord reasoned that the slew of numbers and other letters must've been an address.

An address... A pathway directly to Lucy, and in turn, to his long lost locket...

Looking down at the very bottom of the letter once more, Vladzotz narrowed his eyes as they traced themselves along the length of the address, now completely visible to him.

In that moment, he knew what he had to do. The bat lord retracted the letter from the fire before tucking it within one of the pockets on the interior of his vest, which happened to be the one positioned directly over his beating heart. Vladzotz hurriedly marched over to the nearby set of doors before flinging them open and shouting aloud through the house, earning the attention of several passing mobsters.

"Someone prepare my formal attire! I'm going to the surface world for some time... I have a date with the _devil herself_!"

* * *

9:35 P.M

Desire - The dark side of ambition.

Pulsing through the veins of nearly every mammal in existence, the craving for indulgence was one of great power and authority, to a certain extent.

Lucy Sang was the kind of mammal who got what she wanted, when she wanted, and how she wanted it.

Through Lucy's own eyes, Vladzotz was an enthralling opportunity: The two of them may have first gotten off on rather counter-productive terms, least to say, but the female bat realized that the whole situation could be worked and tinkered with in a way that could leave both parties satisfied, and provide advantages for both her _and_ Vladzotz himself, in the long and short term.

Although some advantages weighed substantially higher than others to her, Lucy _did_ have a few rather intriguing ideas that she had been considering, especially as of late...

She felt her heart race in anticipation: Just thinking about it made her so giddy!

Now, the female bat took to preparing herself for her long anticipated reunion with her guest, Vladzotz himself, whom she reasoned would be arriving to her current location rather shortly. The hidden directions written with invisible ink was a risky gambit to partake in, but Lucy figured that her male counterpart was smart enough to find it on his own, so now, she simply had to wait and see if her plan unfolded as best she hoped, from start to satisfying finish.

Standing in front of a full-body mirror, she eyed over her own form, starting at the tips of her large, oval-shaped ears, which sprouted from the very top of her head. A midnight purple, knee length dress was wrapped around her shapely physique; Strapless and backless, exposing the smooth fur on her back, neck, and shoulders. She wasn't one for dressing up very often, as she normally reserved her current attire for non-business formal occasions, which were rather rare as they came, so it was quite nice to be able to try it on and stretch out her wings, which themselves were sleeveless and free, allowing for an excellent sense of mobility and flexibility.

 _Ding_!

The lively sound of the doorbell being rung echoed throughout the apartment, causing the female bat's sensitive ears to twitch in response, and a coyish smile to spread itself across her muzzle, displaying her needle-like teeth. Patting down her dress and brushing off her shoulders, Lucy exhaled audibly before exiting her dressing room and making way for the front door, intent on granting access to whomever requested entry at this particular hour.

As she strolled down the hall-way that connected her own bedroom to the living room, her jade-colored eyes briefly rested on the rectangular table positioned on the far side of the space, where a small, but lavish amount of food was piled atop a blood-red tablecloth, of which draped off the edges and scraped delicately against the smooth wooden floor below.

Dinner, for her and her esteemed guest, respectively.

Although Lucy was unsure of what he preferred to eat on his own terms, she still took the liberty of preparing several very different dishes, ranging from a broccoli soup with a cheddar broth, to blood and vodka infused cubes of jello, a dozen of which were stacked to form a small, flimsy pyramid. Though of course, both wine and regular blood were present as well, with a single bottle of each stashed away in the middle of the table, centered between the two opposing sides where the plates and silverware were situated.

Soon enough, Lucy had reached the door to that connected her flat to the rest of the building, including the hall-way where her guest was currently awaiting her permission to enter. Stepping up to the door, the female bat briefly shut her eyes and breathed in through her nose before slowly exhaling through her mouth.

She reopened her eyes, and without any further stalling nor hesitation, unlocked and opened the door, displaying the source of the summoning behind it.

There, Vladzotz himself was dressed quite formally, even for his own standards, with his usual attire consisting of vests, slacks, and other fashionable bits of wealth and power. This time, the male bat adorned himself with a clean-pressed button-up shirt as red as his eyes, positioned underneath an oil-black vest, all of which was completed with an identically colored pair of slacks. A blood-red bowtie fashioned into the shape of a pair of bat wings wrapped itself around his neck, complimenting his eyes and undershirt, along with the small rose pinned to his breast. The many corresponding and complimenting colors was certainly a sight for sore eyes, and as Lucy finished gazing him over, she locked vision with him and spoke aloud;

" _Hm_... Not bad, Vladdy." She claimed, all the while biting at her lower lip. "Why don't you come inside? I have dinner all fixed up for just the two of us!"

From there, Lucy whirled around and backed away from the door, which she closed almost immediately after allowing her male counterpart to step inside and into her home.

As she set out towards the nearby dining table where all of the food was lain out, waiting patiently to be consumed, she detected Vladzotz rumble audibly from the behind of her;

"Business then, _girl_..." He hissed almost mockingly. "Where are you hiding my locket? I came here for it and it alone... _Not_ to feast on some pestilent provender!"

Pursing her lips, Lucy halted upon reaching her side of the table before turning around and facing her guest once again.

" _Oh_ , but you dressed up so _nice_ for me, Vladdy!" She stated, cupping her folded wings over her heart. "I would hate to think that you came all this way just for that!"

Smiling to herself, she pulled out the padded black chair on her side of the table before slowly seating herself, all the while maintaining eye contact with her irritated guest.

"Besides... Why bother dressing up so nicely if you only intended to get your medallion, and then leave right after, _hmm_?" She mused, tilting her head slightly to the side.

Vladzotz visibly seized up for a brief moment, but quickly recomposed himself and snarled broodingly beneath his breath, all while listening intently as Lucy continued speaking;

"I like you, Vladdy... I want to get to know you some more, and I'm sure you have your own questions as well. I'll give you your amulet back here soon enough, I promise."

The male bat stepped forward and swiped his right wing through the space in front of him, his razor sharp talons causing the air to part with an audible _swish_.

"I will _not_ be played as some _fool_!" He growled, baring his gleaming fangs. "Threatening _me_ with the likes of my own possession!"

His comment caused the female bat to frown disapprovingly, and then giggle before taking to reassuring her male counterpart over her immediate plan and course of actions;

"It's not a threat, it's a promise: If this evening goes well, you'll get your precious locket back, safe and sound. You have my word. However, we have to start _somewhere_ , don't we? _Come_... Sit with me... Enjoy some food, relax, _unwind_ , and just enjoy yourself! Like I said earlier, I want to get you know you some more! Our species isn't exactly the most numerous around, so being able to get to know another fellow vampire bat some more is something I want to try out. Come and share! _I won't bite_..."

Lucy then snickered audibly.

"Quite unlike like _last time_ , I assure you!" She concluded, moistening her lips as she reminisced over the taste of Vlad's very own blood.

The male bat stayed silently, his only true response being his body language; A defensive stance, and blood-red eyes narrowed in distrust and apprehension.

Upon the notion of her previous feeding from him, Lucy couldn't help but notice her male counterpart roll his neck, as though a twinge of pain was discomforting him.

"So be it." Vladzotz grudgingly agreed before stepping forward slowly.

He made his way over to the table, and seated himself on the chair opposite of Lucy's own side, all the while maintaining eye contact with her every second of the way. For about a minute, no words were passed or uttered between the two of them respectively, with both parties simply choosing silence, all the while analyzing their counterpart.

"I could kill you right now... Kill you and take back what you stole." The male bat snarled beneath his breath. "Shred you to ribbons for _daring_ to test _me_."

"True, you could... You could kill me." Lucy mused quietly. "But I have a feeling that's not what you _really_ want though, is it?"

Vladzotz held no visible nor audible response to her inquiry.

"Is it?" The female bat repeated once again.

"Nothing more." Vladzotz growled, narrowing his blood-red eyes.

"So what's stopping you then, huh Vladdy?" She retorted.

The male bat closed his eyelids shut, and exhaled slowly through his nostrils before reopening his eyes and locking vision with his female counterpart.

" _Curiosity_." He stated simply, all the while reaching out for the glass of wine set near his empty dinner plate, which was still clean and completely devoid of any food.

Lucy made a sort of _hmm_ sound from within the confines of her gullet: Apparently, she wasn't the only one eager to see just how things unfolded that evening, either.

She could easily tell that Vladzotz was angry with her: His judgmental gaze, and harsh expression were but the very tip of the ice-berg, she assumed, due to how much he seemed to care about the item that she had taken from him. Lucy genuinely hoped to be able to turn things around between her and her male counterpart, especially if her intentions were to exceed to boundaries of simple comradeship and business associations...

The female bat knew that if she were to achieve such, she'd have to start by breaking the rather thick barrier of tension between the two of them, and to get Vladzotz to stop being so bitter and crude around her. She needed him to feel at ease around and with both her _and_ himself: To set up new relations and to form stronger bonds between the both of them, respectively.

However, Lucy knew that getting Vladzotz to shed his aura of sourness would be no simple task: It was clear to her that he'd had years worth of experience holing up his true thoughts and emotions, and hiding them all behind a facade veil of power, anger, bitterness, authority, and ruthlessness... Or, at least she _assumed_ it was, to an extent...

She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow: It reminded her far too much of herself. She cleared her thoughts, not keen on thinking about the past.

To get Vladzotz to open up to her about him and his life, Lucy needed to find the vulnerable cracks in his seemingly fortified foundation, and chisel at them, bit by bit, until his fortitude crumbled away and exposed him for what he really was, whatever that may be: Years of rage and sorrow over the deaths of his old family had transformed an already cruel mammal into a creature of true malice and hatred.

It wouldn't be easy getting him to crack, but at the very least, she knew just exactly where to start...

"So, tell me some about yourself, Vladdy..." Lucy requested, all the while reaching over and piling some cheese-coated broccoli onto her plate. "I'd like to get to know you!"

"What's there to say?" He replied glumly.

"Hmm... I dunno, maybe a little bit about your past, or something? You're Vladdy Fang-Face _the third_ , aren't you? What's up with that?" The female bat asked.

Upon hearing Lucy refer to him as 'Vladdy Fang-Face', the male bat growled lowly beneath his breath, clearly not amused by the teasing nickname that she had bestowed upon him. Snorting rather audibly through his leaf-shaped nose, Vladzotz then took a low, long sip from his glass of wine before exhaling breathily and answering his hostess's question.

"Yes, that's right... For the past three male generations, including myself, my father, and my father's father, the Fangpyre family has held on to the same forename: Vladzotz."

"Interesting... Though I gotta ask; why recycle the same tongue-tying name, three times _in a row_ at that, huh?" Lucy asked him.

Much to the female bat's surprise, and even to her very delight itself, Vladzotz himself actually smiled at her previous statement; A small reaction pulling back the sides of his lips ever so slightly in a form of amusement. Although his minuscule grin quickly melted away, Lucy could still see the brightened look of seeming gratitude shining in his eyes.

"I'm afraid that answer has been lost to time, my dear. Though, if I had to guess, I would assume that it would be to keep the Fangpyre family patriline from fading away."

"You talk funny, you know that, right?" Lucy teased, a playful smile pulling at her cheeks and displaying her needle-like fangs.

"I prefer to see it as everyone else talking colloquially, mind you."

"And there it is again!" The female bat laughed, pointing at her male counterpart, who simply sat there with a bewildered expression on his face. " _Colloquially_... Who says that?"

"Apparently _I_ do..." Vladzotz grumbled lowly before taking another sip from his wine glass, nearly draining it, save for a small pool of alcohol pooling at the bottom of the cup.

Meanwhile, Lucy took to hastily recomposing herself, and biting back lingering giggles as she then dug in to her cheese-coated broccoli: She was starving!

"Hrum... And what of _you_ , Window-Slicer?" Vladzotz rumbled from his side fo the table, effectively causing Lucy to look up from her plate and lock eyes with him.

"What 'bout me?" She managed through a mouthful of broccoli.

"Your name... What else? Is there a history behind it, might I inquire of you?" The male bat questioned, swishing his drink around in his talons.

"It's just a name, Vladdy..." She claimed after swallowing her food. "It's not that important to know."

" _Oh_ , but I think not, Night-Flier." Vladzotz stated, the use of Lucy's old nickname effectively causing the female bat to twitch in nostalgia. "Play fair to your own game."

Lucy furrowed her brow and licked at her lips, cleaning them of a few cheese droplets from earlier. She momentarily avoided any form of eye contact with Vladzotz, but soon simply shrugged to herself and leaned back in her chair before taking to her own explanation.

"Fair enough, I suppose. Hmm, where to begin?" Lucy mused, stroking at her chin. "Well, for starters, my full name is Lucele Rhea Sang."

"A truly beauteous name, if I might say. Go on then." Vladzotz added, causing Lucy to return unto him a warm smile.

" _Hm_... I was named after my father, Lucian. He was expecting a son, you see..." She spread her wings innocently. "But he got me instead!"

"Ah, interesting. One of life's many surprises, is it not? As a point of fact, I myself expected my first child to be female... _Vasilia_ , we were going to call her..."

Vladzotz looked down at his own reflection, which shined cleanly off of his still empty plate. He had a dreamy expression on his face, but beneath it, Lucy could see the tiniest sliver of pain present behind the blood-red irises in his eyes; A seeming flame of regret and spite, held back and restricted only by the very thinnest of restraints and bonds.

"Turns out, life had different plans. My family was blessed with a healthy baby boy, whom we named Vasila, instead; A classic vampire bat name, in our culture."

The female bat pursed her lips as she thought back to her last encounter with Vladzotz down in the depths of the Nocturnal-District, specifically during the brief period of time when the locket and its contents were in her very own possession, since Vlad had been too busy hanging limp from the glow-worm vines to interfere with her snooping and curiosity.

She remembered glancing over the photograph that the silver-coated amulet had protected from within, and spotting the faces of Vladzotz's old family, including his two children, one of which looked as if they had been no more than a few weeks old at the time of the photograph's creation, and the other being old enough to stand on his own.

"Why did you give it back?" Vladzotz spoke out, startling Lucy and causing her to ever-so slightly jump in her seat as she broke out of her previous train of thought.

"Give what back?" The female bat questioned softly, though in truth, she already knew just what exactly her male counterpart was referring to.

"The photograph... You gave it back to me." Vlad mumbled, tapping at the pocket positioned right above his beating heart. "Slipped it into my pocket when I wasn't looking..."

He leaned forward, and with a calm and collected expression on his face, muttered aloud one last, final word;

" _Why_?"

Silence filled the room.

Truth was, Lucy had been wondering the same question for quite some time now, ever since it happened, really. There were very few moments where she would find herself respecting, admiring, or even pitying another mammal, yet just after barely meeting him on that eventful day, she had felt all three feelings directed towards Vladzotz, in full.

She respected his criminal foot-print, admired his elusive business practices, and yes, even pitied him over the loss of his family, and all the pain that must've come with it.

Lucy wasn't one to admit or even think about her true feelings very often, but she herself couldn't deny the feeling of attraction that she felt towards Vladzotz, to an extent. He had caught her attention, and earned it quite effectively, in the end. As she always has been, Lucy Sang was the kind of mammal who got what she wanted: She saw a great and advantageous opportunity shining between both her and Vladzotz respectively, and she had no intention of letting it pass by her without a second thought.

When the idea had first presented itself, she had reached out and grasped it tightly. Lucy reasoned that with the two of them working together to some degree, they both could see great things wrought in the future: Criminal partnership and business, extensive profiting, and as a bonus, a dependable ally to lean on whenever she needed to.

Through her eyes, Vladzotz was an opportunity, yes, but he himself was more than just some vessel of business and criminal partnership: Even beyond all of that, she had more reasons fueling her desires and ambitions involving herself, Vladzotz, and the potential that the two of them had, if ignited correctly and effectively, to the very fullest.

Some, perhaps, more primal and underlying than others...

"Well, I guess I felt a little bit sorry for you." She finally stated, each word filled with earnest truth. "Besides, _I_ had no real need for the picture... Better for you to have it."

Vladzotz made a deep and rumbling sound in the back of his throat, of which could be heard all the way from Lucy's side of the table.

"I very much appreciate the consideration, my dear..." He claimed with a single nod of his head. "Though, I _would_ still like the pendent back, of course."

Lucy just simply smiled and giggled fervidly, causing her male counterpart to snort audibly in response.

"What's so funny?" Vladzotz questioned with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, nothing, really... It's just, uh... Heh, you _really_ care about that thing, don't you?" She teased, leaning forward and grabbing a bread roll from a nearby basket.

"Well, like I told you before, the amulet itself is centuries old, and quite valuable to me, personally. At one time, it belonged to _my_ father, and before that, _his_ father owned it, and so on and so forth; A timeline spanning back some three hundred years past. That locket has seen several lifetime's worth of memories, some more painful than others."

"Yeah, I remember... The _fire_ , you mentioned. How long ago was that, exactly?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Six years ago, more or less. It's been quite some time, since." Vladzotz responded coolly.

"Six years ago, huh? Yeah, a _lot_ can happen in six years, lemme tell ya..." Lucy trailed off, her gaze distant and relaxed.

She then perked up, her large ears twitching in a subconscious response to her pondering and sudden movement.

" _Say_ , speakin' of which, how old _are_ you, anyways?" The female bat asked.

Vladzotz smiled warmly and chuckled heartily, his deep and resonating chortles filling the ensuing silence of the female bat's previous statement.

"None taken, I assure you. But to answer your question, I'm thirty six years of age, give or take a few centuries! _Ha_!"

 _Ooo, he's even younger than I first thought..._ Lucy mentally exclaimed as her vision settled upon her guest, whom was still chuckling at his own sarcastic comment.

The male bat threw his head back and laughed once again. In the brief moment that Vladzotz's fuzzy head was raised, Lucy's wandering eyes couldn't help but rest upon the exact spot that she had bitten and fed from him a few days back, the marks of which were still visible through his thin fur; A twin pair of small punctures near the base of his neck.

Lucy licked her lips hungrily, thinking back on the moment when her fangs had pierced his flesh. The female bat mentally relished in the salty taste of Vlad's blood, which she remembered as being among the very finest that she had ever drank in her entire life. Sure, Lucy had bitten him because she could, and she was pretty thirsty at the time, but thinking back on it now, she pondered the possibility of a more underlying reason... She had given him a love bite, after all: The very highest symbol of affection in bat culture.

She had forced Vladzotz into it, and although she herself had enjoyed the moment while it lasted, she hadn't really taken the time to think over how Vladzotz himself felt about it.

For a brief moment, she even considered the prospect of apologizing to him, but before her thoughts could align themselves proper, her larger guest had leaned forward after promptly recomposing himself and recovering from his previous and rather lively round of amusement, the humor of which still webbed around through his current expression.

"If I may return the question, what is _your_ age, my dear?" Vladzotz asked calmly, of which he followed with a dreary and satisfied exhale as he leaned back in his chair.

"Me? Well, _I'm_ thirty three years young!" Lucy replied easily just before bringing another forkful of food to her mouth, this time being a block of blood infused jello.

"Really now _?_ Well, I must say, you look quite ravishing, my dear, especially for your age." Vladzotz claimed.

Lucy donned a half-lidded smirk as she looked her male counterpart directly in the eyes.

"You're not so bad yourself, Vladdy." She cooed after swallowing her bite of jello, all the while concluding her statement with a titillating wink.

She smiled devilishly as she eyed Vladzotz, whom straightened himself out and promptly cleared his throat with an audible grunt.

Meanwhile, the bat lord himself was trying his very best not to appear flustered, or taken back by his female counterpart's sudden, and rather suggestive comment. Within the walls of his bony rib-cage, Vladzotz could feel his heart hammering faster and more lively than before, all the while being accompanied by a growing feeling of warmth in his core.

He shivered as a cool feeling snaked its way up his back-bone and into his shoulders and neck: It was a very nice feeling... One that he so seldom experienced.

It was only as of late, ever since meeting Lucy Sang, in fact, that such feelings had begun to return to him and refill the long empty spaces that held refuge in his soul.

Stealing a very short and fleeting glance at his nearby hostess, Vladzotz's blood-red eyes settled on the female bat's figure: Every time Lucy breathed in, her chest would expand as her lungs filled up with air, causing her dress to stretch out across her lithe frame before her eventually exhalation; her torso then shrinking in size, in turn.

Vladzotz shook his head from side to side, ridding himself of the many different thoughts that ailed both his mind. Looking up once more and staring down his hostess, the male bat momentarily seized up upon locking eyes with her: She had already been looking at him even before he himself had bothered raising his head.

"I noticed that you haven't even touched any of the food yet, Vladdy!" Lucy cried out from her side of the table. "It doesn't smell _that_ bad, does it?"

As the female bat snickered to herself, Vladzotz briefly glanced down and examined the area of table-top surrounding him and his still empty plate. Lucy was right: Vladzotz hadn't selected any food yet, much less eaten any thus far. The male bat sniffed in through his leaf-shaped nose, causing his nostrils to fill with many diverse and flavorful scents.

Although the generous feast lain out before him certainly looked appealing, there was but one factor weighing down the bat lord's appetite...

" _I_... I'm not very hungry at the moment, Lucy." He lied, tapping his talons against the smooth table-cloth. "Though I thank you for the meal that you have presented to me."

Lucy teetered back slightly and laughed rather loudly before scooting forward and locking eyes with her larger guest once again.

"No need to be lying now, Vladdy... It won't get you anywhere!" She teased playfully. "Do you not like cheese, or something? Those jello cubes have blood in them, you know!"

Her consistent and hospitable offers caused Vladzotz to furrow his brow in seeming disappointment with himself, and then promptly broke eye contact with the female bat.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Lucy asked upon noticing the male bat's anomalous expression.

"I... I've uh, never consumed anything other than blood." He stammered broodingly.

"What? Really?"

"Yes. For my entire life, I've only ever tasted the living blood of other mammals, be it from donations, theft, or murder itself." Vladzotz admitted glumly.

"Wow... Talk about upholding the ol' vampire bat tradition, huh?" Lucy teased. "But man, you're missing out on _so much_! You've _gotta_ try some of this food, Vladdy!"

"Do I have to?"

"No... But it would make me _very happy_." The female bat cooed. "I made all this food for the _both of us_ , sweetie, not just for _me_. Try some!"

Vladzotz snorted audibly through his nostrils as he stared down the bowl of cheese-coated broccoli lain out in front of him, just a few inches away from his very own plate. The male bat leaned forward and grasped the serving spoon between his sizable talons, and then plopped a steaming glob of cheese-slathered broccoli onto his plate before setting the serving spoon back into its proper place.

The bat lord then picked up the triple-pronged fork that was resting atop a white-colored napkin, grasping the item clumsily between his claws, trying to imitate the way that Lucy had been holding it. After adjusting it properly, he impaled a chunk of broccoli with the piece of silverware before bringing it up to his face, where he momentarily halted and looked over to Lucy, who was smiling coyly and rolling her wrist in a _go on_ sort of gesture.

Sighing aloud, Vladzotz then bit down on the portion before retracting the fork from his mouth, his sharp fangs scraping against the silver-colored metal and creating a very slight, but high-pitched scraping noise. The male bat's tongue poked and prodded at the foreign object that was now gripped between his teeth, testing the taste and flavor of it as best it could.

The warm and saucy coating of cheese caused the very tip of his tongue to ignite with a peculiar feeling of flavor that he had never experienced before in his entire life.

Vladzotz then flexed his powerful jaw muscles and began to chew; His razor sharp incisors piercing through the stalk of the vegetable more so than actually grinding it up.

He jerked his head back repeatedly in an attempt to try and dislodge the chunk of broccoli from between his fangs. Vladzotz's anger started to build up, but receded as quickly as it came once his hyper sensitive ears twitched upon detecting the sound of Lucy laughing from her side of the table, snickering sweetly in amusement at his inexperienced attempt at the simple task of eating something solid for once in his life.

Instead of feeling his heart pump harder in deadly rage at his embarrassing failure, Vladzotz felt his heart beat faster in a feeling of levity and mirth, and his lips pull apart slowly as a humorous smile rearranged his facial features and overall expression.

Meanwhile, Lucy Sang herself giggled at the sight of the male bat's toothy smile, which still displayed the torn-up remnants of his very first attempt at eating broccoli, the chunks of which were stuck between his many teeth like moss among piles of stone.

"I guess we'll have to work on that one, huh?" The female bat mused, to which Vladzotz chuckled heartily in response.

"That's putting it lightly!" He responded, accidentally spewing bits of broccoli chunk across the space in front of him.

"Hey now, say it, don't spray it, big guy." Lucy called out. "I don't want you getting your nasty spit all over the rest of the food."

Vladzotz nodded in agreement and then took to cleaning up the minor mess that he made, his heart pumping fervidly and powerfully within his chest all the while.

For the next hour or so, the two of them took to enjoying one another's company, and talking about all manner of different things, ranging from rather insignificant idle and small talk, to full-blown criminalistic synopsis and detailed planning, with Vladzotz explaining to Lucy the history and strategy of his criminal empire down in the Nocturnal-District, and the female bat herself sharing some juicy gossip that she managed to overhear while eavesdropping on one of her targets, the other day.

More time passed, and with it came more laughs, more conversations, and more pleasant memories for both parties to behold.

All the while, both mammals pretended not to notice the lustful glances that were passed from one to the other, both guilty of it, respectively.

Eventually, when the clock reached an hour 'till midnight, Vladzotz at last sought to excuse himself for the night, from there, intending to return back home to Castle Fangpyre down in the Nocturnal-District, where he planned on continuing with the search for the arsonist behind his family's long passed murder all those years ago. But beforehand, Vladzotz took to assisting Lucy as she cleaned the dishes and stored the leftovers from the previous meal, their conversations continuing all the while. They had even made arrangements to work together to expand their respective criminal ties down in the Nocturnal-District.

When all had been said and done, the two bats now stood near the exit of the flat: The front door that connected to the outer hallway just outside.

"Vladdy, before you leave, I wanna tell you something real quick." Lucy claimed as she positioned herself between him and the door.

"Humor me, then." The male bat replied with a slight nod, to which his female counterpart smiled wide, displaying her snow-white fangs. She started slowly;

"This has been an amazing evening, Vladdy... It turned out even better than I ever could have possibly imagined! It's almost hard to believe that just the other day, we were trying to kill each-other over a piece of jewelry, and now here you've been, helping me with the dishes after enjoying a meal together. Thank you so much for coming."

"It was my pleasure, Lucy." The bat lord replied easily. "Though I admit that I was rather hesitant at first, I simply cannot deny the enjoyment that I experienced here."

Sang rolled her head in a circle ever so slightly, her expression that of confidence and seeming anticipation.

"Yeah, it's been great! _But_... What if I told you that it could be even _better_?" She mused slowly. "What if I told you that, perhaps, you didn't have to leave just yet?"

"I'm afraid that I'm not following you, my dear." Vladzotz claimed, tilting his head a little bit to the side, and causing Lucy to giggle sweetly.

"Oh Vladdy... You really know how to get a girl all hot and bothered, don't you?"

The female bat inched a little bit closer to her guest as she continued with her explanation.

"I've just been thinking... Thinking about _you_ , and how _intriguing_ you are... I can tell that you're stressed, even now." She smiled seductively. "I can help with that."

Lucy stepped forward, closing the distance between the two bats until they were quite literally nose-to-nose. The female bat's expression was sultry and wanting, her two emerald-colored eyes staring directly into Vladzotz's blood-red ones, both of their respective twin gazes firmly locked together as one. With her wings placed against the sides of her hips, she then uttered four simple words that nearly gave Vladzotz a heart-attack.

"So, you wanna bang?"

With each word, Lucy's hot breath tickled against the wiry black fur around Vlad's chin, muzzle, and neck.

She was standing so close to him that he could feel the heat radiating off of her own body. The male bat's expression was that of pain, shock, bewilderment, and pure confusion. He slowly took a step back, distancing himself away from Lucy, who stood there with her expression still laced with desire, and her seductive gaze still trained onto Vladzotz.

In the end, Vladzotz didn't know _what_ he wanted. The bat lord was an emotionally broken soul: He hadn't experienced the feeling of love, endearment, affection, or even true appreciation itself toward another mammal for over 6 full years at this point, ever since the deaths of his family had left him a husk of his former self. All of these sudden feelings and emotions were quite surprising, and rather difficult to understand and control, with his now callous and unfeeling conscious having trouble processing them.

Yet here, Lucy was willingly offering herself to him: He wanted to accept her invitation, and to indulge in what he hadn't experienced for _far_ too long. Vladzotz was stressed, and very anxious, too. The bat lord sought to relieve himself of the burden that he had carried with him for all this time, ever since the death of his family all those years ago. His female counterpart promised a release from his painful, earthly tethers. Although he very much wanted to let loose once and for all, deep down, he knew what had to be done: He was too unsure of himself, and he respected Lucy far too much to proceed with her in any intimate fashion.

He knew his answer.

" _Lucy_... T-This is... I can't." Vladzotz stammered, his large ears lowering slightly. "Not now... _Not yet_."

The female bat's seductive expression slowly melted away as her male counterpart continued calmly with his explanation, his words bitter, but undeniably true;

"You've proven yourself to be a very interesting associate... And perhaps, even, a dependable friend. But what you ask of me is too high of price to behold. It can't be done."

Swallowing hard, Lucy's tongue traced itself along the length of her smooth lips before slipping back into her mouth. The young bat's jade-colored eyes narrowed in apparent thought, and her ears drooped as she digested her guest's many varied words. Soon enough, a warm smile played across her lips, and she then locked eyes with Vladzotz.

"I understand... And I respect your choice."

Sang then took a few steps closer, once again closing the distance between her and Vladzotz. She stood on the tips of her clawed toes to reach his height, and wrapped her wings around his shoulders, pulling him down into a sort of hug. Leaning her lips closer to the male bat's head, she exhaled softly before whispering into one of his sensitive ears.

"I'm fine with you saying no, Vladdy." She kissed the inside of his ear and whispered lowly. "Maybe I was a bit hasty... But I have a feeling you'll be back sooner or later."

Lucy then released her hold on the male bat before backing away slowly, her eyes maintaining contact with his for every step of the way.

"You'll probably be wanting this back first, though." The female bat stated as she quickly paced over to a nearby desk, opening one of the drawers before reaching inside.

After digging around for a few short seconds, Lucy retracted her fingertips from within the box and pulled out Vladzotz's silver-coated locket frame. Without closing the drawer, she walked up to the male bat and handed the medallion to him. His expression was that of sheer disbelief and wonder: He had completely forgotten about the locket.

"I..." He started, but then trailed off; Closing his eyes and exhaling peacefully with a smile on his face. " _Thank you_."

"Don't worry about it." Lucy murmured.

"So... Will I ever see you again?" Vladzotz asked, his voice incredibly soft.

Lucy just smiled.

"I'm sure we will, Vladdy... I'm sure we will." She said with a slight snicker before yawning. "I'm pretty tired myself, and as much as I'd like to share a bed with you..."

The female bat trailed off as her eyes broke contact with Vlad's momentarily, only to quickly refocus and lock vision with him once again.

"I think it's probably best for you to head home... Get some rest." She concluded. "We can meet up again sometime later."

Vladzotz nodded a single time in agreement before slipping his locket back into the interior pocket of his vest.

"Keep in touch?" He added.

"Keep in touch." Lucy confirmed.

And at that, the bat lord bid farewell to his new associate, and enemy turned friend. As he exited the room and made way for the rooftop of the apartment building so as to fly off into the dark of the night, Vladzotz once again felt that warm and inviting sensation near his heart, pooling through his chest and causing his face to morph into that of a smile...

One that he didn't even know he was displaying.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 ** _Woo_! Longest chapter thus far! I'm _so_ proud of myself! :D**

 **I _certainly_ hope that you enjoyed this new bonus chapter as much as I did! I had an absolute blast writing it up for you lot, especially when it came to the rather lengthy dinner scene, and all the content that it quite literally brought to the (dinner) table! It was quite fun writing from Lucy's perspective some more, along with the thoughts and dialogue that came with it! Once again, I thank you Berserker88 and Mind Jack respectively for the generosity, of course!**

 **That being said, I would just adore knowing whatcha guys think of this new chapter of ours! Do feel free to leave a nice and detailed review going over your thoughts on what happened, especially on the stuff between Lucy and Vladzotz, and perhaps even the neat little bits on bat culture that I added in too!**

 **But regardless, I thank you all _very much_ for your time, of course! Chapter 67, _Checkmate_ , will be comin' your way soon, I promise! It's gonna be _huge_! :D**

 **That's pretty much all that I got for you lot as of now... Expect some more artwork to be arrivin' here soon enough too! Aside from that, I wish you farewell!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: Yes, I know that Lucy's offer might be seen to some as rather rushed, but I assure you, she was just messing with Vlad. She likes to mess with him. :P**

 **PPS: I know that the whole lore surrounding the vampire bat species is a bit dark, but that's the intention. They're supposed to be seen as little monsters, and it does explain why there's so few of them too, I suppose. Vampire bats (In real life, of course) truly cannot survive more than a few days without blood, so when I was thinking up lore for the Nocturnal-District, I thought to myself "There should be some sort of tragedy involved, to make the place seem even more gloomy." Now we have this, which I incorporated into the story. Hope that makes sense!**


	64. Checkmate

**Hey Everyone!**

 **I welcome you all to the very final chapter of the 5th story arc of When Instinct Falls, _Checkmate_!**

 **There is much that takes place in this brand new chapter of ours, including a very special action scene between our favorite fox and Ratsputin himself! I'm sure that you lot will recognize the aforementioned scene when it arrives, of course, but to accompany it, I have a brand new music suggestion for you all!**

 **Here it is, my friends: Kane Combat Theme**

 **Yeah, that's it. I think this piece of music near-perfectly captures the intensity and description of the corresponding scene that it follows alongside! :)**

 **Do feel free to check it out if you'd like, of course! The choice is yours, though I do personally recommend it myself!**

 **Anyhow, without any more further ado, let's jump right into this, shall we? ;)**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"In life, unlike chess, the game continues after checkmate." - Isaac Asimov

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"Move in silence, and only speak when it's time to say checkmate." - Unknown

* * *

12:30 P.M

Desperate times can call for desperate measures.

Neither fox nor bunny truly wanted to give in to Ratsputin's whims: After the rat had left the office, leaving the two tiny officers all by themselves, they both instantaneously took to plotting out their thoughts and their ideas, so as to come to a better understanding of their current predicament, and what it meant for the both of them, respectively.

Ratsputin had them both in a figurative and inescapable choke-hold, with both mammals subject to the rat's cruel art of blackmail.

Two mammals backed into a corner, with only one true way of escape: Honoring the rat's wishes, and playing as the pawns in his own game.

They knew not what Ratsputin intended on doing with the documents and the evidence, but they'd rather take that risk than go against his whims.

When Mayor Lyncoln finally arrived, there was sparse talk and chit-chat: The few words uttered from one mammal to the other being that of instructions and ideas, with the aforementioned bob-cat telling the two tiny officers about how she expected the evidence to go straight to the ZPD, where it would be safe from any sort of harm and abuse.

The mayor led them both to an old and dusty room, situated on the far corner of the building. Within, they descended a narrow staircase to an even deeper depth, of which led them to another chamber, this one much more sparse, spacious, and free of clutter, with concrete walls surrounding them and dim lights hanging and flickering overhead.

Wooden tables and cabinets were pushed to the sides and corners of the room, hugging the walls and allowing for a nice and spacious sort of walk-way to cut through the very center of the room from one side to another, leading all the way over to a very large safe, of which was fastened tight and secure against the corresponding wall behind it.

Mayor Lyncoln fiddled around with the combination for a few brief seconds, all the while keeping her back to the two officers so as to keep them from seeing the code.

With a satisfying hiss of metal popping open from years worth of silent solitude, the door to the safe swung open, revealing the inside and the contents lain within.

A small, simple laptop. Two vanilla-colored folders choked almost to the point of bursting with various papers and other documents. One, single collar, tucked away at the back.

"So, this is the thing capable of changing history itself, huh?" Nick muttered lowly, pointing towards the device within the safe. "Seems kinda anticlimactic, if you ask me..."

"Well not only is no one asking you, but you aren't _expected to think_ , either: Your only purpose here is to take the documents _directly_ to the ZPD." Lyncoln chided firmly.

"Yeah, we will..." Nick lied, avoiding eye contact with the stern bobcat. " _We will_..."

The two mammal officers then took the evidence, of which they secured in a sizable, unmarked and pure-black briefcase, and then promptly left the building...

However, their final destination was the last place that either officer sought to go: The lair of the media mogul, Grygorri Ratsputin himself.

* * *

1:02 P.M

After receiving an anonymous text via the fox's mobile device, he and his mate then made way for the rendezvous point, where the text had claimed a chauffeur, sent by Ratsputin himself, would ferry them to the rat's private Tundra-Town estate, of which was situated on the far side of the aforementioned district, cold and all alone by itself.

It took them nearly a half-hour to arrive at their destination: The building itself was archaic in appearance, but sleek and well-fortified, expressing years of intricate care.

Promptly entering the building after departing from their vehicle, the bunny and fox descended deep into the depths of estate, eventually finding their esteemed host, Ratsputin himself, lounging calmly in a cozy little living room, the aforementioned rat seated upon a plush and rather delicate purple-colored chair, his cane leaning against the arm-rest.

In front of him stood a small glass-coated coffee table, where several empty beverage containers and other scotch bottles formed from glass were perched, shining like crystals.

"I _would_ offer you a drink, but it's very rare, and expensive." Grygorri stated calmly as he took a small sip. "Though please, do have a seat... We have _much_ to discuss."

Neither Nick nor Judy seated themselves, instead choosing to stand next to one another, and as far away from the rat as possible.

"No? Suit yourselves." Ratsputin muttered, leaning forward in his own chair. "To business, then... Do you have the documents?"

Without speaking, the fox lifted up the briefcase, displaying it to the rat, whom smiled wide and stood from his chair.

"Give it here!" He demanded.

"Not so fast." Nick grumbled. "You have to _swear_ that you'll keep your word for us... That you'll never tell anyone about what's happened, _and_ what happens here."

The rat exhaled audibly through his nostrils.

"I swear by my very own name; you'll be leaving this property with your secrets and lives intact, but forever changed. I will tell not a soul. You have the word of Ratsputin."

Nodding in approval, Nick stepped forward and handed the briefcase to the rat, whom then set it down upon the nearby coffee table before opening it and staring inside at the papers, folders, laptop, and single prototype shock collar, all of which were tagged and marked officially with notes and other bits of information to behold.

" _Ah_ , still intact after all these years gathering dust." Ratsputin stated reverently, examining the collar in his bony paws. "It took me many months to create this."

"What are you going to do with them?" Judy suddenly piped out from behind her husband, effectively earning the attention of the rat and fox respectively.

"I beg your pardon?" Grygorri questioned.

"Tell us what you plan to use them for... You owe us that, at the very least. Tell us."

Ratsputin's expression fashioned itself into the likes of a disturbing smile. He stood up, all the while maintaining eye contact between himself and the rabbit before him.

"Very well. To be frank, this whole operation has been in planning for years, at this point. Sure, some things changed to fit the times, like your own interventions into the Night-Howler case, and my own... Sudden, unexpected sickness. Regardless, I kept working to ensure that the project was completed: My design was to be the pinnacle of bodily-suppressant and behavior-adjustment technology, used solely for the purpose of complete control over the predator population, all directed over by Mayor Bellwether herself."

He momentarily faltered, tutting lowly to himself before resuming his explanation;

"You two, however, _completely_ ruined _all_ the plans that Bellwether and I had for the city. Now, I simply wish to use these documents as a tool of leverage against city-hall."

"Blackmail, you mean." Nick grumbled, to which Ratsputin shrugged. He calmly stated;

"The government and its policies are a reflection of our own fears. Society is a _fickle_ thing, advancing slowly, yet changing inevitably... Sometimes, it just needs a _little push_!"

"Not in the _right_ direction, apparently." Judy mumbled lowly to herself.

"No kidding." Nick agreed. "But what if we were to just leave right now, and take these documents with us?"

"Easy answer: I'd _completely ruin_ your will to live." Ratsputin replied almost instantaneously.

"Is that so?" The fox mused, causing Ratsputin to bark a slight laugh and jab a finger towards him before growling aloud;

"The information I have on you is _exactly_ where it needs to be. Much like society, all it needs is a _little_ push in the right direction, for your world to come crashing down on you _._ "

The fox sighed, and massaged his aching temples: He had no ideas on to get him and his mate out of this situation. Not this time. Not a single one.

" _Oh_ , if only my wife could see this! So many years of careful contemplation and consideration... This device will _rewrite history itself_!"

"Wife? You're _married_?" Judy squeaked aloud.

Judging by the rat's darkened expression, it didn't take the rabbit more than a few milliseconds to realize that she had asked the wrong question at the wrong time.

" _Was_. She is no longer with us, unfortunately..." Ratsputin corrected. "Taken from this earth by one of the most malignant illnesses the mammalian race has ever seen."

"Cancer, you mean?" The bunny added softly.

"Yes, cancer. She lived a good life, in the end. _Oh_ , I'm just _so glad_ that I've managed to come this far all on my own, even _with_ the same factors..."

Ratsputin trailed off, his eyes glazing over and spacing out onto nothing in particular.

Something struck a chord within Nick. A sudden moment of realization dawned on him, and as he watched the rat turn his back towards the two officers, the fox couldn't help but stare at his torso, wondering where _it_ was, and how long he had had it growing within him. Nick muttered lowly to himself, and stated the bitter truth to the entire room;

"You have cancer too, don't you?"

Silence, of which was only broken when Ratsputin closed his eyes shut and inhaled slowly through his nostrils, and brought down the scotch glass from his lips. His long and whip-like tail, which near-constantly slithered and lashed around as if it had a sentient mind of its own, had turned as still as a statue, and as the rat exhaled from between his pointed teeth and opened his obsidian-colored eyes, even from the behind of him, both Nick and Judy respectively could sense his somber disposition and tone.

After taking in another lungful of air, the rat near whispered to the room;

"The knowledge of death changes _everything_. You see, if I were to tell you the exact date and time of your own death... It would shatter your world completely."

Ratsputin turned around slowly, looking over his shoulder and locking eyes with Nick. For the first time since meeting him, the fox saw true pain laced within the rat's corneas.

"Can you imagine what it feels like to have someone sit you down... And tell you that you're _dying_? The gravity of _that_... That the clock is ticking for you... Oh, _yes_."

The rat broke eye contact and looked to the floor, his oil-black eyes glazing over as he licked at his thin lips. He mumbled aloud;

"In a split second, your world is _cracked open_. You look at things differently, smell things differently... You _savor everything_ , be it a glass of water, or a stroll in the park."

He then slowly looked up and made eye contact with the fox once again, this time his vision resting unfettered and firm.

"Most people have the luxury of not knowing exactly _when_ that clock is going to go off... And the irony of it is that it keeps them from _really_ living their lives..."

Grygorri sighed longingly.

"It keeps them drinking that glass of water..." He stated lowly, his voice impossibly soft. "But never really tasting it."

He then brought the amber-colored beverage to his lips, and drank deep from the glass, draining it completely.

"You can still fix this, Grygorri." Judy murmured, effectively earning Ratsputin's attention. "You don't have to hurt others like this."

The rat lolled his head slightly, a minuscule grin edging on the corners of his mouth. He cleared his throat before responding out loud;

" _True_ , but I think a better question, is can we fix _you_?"

"M-me? _What_?" The rabbit stammered, causing the rat to don a look of seeming pity.

"I'm not fixable, Judith..." Ratsputin claimed. "I'm a cancer patient. My time is running out. You, on the other hand-"

In that moment, ratsputin was interrupted when Nick wheezed a sort of half-laugh half-sigh from between his teeth, pinching at his brow all the while.

"You use cancer as an excuse for what you do? As an excuse to extort innocent mammals for your own sick games?" The fox mused, his expression laced with anxious disbelief.

Grygorri just shook his head swiftly from side to side.

" _No_... The cancer isn't what started me and my work... It was simply an influencing factor in my later years. The very crux that kick-started my career in blackmail, graymail, and extortion, was many, _many_ years ago... Long since past. It was the moment that I decided to _end my life_ , that started me and my work... And gave true meaning to it."

The rat breathed in deep through his twitching nose, and narrowed his eyes in hostility before beginning his explanation.

"I never could have imagined that I'd grow up to be diagnosed with such a malignant illness... It never crossed my mind, that, in fact, despite my previous attempt at taking my own life, that I would live only to die once again. And yes, I died that day... And I die a little bit more each time I think back on it... Fifty years ago, my beloved family fell victim to a home invasion: We weren't wealthy... Our family could barely sustain even itself, at the time. When the goons left, it was only _then_ that we _truly_ understood the meaning of the word poor. Our home was ruined, and there was _nothing_ left... My mother and father ran off, leaving my two siblings and I to fend for ourselves."

Ratsputin grit his teeth and clenched the now empty scotch glass in his paw, before snarling and throwing it to his left, the container flying across the room and smashing to pieces against a nearby wall. From there, the rat whirled around and faced his two guests once more, slowly advancing towards them with a look of anger on his face.

"We spent the next few years on our own, living off of _garbage_ and _scraps_... That is, until life at last became _meaningless,_ in my own eyes."

The rat gripped his cane tightly between his clawed fingers, so hard that his bony knuckles begun to turn white and twitch with irritation. He continued;

"I lept from the transit bridge that connects the south side of Tundra-Town to the north, intent on ending my life for good. _I survived_."

He chuckled briefly as his gaze wandered to the floor once again.

"Ironic thing is, my body, although having survived a drop from a forty foot bridge into frigid waters, is unable to repel the cancer cells that eat away at my very being."

"But why make other mammals suffer, Grygorri?" The rabbit asked.

"Life is cruel." Ratsputin growled. "I'm merely chasing presented opportunities. This is survival of the fittest, officer, and I've came out on top."

The rabbit raised her finger as though about to retort, but no words came out of her mouth. Instead, she just closed her eyes and sighed before turning to her partner.

"Nick," Judy mumbled, earning the fox's attention. "Let's just leave. He has what he wants."

"Leave? Why, this party is just getting _started_ , Judith!" Ratsputin cried out. "You two best stick around for the main event: It'll make things _so_ much easier for the ZPD."

"What do you mean?" Nick growled lowly.

"This little get-together of ours wouldn't be complete without all of your officer friends though, wouldn't it? We'll get the _whole family_ here if we have to! _Haha_!"

"You're not making any sense right now. Stop talking in riddles!" The fox muttered, causing the rat to snicker once more before responding.

"Where are my manners? To answer your previous question, the ZPD will be arriving here to arrest you any minute now, I reckon, lured by that tracking device you brought."

"Tracking device?" Judy choked aloud.

The rat leaned forward and hissed to the officers in front of him;

" _Oh_ , did I not tell you about it? _Hm_... Silly me... Must've slipped my mind! But yes, that laptop there has a tracking device in it, and I'm willing to bet that Mayor Lyncoln would be _quite_ surprised to see it registering here, instead of at the ZPD Head-Quarters, where she was no doubt expecting you two to take it in the first place. In fact, she'd probably send out a team of police officers, your fellow colleagues and associates no less, out to arrest you for trying to sell state-secrets to me, and defying her orders. Quite serious."

"You..." Nick breathed heavily. "What?"

Ratsputin smiled wide, showing off his beady, pointed rows of teeth.

"News flash _:_ I tricked you into practically arresting yourselves." He taunted aloud.

Grygorri sputtered a few dry laughs before clearing his throat audibly and recomposing himself proper.

"Speaking of news, you two will both be _heavily_ featured tomorrow, trying to sell state-secrets to me." Ratsputin mocked.

The rat then made a series of fast-paced _tsk tsk tsk_ noises from his puckered lips as he readjusted his neck-tie and eyed Nick and Judy with a look of disappointment and pity.

"Let's go outside, shall we?" He offered calmly, placing his cane back onto the ground and stepping forward, walking directly between the fox and bunny, separating them both.

With twin faces petrified into expressions of shock and disbelief, the two of them could only breath and stare as they listened to Ratsputin call out from the behind of them;

"I _can't wait_ to see you arrested!"

As Ratsputin strolled off to the nearby door, bound for the outside front porch Nick couldn't help but stare solemnly at the floor beneath his feet: He'd been played. Ratsputin had been planning this moment for every step of the way, and now, there was no way out. Slowly turning to Judy, he locked eyes with her, and came to the sudden realization that this was it. This was the very end of it all: They'd lose their jobs, their entire lives, and would be shunned and disgraced, thrown in jail for the rest of their miserable lives.

"Busted..." Judy muttered broodingly.

The fox looked in the direction that Ratsputin had walked off, and saw the very tip of the rat's long and flesh-colored tail disappear behind the corner of a nearby wall.

 _All because of him_... Nick thought to himself.

With Nick and Judy out of the way, there would be no one to stand in Ratsputin's way. He'd have the entire city government, and all of its power and influence in the palm of his own hand, and would be able to not just influence, but completely control the council's decisions over the city, all because of a few sheets of paper and a rusty old collar.

He was right: It was the perfect power play.

" _Oh_ , sweet cheese and crackers... _This is it_..." He heard Judy murmur from behind him. "He won... _It's over_.." She sniffed audibly. "We're going to _jail_ , Nick..."

Gritting his teeth together, the fox turned around and stared down at Judy before grabbing her by the shoulders and speaking very carefully;

"He may have tricked us, but this isn't over just yet, Carrots... I think I have an idea... An idea to make Ratsputin's own hustle backfire on him, _and_ to get us out of this nasty pickle. Do you remember that one time that we hustled Dawn Bellwether, back in the natural history museum? With the blueberries, and the dart-gun, and all the acting?"

"Yeah, I remember..." The bunny sniffled, wiping a tear away from her eye. "What about it?"

Nick reached into his utility belt, and pulled out the only item that he had brought with him: The one single thing that Ratsputin didn't know about. He stated aloud;

"Think you're acting skills are as good as they used to be, fluff-butt?"

* * *

1:27 P.M

"Wait, Ratsputin! _Hold up_!"

The female bunny's request held fast in the rat's ears; He halted in his tracks, but didn't other looking back.

"What is it, girl?" Grygorri questioned irritably.

Now, the rat stood just a few short yards away from the front door, standing calmly and straight, his small stature overshadowed by a towering bookcase, filled to the brim with hard-back novels and other pieces of literature, including some ancient looking scrolls, and strangely enough, sand-colored rocks and other artifacts with mysterious symbols etched into them: With a sudden jolt of realization, Judy and her mate realized that the symbols carved into the stones were the very same as the ones upon the scaly back of their old enemy, Shahaz the Stinger, whom had had ancient hieroglyphics and other markings engraved into the living scales that dotted themselves across his entire body.

Judy forced herself not to get distracted: She needed Ratsputin's full attention, down to the point.

"You played us, didn't you? How does this blackmail thing of yours work, though?" She questioned.

From the behind of her, her sensitive ears detected Nick approach from the same way that she had, his soft foot-steps enticing slight creaking noises from the wooden floor.

Meanwhile, Grygorri had glanced at her from over his shoulder, his smoldering black eyes narrowing in hostility and annoyance as he turned around and faced her fully.

"You lapins are all _so naive_ , aren't you?" Ratsputin grumbled before sighing audibly. "Fine then. If you will, step forward, Judith."

"Wha-what?" She stammered briefly.

"You heard me. _Step forward_." The rat demanded. "Allow me to explain to you _just exactly_ how _leverage works_." He stated darkly.

Wincing in uneasiness, Judy slowly and carefully walked over to Ratsputin, closing the distance between the two of them until they were only standing a few short feet apart.

"Closer now..." Grygorri requested quietly, to which the female rabbit obeyed, taking a single and minuscule step forward. " _Closer_..." The rat repeated lowly.

Judy inched even closer, the gap between the two different mammals now no more than a foot or two apart from one another.

"Lean forward." Ratsputin instructed.

"I-I _don't_... Do I... _What_? Lean forward?" The bunny stuttered in genuine bewilderment.

"That's right: _Lean forward_. Bring me those long, soft, sensitive ears of yours." The rat responded.

Swallowing hard, Judy did as she was told, and bent over slightly, leaning forward until her ears were down and level with Ratsputin's chin.

" _Good_... Now, may I... _Pull_ on your ears?" Grygorri asked coolly.

"What? I-I don't see how this is-" Judy started, but was interrupted when the rat growled once again;

" _May I pull on your ears_?"

" _No_! They're _very_ sensitive, you jerk! You c-can't just-"

"Carrots..." Nick cut her off firmly, his tone laced with a sense of bitterness and rage. " _Just_..." He swallowed. "Just do what he says."

Sighing lowly, Judy nodded her head in a silent response to Ratsputin's request; The rat smiled wide and reached out with one of his clawed paws, and grabbed both of the rabbit's ears within his grip. Above her, the bunny could feel the added pressure of Grygorri's grip on her ears, and she then heard him hiss out loud;

"You see, blackmail works like _this_..."

Ratsputin then squeezed Judy's ears within his grip, digging his clawed fingertips into the soft insides of her skin, enticing stings of pain that caused her to wince in discomfort.

" _I know_ who you two have worked with, hurt, and gotten killed." The rat claimed, administering a disapproving glance toward Nick upon concluding that last word.

He squeezed harder, narrowing his eyes as he continued his explanation;

"From there, I know how to find people who _hate you_ , which trust me, shouldn't be that difficult."

The rat chuckled lowly beneath his breath.

"I know where they sleep, what they do, and why. I could phone them, _right now_ , and tear your _whole_ life down, piece by piece. _And I will_..."

Ratsputin clenched his grip even harder, causing Judy to slightly cry out in pain.

" _Unless_ you let me pull your ears." The rat concluded, finally releasing his hold on Judy's ears, and causing her to stumble back in trepidation. " _That's_ how blackmail works."

Stepping forward and putting his paws on Judy's shivering shoulders, Nick pulled her back and positioned her to the behind of him, as far away from the rat as he could manage.

"But answer me this, rat..." The fox demanded lowly. "What's going to happen to us? H-how did you make all this work out, in the end?"

Nick silently cursed at himself for making his previous statement so blunt and obvious: He needed more information from Ratsputin, since his actions and words against Judy moments earlier simply weren't enough to prove him as guilty of masterminding this whole entire plan of his, ranging from the shock collar documents to cold, hard blackmail.

Thankfully, however, the rat reacted the way that Nick hoped he would.

Ratsputin smiled coyly, a sort of half-smirk growing upon the edges of his face as he stared down the fox before him. He then spoke aloud, his tone firm and unwavering;

"You two are a rather curious lot, aren't you now? That's the best thing about you foxes: Always sticking your noses in places where they don't belong."

The rat spread his bony hands out in front of him, and his crooked grin twisted even wider in excitement, showing off the roots of his beady teeth and gums.

"It's all just one big game of chess: I played you all like the pawns that you are! Is it not obvious? Tricking you both into doing my dirty work was as easy as it was for me to threaten that lumbering buffoon of a mammal that you so identify as _chief,_ into sending you after me in the first place! The game is over! This is checkmate, Nicholas! _I win_!"

The fox simply adorned himself with his favored half-lidded smirk.

"Are you sure about that?" He mused wily, causing the rat's own expression of confidence to momentarily falter.

"Beyond certain! _You've lost_! Once the ZPD arrives, they'll cart you two off to jail where you will _rot_! And I... _I_ will make this city _bleed_!" Grygorri cried out in anger.

"I dunno about that one, buddy..." Nick stated coyly as he eyed Judy. "What do _you_ think, carrots?"

The female rabbit stepped a bit forward and smiled wide, her expression devious and confident. With her ears raised high and erect with pride, she locked eyes with Ratsputin.

"I'd call it a hustle, sweetheart." Judy concluded.

She then pulled out her right paw from behind her back, and fingered the plastic, carrot-shaped recording device before pressing down on the replay button.

The harsh and brutal voice of Grygorri Ratsputin filled the silence of the room;

" _It's all just one big game of chess: I played you all like the pawns that you are! Is it not obvious? Tricking you both into doing my dirty work was as easy as it was for me to threaten that lumbering buffoon of a mammal that you so identify as chief, into sending you after me in the first place! The game is over! This is checkmate, Nicholas! I win!_ "

Judy clicked down on the pen, effectively ending the recording, to which a stunned Ratsputin unintentionally dropped his cane in shock, the lengthy object slipping from his grasp and toppling over to the wooden floor below, falling over and landing on its side before rolling a slight few inches and finally coming to a halt just a few paces away.

Silence filled the room once again.

In that brief moment of quietude and tranquility, Nick took the time to eye over Ratsputin's expression, which now stood as a far cry to his previous look and tone of confidence and pride: Now, his face was morphed into that of shock, bewilderment, disbelief, and anger, his marble-black eyes peeled back wide and his jaws clattering together slightly.

Out of the blue, Ratsputin suddenly hissed out loud;

"This changes nothing."

The rat then leaned over to his left and grabbed the bookshelf by the sides, pushing against it and causing it to quickly lean forward and topple over, directly towards the fox.

" _Look out_!" A shrill voice exclaimed from behind just moments before Nick felt a hard shove administered against his back, right between his shoulder-blades, causing him to fly forward and trip over his very own two feet, falling over and landing on Ratsputin's tail, of which squirmed irritably in pain and discomfort beneath the fox's sudden weight.

When Nick looked back up and toward the carnage, his eyes widened at the sight of the bookshelf, which had toppled over and pinned Judy beneath it. She had pushed him out of the way, sparing him, but sacrificing herself in the process of doing so, for she had repositioned herself directly in the line of of the bookshelf's path. Her upper body and head were sticking out from beneath, and she groaned in pain, pointing to something behind Nick, whom turned around in an attempt to follower her gaze.

The fox looked behind him just in time to see the balled top of Ratsputin's cane smash into his nose, enticing a cringe-worthy crunching sound and causing Nick to reel back.

As he was momentarily blinded from the pain and surprise, Nick's other senses honed in on a terrifying sound that was all too familiar to him: Metal against metal, and sharp...

 _The sword..._ His conscious warned him.

Nick forced himself to open his eyes as he stumbled away from the rat, tripping over his own two feet. He watched Ratsputin as he unsheathed the hidden blade from within his cane, and toss the scabbard behind him. The fox knew that he had to get away: He had to get Ratsputin away from Judy, whom was lying defenseless and completely vulnerable on the ground just a few short feet away, pinned beneath the weight of the collapsed bookshelf.

The fox lunged down and swiped the carrot-pen recorder off the ground before stuffing it into his utility belt: Ratsputin wanted the device, not him or Judy, he then realized.

Keeping his eyes on the advancing rat as he backed away quickly, the fox baited Grygorri into following him deeper into the house. From the behind of him, Nick could hear Ratsputin as he clambered around over the ruins of the bookshelf and stomp down the hall-way that he had slipped through just mere moments earlier, intent on claiming the recording device for himself.

Nick continued quickly through the house, sparing occasional glances back, from which he would spot the rat's twisted shadow as it crept along the walls, creeping over the corners that he passed through again and again, eventually leading him into a spacious, circular room, with a very high ceiling and marble-tiles lining the floor beneath his feet.

The walls surrounding his new environment were decorated with assorted paintings, green-colored chalkboards lined with hundred of mathematical equations, bits and pieces of what looked like ancient armor, and a few decorative swords here and there. Nick whirled around and stared down the door that he had barged through just moments earlier, and spotted Ratsputin as he marched through the door-frame, pacing directly towards Nick before stopping some few short yards away.

Grygorri Ratsputin pointed his glimmering saber at the fox in front of him, twisting it around as if imagining the blade piercing through his heart. The rat thundered aloud;

"We've played a _long_ chess game, you and I, and you've done _far_ better than expected! Alas, it is time I was rid of you! I'll kill you and you're lapin friend, and then destroy that _infernal_ recording device! When the ZPD arrives, I will claim that it was simply self defense! After all, with your recorder gone, whose word will they believe: Yours, or mine?"

"They won't believe you, especially standing over a dead body!" Nick shouted back, his emerald-colored eyes trained carefully upon his opponent, whom snorted aloud;

"Please, I've persuaded entire corporations to lend me their will. The ZPD will be a _trivial_ matter, at best! Convincing them that I simply acted in self-defense will be all too easy. Though, however, because I reckon that the officers still have quite some time before they arrive, let's have some fun with this, shall we? I said that you and I had been engaged in one, long chess game, no? How about one final match?"

Grygorri reached over to the decorative sword hanging from the wall just a few feet away from him. Pulling it from the pins that held it to its wooden frame, the rat then tossed the blade, handle first, towards Nick, who caught it clumsily between his two paws before shakily pointing it at Ratsputin, whom inched ever so closer to his foxy opponent.

"To be sporting, you can even use that saber for yourself! It may be for decorative purposes, but you should still be able to muster a few good deflections with it!" He yelled.

"You're _insane_!" Nick cried out, his voice cracking slightly.

"I'm not insane!" The rat claimed with a maniacal smile that suggested otherwise. "I'm an outmoded sociopath!"

Ratsputin expertly twirled his sword around, cutting wildly through the empty air around him. After a few seconds of swishing his lengthy blade around, the old rat then took on the classic fencing stance, with one paw held elegantly behind him, and his gleaming sword pointed directly at Nick. With bared and pointed teeth, he roared across the room;

" _En garde_!"

The rat quickly sucked in a lungful of air, and with his torso facing sideways from Nick, put one foot in front of the other and rapidly closed the distance between himself and the fox, who seized up in fear upon seeing Ratsputin throw his sword-arm back in an arc and lunge at him, swinging the blade towards his head. Gasping, Nick ducked with no time to spare; The pointed edge of Grygorri's saber slicing off a single, small tuft of orange-colored fur from the very top of his head.

Scampering away from Ratsputin, the fox put a few good feet between him and his opponent before turning around and locking eyes with the rat, whom chuckled lowly to himself before extending his stance and thrusting his sword arm towards Nick's torso-region. The fox reacted on pure instinct alone, and threw up his own blade just in time to reflect Ratsputin's strike, causing the rat's blade to veer off to the left and swipe through empty air.

In that brief moment, Nick realized that he had the advantage: He had just parried Ratsputin's attack, leaving him exposed and vulnerably, if only for a moment.

The fox could have ended it right then and there: All that he had to do was lift his blade up a few inches and slash the rat's throat, which itself was wide open and exposed to virtually any sort of counter-strike. The idea crossed Nick's mind, but he hesitated for just a moment too late: He couldn't bring himself to do it... He couldn't kill Ratsputin.

Seizing the opportunity for himself, the rat put his foot forward and socked the fox directly in the snout with his clenched fist before hurriedly retreating a few yards back and away from his opponent. Reeling back in stinging pain, Nick clutched at his nose and instantly felt the cold feeling of liquid blood between his fingers, the source being from his very own nostrils.

"Ha! Excellent parry, Nicholas!" Grygorri called out from a few yards away. "But unfortunately, you missed your chance to end it all! _Poor decision_ , if I might say so myself!"

Nick just breathed in slowly and steadily in an attempt to refuel his burning lungs. He stepped back cautiously and pointed his sword towards the rat, who snickered audibly.

"I appreciate your rather timid clemency, but I promise you _this_ , fox... You'll see no mercy from me!"

Without any further hesitation or stalling, Ratsputin rushed forward and struck out at Nick, but unlike last time, was ready for the rat's attack.

However, what Nick did not anticipate was for his opponent to stamp his foot down on the wooden floor just before lunging outward with his blade; The rat's foot planted against the floor-boards, creating a startling sound that caused the fox to momentarily lose his previous bout of composure, and to jolt in trepidation once the aforementioned noise reached his sensitive ears.

Lashing out with his blade, Ratsputin pierced a hole in the fox's blue police uniform, the blade just barely missing his torso as it scraped by his rib-cage, drawing a very slight amount of blood. Thankfully, Nick had stumbled away just in time, and not a moment too soon, at that. Sparing no time to waste, Grygorri once again jabbed his sword at Nick, who raised his own blade in an attempt to deflect it. Instead of hearing the clanging of metal on metal, the fox instead watched as his smaller opponent feinted; Pulling back his saber and tricking Nick into positioning his own away from his torso.

Ratsputin side-stepped quickly, all the while whirling around and performing a 360 degree turn, his whip-like tail slapping Nick across the muzzle as he repositioned himself to the fox's right. With his eyes still stinging from the rat's previous tail attack, the fox just barely managed to block Grygorri's sudden riposte. Growling aloud, Nick used his superior brute strength to his advantage, and pushed against his opponent, forcing the rat to disembark and scuttle a few feet back, distancing himself from the fox.

Taking the moment to catch his breath, Nick locked eyes with his opponent before briefly analyzing him, taking heed of his stance and perhaps hoping to learn something about him.

Grygorri, too, was panting heavily, his aged body no doubt far more tired out than Nick was, at the moment, despite the superior slew of fencing skills and talents that the rat possessed. Another advantage that Nick had was his size, in comparison to the rat, who was a good three feet shorter than him. Ratsputin snarled lowly beneath his breath, and gripped the side of his cloak with his free paw before pulling it up to his face, obscuring the majority of his body, save for his marble-black eyes and messy, flame-like hair.

The rat inched forward slowly, hiding both his body and his blade behind the silky drapes of his cloak. Not content with letting his opponent mess with him, the fox darted forward and jabbed his blade into Grygorri's cloak. Instead of feeling and hearing the impact of metal on flesh, Nick stumbled forward clumsily, his blade, despite having pierced through Ratsputin's cape, not striking its desired target.

Ratsputin then suddenly threw his free arm forward, causing his oil-black cape to wrap around Nick's face, effectively blinding him. The rat clutched the fox's shoulders and pushed him around, throwing him to the floor and causing him to drop his own saber, which cluttered audibly against the ground as it landed a few short feet away from Nick.

Quickly tearing the cape away from his face, the fox was quite surprised to see his smaller opponent simply and slowly pacing around in a circle some dozen feet away, swishing his blade around through empty air as if he were bored.

"Come on now, Nicholas..." Grygorri chided with an unimpressed tone of voice. "You can rest all you want when you're _dead_! Get up!"

Gritting as teeth together as he hauled himself to his feet, Nick eyed his opponent with a look of loathing and disgust. The rat had shed his silky and billowing cape, which was now lying in a rumpled heap just a few feet away from the fox. Now, Ratsputin's archaic court-suit and vest were exposed, revealing the back of the material, which much like the front, was adorned with golden cog and gear-like designs, formed into structured patterns across the fabric.

The fox swished his blade forward, pointing the sharpened tip towards his smaller opponent, whom simply smiled darkly and assumed a solid fencing stance.

Growling aloud, Nick stepped forward and closed the distance between himself and Ratsputin, all the while swiping his blade towards the rat, not necessarily aiming for anything in particular, but rather just hoping to perhaps strike _something_ in an attempt to end this crazy fight between the two of them. Grygorri expertly threw up his own blade, and as Nick had anticipated, easily blocked his attack, the ringing noise of metal on metal filling the ears of both mammals respectively, and frenzied sparks flying from the point of contact.

Nick tried leaning forward and elbowing his opponent, but Ratsputin apparently had other plans: The rat ducked beneath the fox's arm and whirled around to the behind of him, where the fox was completely defenseless and exposed. Grygorri could have ended it right then and there with a single, swift strike to Nick's spine, but instead, he struck the fox across the bottom with the flat of his blade, causing him to yip out loud and jump in stinging pain and surprise, nearly dropping his blade as his paws flew to the behind of him.

From behind, Nick could hear Ratsputin laughing near-hysterically at his pain and suffering. The fox carefully turned around and refocused his attention upon his smaller-sized opponent, who was once again swishing his blade around through empty air, swiping at nothing in particular, his sharp sword cutting audibly through the emptiness.

First, Ratsputin had blinded him with the cape, and now, he simply chose to thwack him with the flat of his own blade: The rat was just toying with him at this point.

That thought made Nick mad.

Here he was, fighting with Ratsputin, whom had the intention on _killing_ him, apparently, and yet still, the rat chose instead to play with him; Testing his temper, hitting him with the flat of his blade, blinding him with the cloak and missing out on the opportunity to kill him while he was apprehended. All of it drove Nick's temper to new heights.

Recognizing the fact that he needed to take the situation into his own paws, Nick both mentally and physically steeled himself to go on the offensive. Quickly pacing forward, the fox swiped his blade out at Grygorri: Clearly, the rat hadn't expected his opponent to be so suddenly aggressive, and thus was rather slow to block the fox's strike. Taking advantage of Ratsputin's momentary apprehension, Nick arced his sword arc over his shoulder as he stepped forward and closed even more distance between himself and the rat.

Swiping his own saber towards Ratsputin's face, Nick laughed aloud as he watched it slice just below the rat's chin, effectively cutting off the curled tip of his prickly beard.

" _Haha_!" The fox laughed as he backed away quickly, all the while keeping his sword pointed towards his opponent. "About time someone trimmed that nasty thing!"

Ratsputin was clearly not amused, as he growled broodingly before raising his snarl to a yell and stepping forward, lunging out at the fox in front of him.

Throughout their little sword-fight, Nick had slowly begun to get the hand of things, so to speak: He was a very quick learner, and had even taken some minor fencing classes back in high school, all those years ago (his mother had wanted him to pick up a hobby other than vandalism, at the time), thus giving him a decent amount of skill to use for his own advantages. As Grygorri put his right foot forward and slashed out with his lengthy blade, the fox saw the action coming from a mile away, and managed to near-expertly parry the rat's strike and push against him, forcing Ratsputin to go on the defensive. Gritting his sharp teeth in frustration, Nick swung again and again and again, his mind adopting a sort of clock-work rhythm to correspond with his bodily actions.

Lunge, block, strike, parry, thrust, deflect, riposte, and reposition: Over and over until Ratsputin was nearly backed up against the nearby wall behind him.

The fox poked and prodded, swung and slashed, swiped and sliced, yet every single strike that he performer was easily blocked by the rat, despite his more defensive outings, at the moment.

As Nick jabbed forward, aiming his blade towards Ratsputin's body, the rat swung his own blade forward, the very tip of his saber jamming into the fox's handle. With a single flick of his wrist, Grygorri completely disarmed Nick, causing his sword to fly off from his paw and clatter to the ground below. The rat then lunged forward; leaping up and kneeing the fox in the gut, causing him to bend over and his vision to double.

Nick fell to his knees next to Ratsputin, who himself stepped back before administering a hard kick to the fox's chest, audibly knocking the wind out of him as he toppled over to the ground, landing hard on his back and sputtering a few coughs. When the fox's vision cleared, his eyes crossed as they locked onto the pointed and gleaming tip of Ratsputin's sword, which was hovering directly between his eyes.

Neither mammal uttered a single word for nearly ten full seconds, silence encasing them both.

"Do it, then." The fox growled lowly.

Grygorri twisted his head around slightly and smiled, all the while eyeing Nick with a sense of seeming disappointment and humor at the same time. The rat slowly wrung his bony wrist, causing the tip of the blade to turn in a circle and the fox's eyes to cross once again. Ratsputin chuckled softly beneath his breath, and then pulled his sword arm back before driving his sword forward, aiming directly for Nick's heart.

Time seemed to slow down, if not stop entirely.

In that single moment of true awareness, the fox could make out nearly every single sensory detail around him, ranging from the cruel and maniacal grin twisting across Ratsputin's facial features, to the piercing sound of his blade cutting through the air, and right towards Nick's beating heart. Though alongside it, another sound seemed to whirl through the air, acquiring the attention of Nick's ever-so sensitive ears and sense of sound.

Seemingly moments before the rat's saber skewered him directly through the heart, a clear-colored object soared from the left of him, striking at his head and causing him to fumble and fall off of Nick, his sword not even grazing its intended target.

" _Gah_!" The rat sputtered in pain as the glass bottle exploded into pieces across his head, drenching his messy hair and clothes in scotch. "What the...?"

Ratsputin turned around just in time for a smaller glass to strike him directly in the chest, causing him to stumble slightly and nearly drop his sword. The rat shook his head in frustration, throwing bits of glass shards around him as the tiny pieces escaped from his hair. Nick swiveled his own head in the direction from which the bottle had soared from, and smiled wide at the sight of his mate, Judy, clutching a single glass beverage container in each paw. Clearly, she must've recovered from her previous bout of unconsciousness, only to search for Nick, but apparently not before arming herself with the rat's rather impressive collection of scotch and other expensive glass beverages.

"You _deluded rabbit_!" Ratsputin roared, pointing his blade at Judy from across the space between the two of them. "That scotch is over _fifty years old_!"

Judy didn't bother giving a verbal response, instead choosing to reply simply by throwing another glass bottle at him. This time however, the rat was prepared, and swung his blade forward, striking the item and causing it to explode into tiny pieces before it managed to hit him. The female bunny wasn't faltered, and chucked her second glass at him, for which Ratsputin repeated his previous action; Slicing the glass bottle before it hit his face, the effects of such temporarily blinding him due to the sharp pieces of glass that fell across his face and eyes.

With Grygorri distracted, Judy ran forward and swiftly helped her husband to his feet, pulling him up until their noses nearly touched.

The defiant shouts of the rat, however, drew the attention of both mammals respectively, ruining the moment.

" _Filthy lapin_! You and your ilk know not when to give in!" He growled broodingly.

"Right back at ya, Scruffy!" Nick retorted, causing his foe to snarl beneath his breath. "You can't take us both! Just drop your weapon!"

" _Surrender_? To the likes of _you_?" Ratsputin chuckled dryly before twirling his sword around. " _Never_!"

"Don't do this, Grygorri!" Judy demanded, her tone practically pleading.

"You're in no position to be making any threats! No weapons, no plan, and _no hope_!" The rat stamped his foot forward. "Our game ends _here_ , fox!"

Ratsputin resumed his favored fencing stance, his facial expression no longer that of glee or excitement, but instead a look of frustration and bitterness.

Both Nick and Judy lowered their stances, prepared to go down fighting if they had to. Tension filled the air around all three mammals, and silence encompassed the room.

Suddenly, the quietude of the area was severed as a piercing and robotic-sounding wail shook the ear-drums of every mammal in the residence: A police siren, very close by, at that. Nick watched with satisfaction as Grygorri dawned a look of sudden realization and bewilderment, his facial expression morphing into that of disbelief and frustration.

"No... _No_! They c-can't be here _now_! T-this is too early! Much too early!" The rat stammered irritably.

"I guess your little calculation was wrong, huh? Tough luck." Nick stated. "Again, just drop your weapon right now, and come clean: We don't want any more trouble!"

The siren was now just below them, and the red and blue lights from multiple police cruisers, at least five in total, were shining through the nearby windows. Ratsputin panted heavily in anger, his thin lips pulled back so far that his gums were exposed along with his rows of pointed teeth. His fists were clenched tightly, and his arms were shaking with rage, but out of it all, nothing displayed more malice than his black eyes: Narrowed and dilated to minute pin-pricks, his corneas searing with an almost unbelievable amount of hate.

Grygorri dipped low in a sort of mock bow, and hissed lowly;

"By your leave, officers!"

Ratsputin then sneered at the two tiny officers one last time before turning tail and running off deeper into depths of the house, not even bothering to look back a single time.

"Oh no you don't!" Judy cried out, breaking into a sprint and chasing right after him.

"Carrots, wait!" Nick ordered, but it was far too late, for his wife had already darted off in the direction that Ratsputin had fled, intent on capturing him.

The fox ran after his mate, whom was already quite well ahead of him, sprinting down the long and winding halls, spacious, yet seemingly cramped at the same time. Judy happened to spot the very tip of Ratsputin's long and fleshy tail slip behind the corner to her left on the far end of the hall-way. Smiling to herself, the rabbit immediately made way for the spot where she had last seen the rat.

From behind, she heard Nick call out to her in warning, his voice cracking slightly;

"Judy, _NO_!"

The use of her true name faltered her, but it was far too late, for when she turned the corner, her eyes widened in fear at the sight of Ratsputin standing before her, his right arm pulled back with his sword clutched tightly in his grip. He swung forward toward her, his blade swishing straight for Judy's neck. With her lightning fast instincts, the rabbit instantly ducked down and fell to the floor, landing hard on her back, yet causing the rat to slash his sword and miss, instead planting it nearly up to its hilt in the wall where Judy had been standing just moments before.

Realizing that she was in the perfect position to do so, the bunny shot her powerful legs forward and kicked Ratsputin square in the stomach, causing the rat to bend over around her feet like a folding chair, coughing a single and dry wheeze as her toes plowed into his gut. He dropped to his knees and gagged, but near instantaneously tried to turn around and scamper away on all fours. Gasping aloud, Judy lunged forward and grabbed the only thing that she could manage; His long and fleshy tail, which whipped around irritably in her grip, thrashing back and forth and almost slipping away from her, but still she held fast.

"Stop in the name of the law!" The rabbit yelled, tripping over her own feet as she tugged on the rat's tail, pulling him back a few inches.

Grygorri uttered a terrifying and throaty growl before lunging over and grabbing his sword, pulling it from the wall and slashing downwards: The rat's blade sliced clean through his own tail, severing it near the very end, just before the spot where Judy gripped it in her own paws. Yelping in surprise, the bunny backed away and stared down at the wriggling mass of flesh writhing around in her paws, blood spurting from the point where Grygorri had severed it from his body.

Nick wasn't sure what was more scary: If Ratsputin had been aiming for Judy, and had simply missed, or if he had cut off his own tail on purpose.

Meanwhile, Ratsputin himself had roared in pain and agony before stumbling forward and falling to the ground. He coughed horribly as he hauled himself to his feet and wearily stepped forward, clearly nauseous from his own self-inflicted wound. The rat trudged off and vanished behind another corner, the only sign of his departure being a sticky trail of blood that had been dripping behind him from his tail while he had fled, plotting out and marking his route of escape.

Judy gagged painfully and threw the rat's severed tail away from her. The wriggling chunk of flesh landed on the carpet floor a few feet away from her, writhing around painfully for a few more seconds before going still and dying at last. Just moments later, Nick reared around the corner behind Judy. He quickly took in the sight of the entire scene before helping his mate to his feet.

" _Nick_! H-he's getting away! We have to catch up!" Judy exclaimed.

"Right! Come on!" The fox agreed, pulling Judy along by her hand as he paced forward.

At first, Nick wasn't sure how the two of them would manage to find the rat in this sprawling maze of a house, but it didn't take the fox long to notice the slight trail of blood that was splattered onto the floor, perfectly tracing the route of Ratsputin's escape. The two mammals followed the trail of blood through the house like breadcrumbs in a forest, eventually finding themselves at the front porch of the house, where they both spotted Ratsputin standing outside and glaring at the line of police cruisers that had surrounded the property.

Grygorri looked back and eyed both Nick and Judy as they approached from the behind: Between them and the police cruisers, he was completely surrounded.

"Checkmate, you devil... Checkmate." The rabbit muttered beneath her breath.

The bunny and fox watched as the rat slowly turned in a circle, taking in the sight of his defeat. From afar, one of the police officers, a tiger, shouted out loud toward them;

" _ZPD_! DROP THE WEAPON, _NOW_!"

Ratsputin slightly lifted up his blade, eyeing it with a sense of reverence and longing. He looked back and forth between the row of cruisers and his sword.

"I SAID DROP THE WEAPON! _NOW_! WE _WILL_ OPEN FIRE!" The officer called once again from behind his car, his tranquilizer gun aimed directly at the rat.

With obsidian eyes glazed over in deep thought, Ratsputin turned the blade over in his wrist and gripped it with both of his paws, holding the saber as if it were a sort of walking stick, or something. Nick saw tears building up in the rat's two eyes as he raised his sword out in front of him and pointed the sharpened tip towards his very own body.

Nick realized too late what Ratsputin was prepared to do. He shouted out to the rat from afar;

"DON'T DO IT!"

Just mere milliseconds after he had shouted out his previous order, Nick watched in horror as Ratsputin drove the sword through his stomach with his own hands. Nick's eyes widened at the sight of the rat, whom had fallen over onto his side, the sword still pierced through his body. Coughing several times beforehand, trying to keep himself from vomiting, the fox stumbled over to Ratsputin. He trudged over to the rat's side and knelt before his head, which was resting on the ground. Grygorri wretched horribly, spewing globs of blood from his mouth with each raspy breath that he took. All the while, more blood oozed profusely from the rat's multiple wounds, pooling messily onto the ground and soaking into his fine clothing, dyeing the black-colored fabric a deep red shade.

"You fool." The fox murmured bitterly, staring in awe at the rat lying before him. "Why did you do it?"

Ratsputin coughed horribly, causing more blood to spray from within his maw and paint the ground in crimson. The rat managed a raspy breath before muttering slowly;

"I-I knew t-that it would come t-to this, in the end... I-I would... I would rather die, than let you _mongrels_ exploit my knowledge!"

Nick shook his head from side to side in disbelief.

" _Your_ knowledge?" He growled angrily. "You mean the knowledge that you've used to hurt other people? To _ruin lives_?"

The rat wheezed lowly, causing a few sparse droplets of blood to leak from between his beady teeth. Ratsputin stated out loud;

"It's all a m-matter of p-perspective, Nicholas. There _is no_ single path through life that's _right_ and _fair_ , and d-does no harm. Do you _truly_ think that the people, myself included, have n-no cause? No right to feel betrayed? You should know b-b-better than this... D-dedicated as you are... To upholding the law. My motives are of m-my own, and I-I see them as just... Think on _t_ hat the n-next time you think that your work alone befits the g-greater good! Your enemy would b-beg to differ, and would not be... Without cause."

"Maybe you are right..." Nick murmured lowly. "But that doesn't excuse you're crimes and actions... Not one bit. You're _not_ the victim here, Ratsputin."

Grygorri breathed in slowly and carefully. He then curled up a little bit and placed his paws on the hilt of the sword that was implanted in his stomach. Nick cringed as he watched the rat rip the sword from his gut, pulling it out delicately and causing another wave of blood to pour from his body, pooling upon the ground around him. The fox thought that that kinda stuff was only possible in movies, but one thing was for certain, now: With all that blood loss, there was no coming back from this. Not for Ratsputin.

" _Take it_..." Ratsputin requested, pushing the sword's hilt against Nick's paws. "Take... Good c-care of it."

Nick grasped the rat's blade in his grip, causing Ratsputin to let go and drop his arm back to the ground.

"Why?" Was all that the fox managed through his wavering voice.

The dying rat looked Nick directly in the eyes and wheezed his coming words with a bitter tone;

"I will not weep and wonder what might have b-been... You've shown g-great conviction, strength, courage... All noble qualities, especially from someone such as yourself. I thought you were slimy and weak... But you have proven yourself to be quite the opposite, in the end. Such noble qualities, that I myself... Do not have. I have lied, cheated, threatened, and c-clawed my way to the top, all for a purpose that you could never hope to understand. _But_ _I'm no villain_... I'm just an old rat with d-distasteful hobbies..."

Ratsputin chuckled dryly, causing a small stream of blood to dribble out from the corner of his mouth. He smiled in an amused fashion, and then uttered his final words;

"I should have killed you long ago."

The rat's face slacked, and his head lolled to the side, going limp and relaxed. A small breath of air escaped from his lungs, and he ceased to move nor speak.

Grygorri Ratsputin was dead at last.

Checkmate _._

* * *

12:34 A.M

One loss after another, yet in the end, all things led back to the very hearth of what they both knew and loved.

Nick and Judy were both subject to the petulant demands of the emergency response team: Draped in shock blankets and forced to rest as they watched the responders zip up the black body-bag that contained Ratsputin's corpse, and cart it off the scene of the crime, gone from sight and mind. All the while, the fox held on tightly to the rat's sword, his last gift before his departure from this world.

For many hours to come, the ZPD picked through the depths of Ratsputin's estate, discovering all sorts of different archives and other materials that the rat must've used for blackmailing his enemies. Nick was quite shocked, yet at the same time, not very surprised to come across a single folder titled with his own name, of which one of the other officers had given to him not too long after they had unearthed the hidden basement, buried deep beneath the grounds of the estate itself.

He burned it when the others weren't looking: Using the cigarette lighter from officer Delgado, Nick reduced the evidence that the rat had on him to smoking cinders.

Thinking back on the rat's final few words, Nick soon realized the reasoning and ambition behind Grygorri's sudden suicide: As he said, he would rather face death itself than at last be put behind bars, where the ZPD and the courts would undoubtedly and mercilessly pry the vast amount of information from his head. Instead, Ratsputin took his precious knowledge to his grave, bound in chains and gone forever.

The fox could only wonder the consequences of such: Ratsputin was one of the most intelligent and calculating individuals that he had ever met in his entire life.

Countless opportunities and ideas were instantly ruined the moment that the sword had pierced the rat's body, effectively ending his life. Nick knew that despite it all, Ratsputin had taken his own life sooner than surrender the knowledge that he had collected over the years. Did that fact make him a coward, or something more? Nick didn't know.

What he did know, however, was what it meant for himself.

It seemed that in the end, Ratsputin's motivations were as cutting as his prized sword: He had felt as though the world had owed him something, perhaps in retribution for the pain that he himself had suffered through. The cancer really was nothing more than an influencing factor. Past it all, Ratsputin was just a bitter mammal biting back at the world that he felt hadn't given him a chance. A little old rat had gotten so much power, and had done so much damage with it. Nick found the irony of it all to be quite amusing.

Such thoughts and more peppered his conscious as he worked throughout the night.

Much of the evidence from the scene of the crime, including Ratsputin's physical collection of artifacts and other objects, was taken back to the ZPD Head-Quarters, where it was all tallied, marked, documented, and placed within the confines of the evidence archive. The shock-collar prototype and other documentations were also stored and stashed away, now safe, sound, and secure within the hands of the ZPD, where it would stay for all of time immemorial, never to be exploited again.

When all was said and done, Nick remembered all too well the final moments of his time at the archive, late that night. After hours upon hours of categorizing all of Ratsputin's belongings and other knick-knacks, the fox took the time to close the door to the aforementioned room, shadow enveloping all the work that he had accomplished that night.

However, one single item, the very last thing that he had registered, was also the very last thing that he saw before the room went dark: One silver-coated family locket.

With somber eyes, yet high hopes for the future and whatever came with it, good or bad, Nick closed the door shut, and walked away, his mind blank and clear of all things...

And he didn't once look back.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **At last, the great game is finally over, and a new king has been crowned!**

 ** _Phew_... That certainly took long enough.**

 **This chapter took me entire moons to write, but boy, I am eternally pleased with the way that it turned out! I am certainly hoping that you all are too, of course! I had an absolute blast creating this new chapter for you all, and I would _very much_ adore knowing whatcha think of it all in a nice review!**

 **Yes, I'd _love_ knowin' what you think on the chapter's plot, the interactions, dialogue, ending, descriptions, and your future hopes and thoughts! :)**

 **Speaking of which, do keep in mind the fact that there _is_ more to come, I assure you! Like I mentioned sometime before, I actually have at least the next two entire story arcs planned out, not even counting the bonus chapters and other additional creations! Yeah, we got a _lot_ comin' here soon enough, my friends! I _seriously cannot wait_ to reveal everything that I've got in store here at HQ, and what it means for the coming chapters of When Instinct Falls!**

 **The first official chapter of the new story arc is currently planned for release sometime soon, of course, but not before the upcoming 5th bonus chapter, which will serve as the very final addition in the little mini-series we have between Vladzotz and Lucy, respectively. Once that's out of the way, we'll jump right into the 6th arc, where we'll come face to face with more city districts and exploration, new and interesting characters, and a fresh chunk of plot for all to enjoy!**

 **And honestly; it's looking up to be my favorite one yet!**

 **But as I said before and such, we still do have the next bonus chapter to get through first, of course! Expect it to arrive here soon enough, my friends! :)**

 **That's pretty much all that I have for now, really. I thank you all _so much_ for reading: It's been a wild ride thus far, and I _can't wait_ for what's to come!**

 **But for now, I need a nice break. I'm pretty sure my fingers are broken.**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: Props to anyone who can catch all of the movie references in this latest chapter of ours! :P**

 **PPS: I'd also like to clarify something about Ratsputin's motivations as a villain. Every proper villain has a clear motivation to drive them and their work. Vladzotz was fueled by vengeance, Jack was a desperate and greedy individual being manipulated by higher powers, and Shahaz, well, he actually didn't have any aside from greed: He was supposed to be a "Big Bad Wannabe" kind of character, subverting the reader's expectations until the reveal of Vladzotz's return. **

**But what about Ratsputin? Well, as mentioned in this chapter's epilogue, he felt as though the world owed him something. He'd been an intelligent individual marred by overconfidence, bullied in his childhood, yet still ambitious enough to reach for a strong career goal, even if it was deemed unfit for his species. Like Judy! However,** _unlike_ **Judy, he never succeeded in that goal: He never become the world's first rat news anchor. He grew bitter and cruel, and as he climbed the ranks of his chosen career (news) in other ways, becoming a CEO and shareholder instead of an achor, he simultaneously honed his intelligence in the use of blackmail to bite back at the world that had denied him of his dream. He helped fund and support Bellwether's villainous plot in the original movie, and when he realized that he could use the documents for the second phase of Bellwether's plan (instituting shock-collars in the predator population) to blackmail the city government, as they didn't want the public to know about them, he immediately set out to acquire them for himself. His goals were to use the documents to make himself even more powerful, because deep down, he figured that if no one would accept him for who he was, then he might as well show the city what it truly was, in turn. A true Napoleon-Complex, if there ever was one; and all because he never succeeded in his dreams.**

 **Ratsputin was meant to serve as the epitome of Nick and Judy's failures and flaws. So similar, yet so different, especially to Nick himself. He was the representation of their regrets and misgivings, and now that he's dead, that chapter has closed; with Nick and Judy all the more wiser because of it.**

 **Hope that helps clear some things up for you! Now, let's jump into the next chapter, shall we?**


	65. Bad Romance Part One - Bonus Chapter

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Short author's note here, but I just wanted to get something out of the way real quick, of course: For starters, we have some new new music to listen to! Later on in this very same chapter, there is a lil' scene where Vladzotz plays a new song on his organ, so if you'd like to take a gander at the piece that he plays, then you can just follow through with this search into you-tube, or something like that. Whatever works, as I've always said!**

 **Pirates of the Caribbean - Davy Jones's theme church organ**

 **It should be one of the first few results, but just for further clarification, the video in question is uploaded on a channel by the name of Grissini Project! :)**

 **Anyhow, that's that: Your option to behold, of course! Alright, next quick announcement!**

 **Next up, as evident by the title itself, this chapter is part one of two. Some of you might be asking as to why I decided to split it up like this, and thankfully, I have a reasonable answer: It was _so_ long! Both of the two chapters put together totals to around 25K+ words. That's a whole lot, and as fun as it might be to have it all stuffed into one gargantuan chapter, I figured that this one was already long enough on its own already. Wise choice? Perhaps... Regardless, I certainly do hope that you enjoy what this new chapter has to bring, of course! The next one will be arriving here soon enough, and with it, some very interesting new scenes!**

 **Oh, and lastly, this particular chapter takes place about 8 months or so after Vlad and Lucy first met, and roughly a week before Vladzotz abducted Nick, and Castle Fangpyre got torched. The second part (As mentioned earlier just above) takes place about a month or so later, with an injured Vlad thinking back over the event in its entirety and whatnot. Anyhow, I think I'll leave it at that, and you lot can continue reading to see what all happens in this first one!**

 **But yeah, that's pretty much it for now. Without any further ado, let's jump right into this, shall we? :)**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"It hurts to let go, but sometimes it hurts more to hold on." - Anonymous

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"When I'm with you, I feel safe from the things that hurt me inside." - Anonymous

* * *

2:09 A.M

Tested through time, that which is lively and endearing only has more room to grow, and in turn, flourish.

Ever since the bat lord Vladzotz had first crossed paths with his feminine counterpart, his heart had once again learned to beat in appreciation for others, rather than just for him and him alone. For over half a decade, the male bat had known not what it was like to feel enjoyment, pleasure, endearment, or appreciation towards or for another mammal: The brutal murder of his old family had left him an emotional husk of his former self, with his inner and personal goals centered upon the likes of roiling vengeance.

Years later, when he finally met his match, did he realize that perhaps there was more to life than just what it took from you... But what it gave back to you in return as well...

Lucy Sang had presented herself to the bat lord as a fulfilling opportunity on many levels: Both being high-profile criminal figureheads, the two of them were able to work together on both sides of their respective business spectrums, establishing fortified ties through intelligence sharing, drug and arms trades, mammal trafficking, and other rather malicious vocations and partnerships, with Vladzotz himself using Lucy's ties to the surface-world to only further expand his dark and ever reaching criminal empire.

Meanwhile, while working alongside the bat lord, Sang herself managed to gain a much stronger and more powerful foot-hold down in the Nocturnal-District, for with Vladzotz's watchful eyes hovering over the dark city, the female bat was able to upsize and spread her own range of influence and prestige, with entire new markets that were once locked away down in those plumbless depths being opened up and ripe for the plucking, free for her to shape and exploit in her own image, whatever that may be in the end, and all of it was thanks to her associations and ties with the bat lord Vladzotz.

As the many months past by with fluid haste and mirth, the two vampire bats only bonded even more through time, with a sturdy and dependable friendship being built up from the foundations of their business and criminalistic associations. Alongside their professional partnership, the two of them easily found refuge in one another's company and companionship, with frequent meetings between them both often ending with toasts of fine wine and idle chit-chat; Topics as erratic and varied as their respective mental states, ranging from subsidiary small-talk, to full-blown business development and synopsis.

All the while, they only grew upon one another even more, each new meeting and gathering igniting a powerful spark of ambition and appreciation in both creatures, respectively.

Vladzotz himself was a being whose life was limited to small, insignificant joys: Anger issues, all of which were directed at the world around him and those that inhabited it, had been frequent and pestilent throughout the majority of his adult life, the sources ranging from all manner of emotional hearths and beginnings. Yet, around Lucy Sang, his internal rage and bitterness was quelled and pacified, instead replaced with a more jocular feeling of delight and recreation: Accompanied by his female counterpart, the bat felt at ease with both himself and the world around him, neither of which had been present in his soul ever since the untimely deaths of his old family some seven years past.

On the other hand, Lucy Sang sought refuge from a life of pain and hurt, her humble beginnings plagued by the most unthinkable of deceptions and betrayals. Throughout her entire life, there had been very few whom she could safely trust, and even fewer still whom she could see as friends, in her own eyes. Most of her previous criminal alliances had been hollow, and naught but ash: Partnerships built and structured around a common goal, yes, but in reality, were never anything more than a means to an end. The female bat was far too used to being reviled, feared, hated, or just plain ignored by those around her, ranging from her old and long-forgotten family, to anyone that dared get in her way.

However, she was not viewed as anything less than beautiful, in the eyes of the bat lord Vladzotz. He himself saw past both her flaws and misgivings, and truly considered her as something more than just an end goal, or the result of a poorly-structured criminal alliance. Around Vladzotz, Lucy felt truly appreciated and safe, both traits having been an incredibly rare and frugal feeling to behold for nearly her entire life, yet here, so suddenly, they were present: Knowing that there was a sturdy shoulder to lean on during tough times, and a dependable friend to sympathize with when needed, the female bat, for one of the first times in her entire life, felt both safe and appreciated.

Around one another, the two respective bats found great enjoyment and gratitude, so much so that they met up together nearly every chance that they could get, so as to relax and unwind, indulging in tranquil chat and business development around a nice bottle of wine and a few sheets of salted crackers. To the both of them respectively, their corresponding counterpart was an outlet for positive times and appreciation, and an escape from the mental and physical stress of their professions and hobbies.

Lucy herself quite often visited Vladzotz's ancient family manor, the crown of his criminal empire down in the Nocturnal-District: The House of Fangs, Castle Fangpyre.

There, she would work alongside her male counterpart as the two of them constructed more and more business ties and agreements, nearly all of which were concluded with broken bread and lively conversation, both respective creatures relishing in the enjoyment of one another's pleasant company and frequent companionship. Whenever she would arrive, the two of them would retreat into the depths of the mansion to plot out their nefarious schemes and ideas. After concluding their work, relaxation ensued, yet if there was one thing that both creatures raptured upon more than just about anything else, it had to be their respective tastes in music and the fine arts.

As with most mammals of the large-eared variety, music itself was a highly dynamic and gratuitous sense to behold upon the ears, of which were often able to detect underlying tones and rhythms that made each and every individual song all the more unique and diverse. Being vampire bats, both Lucy and Vladzotz respectively had incredibly extraordinary hearing, perhaps even, the very best in the entire animal kingdom.

Vladzotz, having grown up in a rather lavish upbringing, and donning an archaic personality and mindset, personally preferred classical pieces, especially those that he played upon his towering organ, the powerful and haunting chords causing the very framework of The House of Fangs to shake and jitter as the sounds filled the winding hall-ways.

Lucy too enjoyed listening to music, especially that of soft jazz and and classical. Every once and a while, upon concluding her business practices and leisurely chatting with Vladzotz, the female bat, after excusing herself for the evening, would slip away to another part of the property, where she would simply relax and listen closely to the sounds of the bat lord's organ, thrumming deep from within the inky confines of the old manor.

But now, only upon her latest visit to Castle Fangpyre, did its master at last present the organ chamber in its entirety to the young bat.

After a full week of careful and meticulous planning over the details of their latest cooperative scheme, the two bats at last decided that it was time for a well-earned and much anticipated break. Lucy herself chose instead to pay a surprise visit to Vladzotz, all the while personally hoping to catch him as he played his organ, in specific. Letting herself in through the front door, the female bat promptly made way to the aforementioned organ chamber, deep within the heart of Castle Fangpyre.

Upon at last finding it in all its glory, she pressed against the large oaken doors and set foot inside the room, all the while taking in the sight of her brand new environment.

The room itself was large, with soft, blood-red and royal-purple swirls lined into the carpets, of which were lain out across smooth and wooden floor-boards beneath their feet. Lining the walls to the left and right of the room's center, thick and black-colored columns flanked in rows, where they held up the weight of the ceiling above. But of course, the crowning feature of the entire room was undoubtedly the massive, towering organ in the very back wall, with shiny brass pipes rising dozens of feet into the air, nearly scraping against the roof of the manor itself.

The wide, wooden frame and mantle of the large instrument was carved with smooth designs, swirling and stretching outwards into a pair of monstrous bat wings.

Though, sitting in the very center of it all, Vladzotz himself was seated upon a padded stool, of which was positioned between the triple-decks of varying black and white keys, his bony and skeletal fingers pressing upon them quickly, each point of contact enticing a long, low groan to emanate from within the mantle of the organ before traveling upwards, reverberating through the many pipes before being spewed forth from the varying slits and holes, the ensuing sounds filling the dreary silence of the entire room.

As Lucy approached from behind, all the while making sure to close shut the doors at the entrance, she couldn't help but reminisce over the very last time that she had set foot in this particular room, which, ironically enough, had been back when she first entered Castle Fangpyre with the intent of looting and even simply exploring it, to an extent.

Back then, she recalled how Vladzotz had been playing incredibly slowly upon his organ, his notes so soothing that they had even caused he himself to fall asleep!

But now, the bat lord drummed the keys beneath his fingers with a fiery sense of passion and ambition, each respective note being very quick and very powerful. He rolled his shoulders in their sockets, causing his lengthy arms to flow delicately along with the song. He played quite aggressively, with lots of back and upper body movement; Some few keys being quite literally smashed beneath his sizable talons as he pressed against them, the coming notes all very rapid and very powerful, like an energized heart-beat.

If there was any way for Lucy Sang to describe what she heard right then and there, it would had to have been anger personified.

Returning her attention to the player behind the piece, the young bat could easily tell that he was quite engrossed with the likes of his solo performance; Eyes closed shut, mind completely and utterly oblivious to her sudden and quiet entrance, so elusive that even he with his enhanced hearing and other senses did not detect her as she crept across the open space of the room, closing the distance between herself and her male counterpart, who reverently played upon his towering organ without a single care in the world.

Simply choosing to watch, Lucy continued inching forward a little bit at a time, all the while listening in on the many diverse and colorful sounds that flowed in and around her ears, reverberating through the air and causing her fur to stand on end as a shiver of euphoric enjoyment coursed its way up the length of her spine: She adored listening to Vladzotz as he played upon his towering organ, for as the enticing melody filled her ears, she felt relaxed and secure, both being traits that she seldom experienced on her own.

For several short more minutes, the female bat continued to listen to the methodical and peaceful organ music, which grew slower and more tame with each passing second, until at last the piece was concluded in its entirety, and Vladzotz himself inhaled deeply through his nostrils before exhaling audibly from his fanged maw, his upper-body slouching over slightly as the oxygen fled swiftly from his lungs. The bat lord's ears drooped delicately, but instantly perked up in detection as Lucy cleared her throat from behind.

Turning slightly to the right and glancing over his shoulder, a toothy smile spread its way across the length of the male bat's muzzle as his blood-red eyes locked upon the form of his dear friend Lucy, who herself stood casually some dozen feet away, all the while slowly strutting closer and closing the distance between herself and her male counterpart.

"Bravo... Bravo." The female bat praised with a warm smile, clapping her palms together in approval. "A truly enticing performance, if I might say so myself!"

Meanwhile, Vladzotz had risen from his stool and now looked down upon the smaller vampire bat, his coming words laced with an undertone of curiosity and mirth;

" _Well_ , now _this_ is a rather pleasant surprise... You didn't happen to break in through any windows, now did you? Those are surprisingly expensive, you know."

The female bat stifled a slight chortle beneath her breath as she crossed her wings against her chest and threw her hip out to the side.

"Oh, just get over it already! I break in through _one_ window nearly a _year_ ago, and you're _still_ holding it over my head?" She teased. "You need to get your priorities straight!"

"Is the security of Castle Fangpyre, the very head of my criminal empire, not a cause worth flaunting?" Vladzotz retorted with raised eyebrows, to which Lucy snorted aloud;

"You and your secrecy... Always so consistent, huh? Granted, given how easily I slipped in _last_ time, I can understand where you're coming from."

Vladzotz slowly nodded his angular head in agreement.

"Indeed: We've always prided ourselves on our clandestine business practices and security, but I do admit that you've proven yourself as quite fluctuant, my dear..."

The bat lord seated himself upon his stool once again before turning around and facing the organ, putting his back to his guest. He then cleared his throat audibly and inquired;

"So, what brings you here, Lucy? If I'm not mistaken, we previously scheduled our latest assignation for tomorrow evening, no? Why the sudden appearance?"

Smiling as she uttered a low _hmm_ sort of noise from within her throat, the female bat edged ever closer to her male counterpart, soon positioning herself directly behind him.

Lucy then fervidly took to answering his previous question;

"True, but I don't get breaks like this too often, and after all the stress from work as of late, I'd prefer to spend it where I feel most relaxed, safe, and appreciated: _Here_!"

Her male counterpart nodded his head in seeming understanding.

" _Hm_... Although I'm quite flattered that you so enjoy my company, next time, a little prior notification certainly wouldn't hurt, after all."

Vladzotz then leaned forward towards his organ and rhythmically pressed against a few keys here and there, causing the organ to drone a very soft, sleepy tune: Much more quiet and peaceful than earlier, yet still reverberating with a slight undertone of power and strength, though still not as much as before. As he played, he spoke aloud;

"Policy gives my men the right to engage against any intruders, you know... We wouldn't want them to mistake you for someone with more hostile intentions, now would we?"

Donning a sultry smile to herself, the female bat strode forward to the flatter edge of the organ's mantle, rather close to the many keys, and lifted herself up onto the wooden frame, carefully seating herself upon it before crossing one leg over the other and eyeing her male counterpart with two glowing emerald orbs. All the while, she calmly stated;

"Come on, Vladdy, we _both_ know that there isn't a single mammal in this manor I couldn't take on..."

She then giggled, thinking back on the day that she had first met Vladzotz, and how she had managed to trick him into ensnaring himself in the sticky vines of the glow-worms.

"Including _you_ , sweetie!"

The male bat momentarily lost his expert composure, and accidentally fumbled on a single note as he glared his gaze towards his female counterpart. He stammered out loud;

" _Eh_ , well..." Vladzotz then chuckled lowly. "If it ever comes to that, I'll make sure that our next field of battle is devoid of any disgusting, apprehensive obstructions..."

"Yeah, _then_ you might actually have a chance!" Lucy teased, cocking her head to the side and eyeing her male counterpart with a smug expression.

"Perhaps I would, perhaps I would." Vladzotz mumbled to himself, a slight grin playing at the edge of his muzzle.

For the next half-minute or so, neither creature spoke to one another, both instead choosing silence as the bat lord continued to play upon his organ. With curious emerald eyes, Lucy watched his skeletal fingers as they drummed up and down the length of the black and white keyboard, each note that his sizable talons pressed upon enticing a deep groan to emanate from within the smooth wooden body of the massive organ.

Lucy closed her eyes shut breathed in deeply, relishing in the cool feeling of relaxation as it coursed its way up the length of her spine, causing her fur to stand on end. The sweet music that filled her ears was very relaxing and peaceful, easily causing her muscles to unknot themselves and her posture to slacken slightly, her body overcome with a meditative sense of rest and leisure.

She very much adored listening to classical music in general, but Vlad and his organ were something else entirely.

The female bat reminisced to the very first time that she had set her eyes upon her male counterpart: It had been very much like it was now, with the dark atmosphere, peaceful organ music, and the two of them all alone and to themselves in the spacious depths of the organ chamber, their only accompaniment being the tuneful composition that filled both of their sensitive ears, respectively.

At the time, Vladzotz's musical skills meant next to nothing to her, but only now as she thought back to the particular event in its entirety, did she realize just how talented her male counterpart truly was: He played expertly and near completely without any sort of flaw or grievance, his red eyes closed and bony fingers forced to perform without any sort of help or assistance, for he seemed to always play his organ devoid of any music sheets or other means of aid.

To Lucy, the prospect of such abilities were nigh unfathomable, but even she realized just how gifted he must have been to be able to perform as he did.

All the while, she continued to watch and listen as the piece continued, the melodious and harmonic notes only causing her to grow more and more at ease.

Eventually, both to break the silence and to sate her own personal curiosity, Lucy then took to acquiring the attention of her male counterpart.

"Say, Vladdy..." She started, effectively causing the large bat to acknowledge her with a questioning _hmm_ sort of sound. "How'd you learn to play like that?"

"Ah, interesting question, my dear." Vladzotz claimed, lifting his talons up and hovering them above the keyboard. "But might I be of inquiry as to why you ask, precisely?"

"Just curious, I guess... I _do_ like listening to you play." She cooed in response.

Nodding his head in understanding, the male bat proudly exclaimed;

"I do owe most of my musical prowess to the likes of my teacher, my very own father, Vladzotz the Second: It was _he_ who tutored me beginning at the young age of just six years old. Every day we would practice for hours on end, performing with this exact same instrument, and after years upon years of tutelage, I at last mastered the pipe organ!"

Vladzotz then rapidly ran his clawed fingers down the length of the black and white keyboard, his thin talons becoming a mere blur of fast movement in Lucy's own eyes.

"Hmph..." The female bat huffed playfully as the ensuing notes from her male counterpart's demonstration faded away softly. " _Showoff_!"

The bat lord chuckled beneath his breath, a smile playing at his lips. "Yours truly." He mumbled lowly in response, all the while pulling his fingertips away from the keyboard.

"You must've really gotten the hang of it all, huh, seeing as you don't even use any music sheets." Lucy continued, pointing a polished claw tip towards the empty frame.

"Very much so, my dear." Vladzotz confirmed. "Though, most of the pieces I know nowadays are exerted more so through muscle memory than anything else."

Once again, he reached outwards and played a quick and very fast paced, yet delicate tune, causing his female counterpart to cross her arms across her chest and snort aloud;

"Like I said: Showoff!"

Vladzotz stifled another short laugh, his smile only having grown even wider, by this point. Meanwhile, Lucy noticed that tips of his large ears were tinged slightly red in flattery: Deep down, she secretly wondered if he'd ever been complimented over his considerable musical talents quite like that before. Biting her lower lip as she eyed over the many different keys lain within the smooth wooden mantle of the organ's body, she simply couldn't resist blurting aloud her coming few words;

"Can I try?" She requested excitedly, her eyes lighting up with anticipation.

The male bat locked vision with her, and near instantaneously noticed the bright and beaming expression that held refuge across her face; Clearly, she really wanted to try her own on his organ. Although personally a tad bit hesitant at first, since his organ was very dear to him, Vladzotz quickly decided that in the end, no harm could be done from it.

His organ may have been one of his favored possessions, but he treasured his relationship with Lucy Sang far more.

"Of course!" He exclaimed as he rose from the small bench and backed away from the organ, all the while stretching one of his wings outward and gesturing to the keyboard.

Smiling wide in excitement, Lucy then lept off from the smooth wooden mantle and immediately made her way to the center of the organ before seating herself where Vladzotz had been just earlier. Raising her head to the ceiling, she took in the sight of the massive organ, its many dozens of majestic brass-colored pipes towering over her, all of them winding in and around the intricate woodwork of the wall frame before vanishing behind the back of the mantle, gone from sight and mind.

Lucy lowered her gaze back to the many black and white keys that were spread out before her, three full rows of which extended around her in a sort of semi-circle. Knowing that each and every single one of them connected to the gargantuan metal pipes, the female bat felt a very giddy sense of power and control; This monstrous instrument was hers to command and control, and all that she had to do was tap on the keys with her fingers.

How hard could it be?

Carefully raising up one of her arms, Lucy lightly poked her index finger against one of the white-colored keys directly in front of her. The near instant that her finger pressed down upon it, the organ groaned loudly a single time in brief response. Shaking in excitement, the female bat whirled her head around over her shoulder and smiled wide at Vladzotz, whom was simply standing casually a few feet away, his talons locked together and drumming against one another silently. As he locked eyes with Lucy, the bat lord then rolled one of his wrists in a _go on_ sort of gesture, to which his female counterpart bit her lower lip down in anticipation before turning back around and facing the organ once more.

Lucy swiftly shifted her weight around in the padded bench, causing leathery squeaking noises to emanate from her body suit as it rubbed against the material. She lifted both of her arms up and hovered them above the keyboard, spreading her fingers and eyeing over the many different keys. Sparing another fleeting glance behind her, the female bat locked eyes with Vladzotz one last time before returning her attention towards the keyboard and bringing her paws down upon a few random keys, the ensuing notes sounding quite distasteful and out of tune, but still failing to quell her fervid excitement and anticipation.

Delicately mashing the very tips of her claws down on random keys, the mantle of the organ lightly shook as the powerful and reverberating chords coursed through its structure, traveling up the lengthy brass pipes before blaring out from the many slits, the coming notes not exactly easy on the ears, but still quite strong and developed.

After a few more seconds of pressing against random keys just to get the feel of the instrument itself, Lucy then decided to try and play something a bit more coherent and structured than the garbled mess that she was currently producing. Alongside that, she simply sought to impress Vladzotz, even in the slightest way possible at the time.

Using her clawed thumb and middle fingers, respectively, she singled out a few choice keys from the far right side of the board, where the higher-pitched notes rested, each one eagerly waiting to be played upon. Lightly tapping twice against every other pair of keys, Lucy gradually moved across the length of the keyboard, the pitch of the many notes descending lower and lower as she slowly moved from right to left. Now that her performance was more formulated and planned out, the coming musical notes sounded much better and even more powerful than before, but all were still a very far cry to the quality that Vladzotz himself had ousted from the organ just mere minutes earlier.

Although the audible comparison between the two vampire bats was quite noticeable and obvious, neither of them berated the other on their respective levels of skill.

" _Ooo_ , this is fun! No wonder you play it so often!" The female bat stated before snickering in amusement.

Eventually reaching the very end of the keyboard, Lucy stopped playing her single scale and instead took to repositioning her clawed paws in the center of the board. Using all of her available fingertips, she then randomly and messily pressed against the keys below, some few notes of considerable quality, but most others sliding off as sub-par, at best.

She cringed as another horribly out of tune note found its way to her large and sensitive ears, and she audibly uttered a disapproving _eh_ sort of sound just moments afterwards.

Meanwhile, from the behind of his female counterpart, Vladzotz frowned upon hearing her deplorative growl of disapproval, and his expression softened as he noticed the vexed and disgruntled look growing upon the sides of her face. The bat lord took note of her slovenly posture and misplaced arms, and even her clawed feet, which just barely reached the row of pedals at the base of the organ's wooden mantle.

Quickly eyeing over her body and posture, the male bat observed Lucy's small paws as they played against the organ without any real form or composition.

Steeling his resolve, Vladzotz paced over to Lucy and stood directly behind her, lifting his talons and placing them on the female bat's shoulders, which were exposed from her skin-tight bodysuit. The bat lord watched as Sang slightly jumped in surprise at his sudden contact, but quickly relax as she glanced over her shoulder and locked eyes with him.

" _Here_..." Vladzotz murmured. "Allow me."

Without waiting for her reply he then slid his palms down the lengths of her two arms, all the while resisting the urge to run them back up again just to further experience the smooth feeling of her fur against his paws. The thick membrane of skin that stretched between his three longest fingers spread out to around half of their fullest extent as he positioned his paws directly over Lucy's, his large and leathery wings now partially enveloping her smaller form.

Now, Vladzotz's own arms were placed above Lucy's, and his clawed fingertips connected with her own. Then, like a puppet-master influencing his stringed marionette, he pressed down on Lucy's smaller fingers with his own, causing her pointed claws to press against the keys of the organ once more. However, instead of novice, out of tune notes emanating from within the massive instrument, the coming sounds were fruitful, and expertly performed, each chord droning with a great and masterful sense of power.

Together, the two of them played a song of the male bat's choice, for he was the one truly pulling the strings behind the act itself: As Lucy's thin fingers pressed down upon the many different keys, Vladzotz's wings guided her own, effectively spawning a brilliant and calming musical tune to ensue upon each point of contact. Eventually, the slower portion of the song came to an end upon the conclusion of one, final drawn out note, but then suddenly and without warning, the male bat picked up the pace and speed of the song, causing Lucy to cry out in surprise as her own fingers now drummed speedily and very quick against the keyboard, all the while being directed beneath Vladzotz's own.

" _Whoa_!" She exclaimed, startled at the sudden increase in speed and tempo. "Haha!"

Lucy's heart beat rapidly in her chest, and another gratifying surge of energy coursed through her body at the sudden and amazing feeling that accompanied the action. Now, the song that the two vampire bats performed was an energized version of the previous one, with underlying notes of power and deep, resonating chords that caused the room around them to shake and tremble lightly.

Vladzotz reached outwards some more, guiding Lucy's fingertips to the far left side of the keyboard and mashing them down against a few choice keys, a great and strong slew of sounds surging from within the instrument. The bat lord then did the same with his other paw, and Lucy's in turn, soon adopting a slight repeating pattern of performance, with one paw pressing down on the keys while the other momentarily rested, and vice versa for a brief few seconds.

With Vladzotz guiding her from behind, the female bat imagined herself as if she were a part of some orchestra: A masterful and talented performer of the fine arts!

It was a wonderful and very exciting feeling to experience, and gave the young bat all the more mirth and enjoyment from Vladzotz's actions.

Gradually, over the next minute or so, the song slowed down more and more, with the two vampire bats dialing down on the speed and tempo until the many different notes and sounds were once again soft, slow, and peaceful as the night itself. The song may have ended for the most part, yet still, Vladzotz held his paws over Lucy's, his leathery wings enveloping the majority of her smaller body, and encasing her in shadow.

All the while, Lucy could feel Vladzotz's heart beating against her back, and the heat from his body as it radiated off of his chest and pooled within his wings, warming all that stood between, including the female bat herself. Encased in Vladzotz's large wings, Lucy felt a gratifying sense of security begin to build up within her breast, causing her to calmly relax, her muscles to soothingly unwind, and a longful, dreamy sigh to escape through her mouth.

As her eyelids begun to droop ever so slightly, Lucy raised her head upwards and locked vision with Vladzotz, whom still loomed over her rather smaller form. His expression too was that of relaxation and comfort, all accompanied by a minuscule smile that edged across his muzzle. Within his blood-red eyes, Lucy could see a flickering light of doting and amorous endearment, if not accompanied by something a tad bit more primal searing behind his two corneas.

Leaning upwards slowly, Lucy's eyelids closed shut in leisure, her last sight being Vladzotz softening his own expression as he lowered his head closer to her face, closing the distance between the two of them until their lips met in their very first true, genuine kiss. The female bat's puckered lips pressed lightly against the male's very own, and another pleasurable exhale of oxygen escaped from between her teeth, the hot air brushing delicately through the wiry black fur on Vladzotz's face.

Just when Lucy was about to reach up and pull Vladzotz's face even harder against her own, a loud and startling _bang_ sort of sound emanated from the behind of them, causing both vampire bats to jump in trepidation and surprise as they turned around and took in the sight of a small polecat running towards them, clearly having just busted through the twin oaken doors at the other end of the organ chamber.

"Lord Vladzotz! Sir! Sir!" The polecat cried out, but suddenly choked up once he locked eyes with his boss, whom harshly glared at him from the other side of the room. " _Uh_..."

The crimson-clad polecat stopped in his tracks and slowly backed away, all the while chuckling nervously to himself, clearly having just realized that he had so blatantly interrupted his own boss's first moment of intimate affection in years on end, with Vladzotz having his wings wrapped around the smaller female, whose face and lips were just mere inches away from his own.

" _WHAT IS IT_?!" Vladzotz roared in anger.

The polecat visibly straightened himself out before stammering quickly;

"Your scheduled m-meeting with t-the crime-lord of the Rainforest-District is about t-to start, my Lord! Al Catpone has j-just arrived, sir!"

" _What_?! That flower-picking feline is here _now_?!" The bat lord snarled from across the room, to which the polecat nodded hastily in confirmation, causing his boss to growl lowly.

Vladzotz mentally cursed himself for being so forgetful: As soon as Lucy had made her appearance, he had completely forgotten about his meeting with Alphonse Catpone, the resident crime-lord of the Rainforest-District, whom was here now to negotiate with Vladzotz over their long-term smuggling agreement that they initiated several years back.

Releasing his hold and stepping away from his female counterpart, the bat lord jabbed a finger towards the mobbie as he snarled his coming words;

"Escort our guest to the briefing room, and tell him that I'll be right there! Catpone isn't a fan of waiting, so try to stall him as I prepare!"

The polecat nodded before whirling around and scampering off, no doubt quite shaken up from his boss's sudden fit of rage and aggression.

"Wait, did you say Al Catpone?" Lucy suddenly questioned aloud, causing Vladzotz to curiously glance at her. "Oh, guano... That guy does _not_ like me."

"Of what accounts?" The bat lord questioned.

"Well, I _might've_ gotten my hands on some stacks of cash from a few of his smuggling ring-leaders, a while back."

"You stole some of his drug profits, did you now?" Vladzotz mused, his tone expressing minor admiration. "Most who even _try_ wind up missing the next morning."

"I managed, obviously."

The bat lord nodded his head a single time and then took to recomposing himself; Slowly breathing in and out to calm his racing heart, which beat fervidly within his chest.

"You're a _Lord_?" Lucy suddenly asked with an undertone of respect and admiration, all the while eyeing Vladzotz up and down with her emerald green eyes.

"Yes, technically. The title was passed down from my grandfather, as a point of fact." The male bat replied nonchalantly.

"Gees, Vladdy, what _isn't_ passed down in your family?" Lucy asked teasingly. "Your name, that locket, even this house, and now the literal title of _Lord_?"

Vladzotz shrugged. "It comes with the Fangpyre birthright, as I've always said." He stated with a slight grin.

"Don't you have an important meeting to get to?" The female bat remarked, causing her male counterpart to seize up in sudden realization.

"Yes, yes of course! I do so apologize for the inconvenience, my dear, but this meeting is of the utmost importance! You are most welcome to stay here, if you'd like...

The bat lord blinked and momentarily hesitated as he exhaled slowly through his nostrils.

"But if you must go... I understand..." He concluded, his tone slightly somber.

" _Hm_... Don't worry, Vladdy..." Lucy cooed softly, edging closer and placing one of her wings upon his shoulder. "I'll wait for you."

Vladzotz lifted his gaze and looked upwards, locking eyes with his female counterpart, whom smiled back warmly.

"Thank you, my dear." A grin played at his lips. "It will give you plenty of time to work on those organ skills of yours, won't it?"

"Oh, take a hike, you." Lucy retorted, all the while rolling her eyes and elbowing the male in the shoulder. "Go make some deals, or something."

"Gladly."

And at that, the bat lord nodded one last time towards his friend before making his way down the length of the hall-way that connected to the organ chamber, making sure to close the large oaken doors on his way out, so as to give Lucy some privacy, the thought of which caused him to make a mental note to remind that polecat mobster to learn to knock before so suddenly entering, next time, when or wherever that may be.

Soon enough, Vladzotz managed to find the entrance to the aforementioned briefing room, and momentarily composed himself in preparation for his meeting with the jaguar crime boss, whom the bat knew was just on the other side of the wall to his right. Breathing in and exhaling calmly, Vladzotz then pushed against the set of double doors and set foot within the briefing room.

Inside, the small, but spacious room was lain with varying tables, and the walls were lined with many different maps, charters, and other boards tallied full of various information and pieces of concern and thought. Wooden chairs were strewn here and there, but on the far side of the room, standing opposite to Vladzotz, the larger, hulking form of a yellow-spotted jaguar glanced over one of the bill-boards nailed on the wall in front of him. Upon closing the door behind himself as he entered the briefing room, the vampire bat watched as the comparatively towering feline turned towards him, revealing every last detail of his rather masculine appearance.

A dark brown trench coat wrapped itself around Catpone's towering frame, the very base of which nearly scraped against the floor-boards down at his ankles. His vest and slacks were the very same color, save for the forest-green button-up that was hidden beneath his other articles and thick layers of clothing. The feline's orange-ish yellow spotted fur stood in stark contrast to the earthy and natural colors that he adorned himself with, its only true accompaniment being the small, purple flower that was pinned to his left breast pocket with a sharpened stick of metal: Vladzotz recalled how Catpone liked to carry around poison-soaked pin-pricks disguised as ornamental decorations within his clothes, and made himself a mental note to avoid touching the jaguar, if only to avoid accidentally poking, and in turn, poisoning himself.

The cat's dark green eyes were webbed with lines of red and watery capillaries, the two corresponding colors clashing horridly, if only to draw attention to the center of his black pupils, which stood as thin slits of darkness in a sea of prismatic abnormalities. Nodding his head over in a gesture of respect, the jaguar removed his mud-colored fedora, the bowl of which was lined and wrapped with dead and withered vines of poison ivy, and dipped low in a bow directed towards the master of the manor, Vladzotz himself, whom nodded in approval at the sight of the jaguar's respectful bout of submission.

Straightening himself out and fixing his large hat back onto his head, Al Catpone grinned as he locked eyes with Vladzotz.

"It's been a while, Vlad." The jaguar rumbled, his uptown and mafia accent causing the vampire bat's huge ears to twitch slightly in distaste. "How you doin', bo?"

Vladzotz smiled wide, displaying his many sharp and pristine fangs. He spoke aloud in formal response;

"Quite busy, as always. Though, I have been feeling surprisingly generous, as of late... Perhaps the two of us could amount to some healthy agreements, this time around..."

"I certainly hope so..." Catpone agreed before his expression hardened. "D'you got any idea just how much dough I've lost tryna' get my goods down here?"

"Really now?" Vladzotz mused. "Do tell."

The jaguar briefly removed his fedora so as to scratch at the back of his upper neck and furry head. All the while, he grumbled out loud;

"Real behind the eight ball on this one, bo... The district border patrol 'round here's been gunnin' extra hard fo' any smuggled merchandise, 'specially to and from the Rainforest-District, my home turf. Now, both you's and I know that we can't have any of 'em hookin' in on our latest squeeze, now can we? I been bustin' my tail gettin' all these drugs and other bric-a-brac down into this stinking _pit_ you call home, and you've _barely_ lifted _any_ fingers, bo! Is' time fo' you's to carry your own weight, Vlad! Help me with this one!"

The bat lord made a deep and throaty _hmm_ sort of sound from his gullet, clearly not too amused by the jaguar's sudden accusations. Vladzotz then stated;

"Perhaps... I haven't been playing my part. At least as much as we had first hoped. I suppose that I am guilty for the crime of omission, for which I apologize. But, don't be fooled, Alphonse: My business association is _far_ from through with you, my friend, indeed! I'm nearing the conclusion of my latest little side project, and once it's behind me and no longer able to divert my attention, I'll refocus my _full_ ministration to the smuggling agreement between the Nocturnal-Mob and the Rainforest-Outfit. You have my word."

"Attaboy! _Thas'_ the stuff I like to hear!" Catpone exclaimed, all the while removing his cigar from his mouth. "So, when you's say side project, you mean what, exactly?"

Vladzotz smiled darkly and narrowed his blood-red eyes.

" _Oh_ , I'm glad that you asked, Alphonse! You see, the Nocturnal-Mob is a rather frequent contributor to the city's growing list of assassination victims, as I'm sure you know already, but this next target is a far more _personal_ one to me, least to say, and that makes it all the more tantalizing! This particular target will _burn_ for his crimes..."

"So, I presume that you's yappin' on about clippin' that filthy grifter, Nick Wilde, then?" Al asked. "I hear you's been after 'im fo' some time, and all. What's the hold up?"

The bat lord sighed and shook his head from side to side, all the while continuing his previous explanation;

"Unfortunately, other matters have dissuaded my attention for quite some time, at this point, though make no mistake: We've been watching him for months on end, learning all that we could. It's only a matter of time, by now. We've waited... Ever watchful, ever patient, for the moment to _strike_! And when we do, it will be _magnificent_!"

"Good stuff, I say!" The jaguar rumbled. "Sounds like you's really got yer priorities straight, ah? But yeah, this target the same perp that tried burnin' this place down?"

Vladzotz's blood-red eyes narrowed, and his fuzzy face darkened at the sudden reminder of the target's old crime of arson against The House of Fangs.

"You really know how to kill the mood, don't you?" He hissed lowly, causing Catpone to purse his lips and mumble aloud;

"Daw, don't be like that, bo! I was just askin' a question, after all. Besides, there's no need to be hidin' anythin' behind anythin', especially considering yer track record here."

"You're talking about the Fire of Blackwood, aren't you?" Vladzotz muttered beneath his breath.

"Mostly, yeah..." Catpone shook his head. "That was a real brash move at the time, bo. Those mammals didn't deserve it... Didn't deserve to die like that."

The bat lord growled and bit back bitterly;

" _You're_ one to talk, Alphonse! And you have no right to judge upon my actions... I did what needed to be done."

Al Catpone sighed and grit his teeth before recomposing himself and saying aloud;

"Maybe I do carry my own sins as well, but what you did was on a whole 'nother level, Vlad... The whole neighborhood of Blackwood-"

"Don't say it!" Vladzotz interrupted quite loudly. "Tis' but a bitter memory of ash and dismay, just like those that burned along with it! Let's leave it at that!"

"Young, old, predator, prey... You didn't care... You took them all." Catpone stated, almost trance-like.

Growling beneath his breath the bat lord audibly scoffed and put his back to his feline guest, facing the other way and slumping his head in thought as the memories from that eventful night returned to his mind, filling his head with bright and fiery images of death and destruction, roiling flames twisting about and smothering the dim and rocky land of the Nocturnal-District.

Vladzotz recalled all too well the night that his old family had been killed, and the horrible things that he had enacted upon the neighborhood of Blackwood in his bout of rage.

The entire neighborhood that had once surrounded the bat lord's lair was the very first to be subject to his fury: In wretched retaliation against those that had purposefully turned a blind eye as his own manor withered from flame and fire, and as a wicked reminder of his power, Vladzotz had the entire community burned to the ground, all the while watching with gleeful malice from his inverted perch as the land was reduced to charred rubble and black powdery ash. That single, dark event was what had first ignited the bat lord's ever sloping descent into true, irredeemable madness, and only further fueled his viscous, unquenchable thirsting for vengeance against all that sought to do him harm.

Despite the great pain and suffering that he had enacted, Vladzotz did not regret a single bit of it.

In the end, the authorities didn't even suspect him, mostly because his own home had nearly been destroyed as well, though not even by the same fire, unbeknownst to them.

"Look, Vlad, bo..." The jaguar suddenly began, effectively snapping the bat out of his previous train of thought. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have brought it up."

The bat lord sighed deeply.

"There's no need to apologize, my friend." He murmured. "But to answer your question in the first place, _yes_ , the target is the very same arsonist..."

Silence ensued for nearly a full minute of somber thoughts and bitter memories, only broken when Vladzotz at last inquired his associate of his latest slew of criminal work;

"So, how are things happening along up on the surface world, hm? I'm quite connected nowadays, especially with my latest ties, but admittedly, things still slip now and then."

"I am like any other mammal." Al Catpone claimed. "All I do is supply a demand."

Vladzotz laughed darkly.

"So do we all, my friend!" He chanted reverently.

For the next hour or so, the two mammals took to continuing the discussion over their business antics and practices, going back and forth between various topics and prospects before at last the jaguar excused himself for the night, exiting Castle Fangpyre, no doubt bound back to his very own place of residence somewhere in the Rainforest-District.

Meanwhile, the bat lord himself retreated into the deeper confines of his manor, intent on returning to the organ chamber, where he only hoped that his female counterpart still awaited for his inevitable arrival. Eventually, Vladzotz managed to find his way back to the organ chamber, where he promptly threw open the thick double doors before closing them behind himself and eyeing over the room, scanning for his female counterpart.

At first, the bat lord failed to see anything out of place or extraordinary: The room was dark, as always, but seemed to be completely empty of occupants, save for Vladzotz himself, of course. Glancing over the space in front of him, the male bat searched around for Lucy Sang, whom appeared to be nowhere in sight, despite her previous promise of staying and waiting for his return.

Just mere moments after sighing in disappointment, a flicker of shadowy movement caught his attention in the corner of his eye, and he turned around just in time to spot the smaller form of the female bat as she plowed head-on into his chest after apparently dropping from the ceiling, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to fall over onto his back.

" _Surprise_!" Sang cried out cheerfully, her wings wrapped around his chest. "Heya, Vladdy!"

The bat lord audibly groaned in discomfort. "Was that _really_ necessary?" He questioned irritably, but with a slight undertone of amusement.

"Just because you asked that, yes; Yes it was. You always gotta be on the look out, Vladdy! Ya never know when someone might jump ya!" Lucy exclaimed.

"I'll keep that in mind." Vladzotz grumbled to himself.

"So, how'd everything go with Al, huh?" Lucy questioned curiously, with wide emerald eyes and perked-up ears. "I heard some shouting earlier... What happened?"

The male bat cleared his throat and mumbled aloud;

"Ah, _well_... Hrum."

He pursed his lips, soon locking eyes with his female counterpart and watching as she raised her ankles up, pointing them both toward the ceiling, and unhooked her claws from his sides before crossing them over Vladzotz's chest, supporting her upper body as she looked down upon him.

In that moment, the male bat became very much aware of the lack of proximity between himself and his female counterpart, whom leisurely lounged quite literally on top of him, pinning him beneath her own body. Looking into her mesmerizing jade-green eyes, Vladzotz didn't see any shred of discomfort, disdain, or disapproval. Still awaiting his inevitable response, the smaller female bat lowered her head and rested her chin atop her own arms, all the while politely maintaining eye contact with her male counterpart.

If that wasn't enough, he also felt her speedy heartbeat as it drummed through her skintight bodysuit and against his chest, seemingly in sync with his own heart's tempo.

"It went swell." Vladzotz finally managed to utter aloud. "Much progress was made, I'm proud to admit."

"And I'm assuming that all the shouting and yelling was progressive, huh?" Lucy berated to him. "You have a surprisingly loud voice, you know."

"Do I now?"

" _Yep_! I heard you all the way from here!"

"Really?"

"Don't say it, wretch!" Lucy mimicked in an attempt at Vladzotz's deeper sounding voice. "Tis' but a bitter memory of ash and dismay!"

"Hmm... Not bad." The bat lord mused lowly as a wily grin parted his lips. "Terrible impression, though."

"But not inaccurate." The female stated. "So, what was all the yelling about, anyways? You seemed pretty upset."

"That is of no concern, my dear, especially now." Vladzotz muttered as he lifted his upper body off of the ground. "I'd prefer not to say, anyways."

Shifting his weight around uncomfortably, the male bat effectively caused his female counterpart to disconnect from his larger body and stand up before helping Vlad to his own two feet. Vladzotz brushed off his vest and slacks, soon clearing his throat quite audibly before slowly pacing over in the direction of the massive pipe organ, of which was situated on the far side of the room. The bat lord sighed as he stared up at the towering form of his precious organ, known and very dear to him for the majority of his life.

"Hey, you alright there, big guy?" He detected Lucy Sang inquire from the behind of him.

Vladzotz snorted through his leaf-shaped nose, and grumbled aloud;

"Just a bit... _Stressed_."

Earlier, he may have claimed that his previous business meeting with Al Catpone had gone well enough as it had, but deep down, the bat lord was rather irritated, for the jaguar crime lord had oh-so carelessly brought up the one memory that enraged Vladzotz more than the mere thought of the arsonist that had murdered his family all those years ago.

The bat lord bared his sins without regret, but even _he_ couldn't deny the terror that he had enacted upon the residence of Blackwood and its people, all completely innocent, yet still; knowing that Vladzotz and the Nocturnal-Mob resided in Castle Fangpyre, they had not called the fire department to save them, and so, were still deemed as guilty in the crime-lord's eyes. Not long after the incident, Vlad ordered his men to set some of the other nearby houses ablaze as vengeance for their owner's purposeful ignorance, and as a reminder of his power. He also hoped that if the original arsonist was still around, that more fire might help flush them out of hiding. The neighborhood had been ablaze for hours on end, with dozens of homes having been torched by the Nocturnal-Mob, all on the orders of Vladzotz himself. Dozens had suffocated in their sleep from the noxious fumes, and when all had been said and done, over thirty different mammals had lost their lives that fateful day, including the likes of Vladzotz's old family, respectively.

At the time, the ZPD branch down in the Nocturnal-District - Precinct Six - hadn't suspected him and his mob of being the culprit. Since Vlad's own household had suffered damage and casualties along with the rest of the former neighborhood, no one had questioned him. It didn't help that the officers of Precinct Six were infamous for inadequacy.

Whenever he thought back on the event, Vlad grew disgusted with himself for the unprofessional outings that he had enacted, but in the end, regret was not one of them.

He then felt a light, but firm pressure apply itself against his right shoulder.

Glancing over his collarbone, Vladzotz locked eyes with the one thing that seemed to make him happy in a life full of pain and misery.

"Stressed, huh?" Lucy Sang murmured before squeezing the muscles on his shoulder. "Ooh! You _do_ feel kinda pent-up, Vladdy! _Hmm_..."

The female bat moistened her lips as she drummed her talons against his collar.

"Maybe I can help with that! _Hee hee_!" She giggled pleasantly. "Perhaps a massage, or something?"

Vladzotz chuckled lowly and rubbed at his neck with his claws, clearly feeling rather bashful and reserved to Lucy's sudden advances.

"I think I'll be fine, my dear, though I do appreciate the consideration... Thank you." The bat lord claimed as he cracked his neck with an audible _pop_ sound.

"Alright, suit yourself, sweetie!" Lucy stated, her expression still laced with sultry suggestion.

"Besides, I find that playing the organ always seems to help relieve me of my woes..." Vladzotz declared. " _Come_."

Waggling his claws at his female counterpart, Vladzotz beckoned her forward into following him as he approached his organ before seating himself on the bench in the center of the ring of triple keyboards, raising his head and eyeing over the majesty that was his precious pipe organ. The male bat traced his clawed index finger down the entire length of the first row of keys, causing the organ to groan aloud with a flurry of different notes descending in pitch, before ascending once again as he ran his claw right back over them.

From the behind of him, he detected Lucy Sang utter a throaty _hmm_ sort of sound from within her mouth, as if she was contemplating over something of interest.

Meanwhile, the bat lord took to draining away his other senses and focusing on the instrument in front of him; It was just him and his organ in all of its majesty and power. It was at _his_ command, and under _his_ control, every last key, pipe and string. And so, he played: With chilling indulgence clouting his sinuses as his blood red eyes closed shut, Vladzotz swiftly pressed his many talons down upon the very first black and white keyboard, rolling his wrists and causing the coming notes to rapidly descend from a higher to lower pitch, droning on until he held the final note for a few short seconds before releasing the pressure from it.

Pushing his clawed toes down upon the pedals at the very base of the mantle, the next few notes that followed were greatly amplified in power and intensity, so much so that the very foundation of the room itself shook and trembled with fervid trepidation and mana. Vladzotz drastically picked up his speed and tempo, his fingers rapidly pressing hard against the many different keys down the length of the board.

The faster parts were always his favorite, for they often reflected a great and wondrous sense of power and authority...

Yet this time, something felt missing... Something important.

He failed to undergo the same rush of influence and adrenaline that he usually felt whenever he played upon his organ... Something _did_ feel missing...

That was, until he looked back and locked eyes with his friend, Lucy; Judging by the position of her eyes, it was clear to the male bat that his female counterpart had already been staring at him before he himself turned around. Vladzotz smiled warmly, and all the while continuing his song, shifted his weight around in the bench and nodded to the empty spot that he had created, gesturing for Lucy to join him at the organ.

Returning the very same smile, the female bat promptly approached the base of the organ, and seated herself right next to Vladzotz, watching him as he reverently played upon his massive and towering pipe organ, the sweet, powerful, and reverberating sounds of which filled the sensitive ears of both vampire bats, respectively, their twin minds relaxing as their physical bodies experienced the earthly pleasure of music itself, with Lucy herself quite literally having a front row seat to the male bat's masterful performance.

As the song continued onward, slowly and peacefully, Lucy begun to feel her eyelids droop in a conscious desire to rest, her body overcome with a chilling sense of relaxation that caused her fur to stand on end as a satisfying shiver of indulgence coursed its way up the length of her spine, causing her emerald eyes to roll up into the back of her head.

Softly sighing in pleasurable bliss, Lucy smiled pleasantly as she shifted around in the bench and edged even closer to Vlad. Closing her eyes shut peacefully, the female bat leaned over and rested her head against Vladzotz's shoulder, purring softly as she nuzzled against his arm. Meanwhile, the male bat tried to ignore the bouts of affection that Lucy had been displaying toward him, but in the end, he chose to accept them wholeheartedly, letting her rest against him, and soon enough, she was fast asleep against his shoulder, the quiet organ music having lulled her into peaceful dormancy.

While Lucy slept against him, Vladzotz couldn't help but think over the past few hour's events, but of all that he had experienced thus far, none stood out in his mind more so than that single kiss between the two of them, several hours past; Their first true, genuine kiss. He mentally relished in the enticing feeling of Lucy's soft lips pressing against his own, and the hot air that she had blown across his face, the mere thought of which caused his wiry black fur to stand on end in a rather pleasurable reminiscence.

For far too long, the bat lord had been deprived of such endearing feelings and thoughts, but now, he realized that perhaps, they never even left him in the first place...

Perhaps... They were just waiting for the right moment to shine.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Woohoo, the first new chapter of the 6th arc is here! Well, _technically_... It may be but a simple bonus chapter, of course, but it still counts! :)**

 **I had a _wonderful_ time whippin' this new chapter up for you lot, even if it took quite some time, at that: All worth it for you, my friends! But yes, this is intended to be the (First part of the) third and very final chapter of the 'Sangpyre' mini-arc, as some of you have dubbed this little project as (I ship it!). For now (With the exception of part two), it'll be the last one that follows along in the specific footsteps of Vladzotz and Lucy respectively, but just like that one scene back in chapter 63, _Mental Bastions_ , I'm sure that there will be some more references, hints and nods, and perhaps even the occasional cameo or minor appearance from Lucy and Vladzotz in this story, but don't expect another full-blown story arc, or something like that: I don't want to retread through previously explored territory too much, but still, both of these respective characters will be seen and/or mentioned in the future chapters to come, near and far!**

 **Anyhow, do be sure to tell me whatcha think of this, from the music, to the different scenes that take place, and even this whole 'Sangpyre' ship thing, too!**

 **Also, feel free to let me know if you'd like to see more 'Sangpyre' chapters (Again, excluding part two) like this one in the future! I had a whole lotta fun creating _all_ of these, _very_ much so, and have plenty of more ideas that can be explored between these two and their relationship with one another.**

 **Oh, and just as a point of fact for fun, I'm gonna take to quickly answering these three minor, yet surprisingly common questions that I keep getting about this story and its many different characters: For starters, some of you have asked me via PM about Ratsputin's hair, and why it's so bloody long and fabulous. Simple answer, really: He was preparing for his chemotherapy, and wanted to grow out his hair beforehand to experience what it was like.**

 **Secondly, a few people also have brought up Shahaz the Stinger and his collection of pebbles, and although I believe I mentioned this before, I'll answer this again real quick here: Pangolins don't have teeth, so they need to swallow small rocks along with their food (Insects) to help grind them up. Shahaz carries his rock collection (He likes rocks) around with him at all times, in case he's bored and wants to examine something, or if he's just hungry. :P**

 **Final question: Vladzotz's namesake. Okay, Vlad's first and middle names are both two different words simply switched around a wee bit: Vladimir (Standard Slavic forename), and Camazotz (The Mayan god of bats). Flip the names around a little bit, mix them together, and you get Vlad's name! Vladzotz Canomir!**

 **Also, something that apparently _nobody_ seems to have noticed as of yet... **

**Translated through their respective original languages (Slavic and Mayan), the 'two-part' name of Vladzotz _literally_ translates into Lord of Bats. _Bat Lord_.**

 **Coincidence?**

 **Anyhow, that's pretty much all I got for now. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for chapter 69, Bad Romance Part Two, comin' your way soon enough!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	66. Bad Romance Part Two - Bonus Chapter

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Really quick author's note here just to cover three things real fast! For starters, do keep in mind the fact that this brand new chapter of ours takes place roughly one month after the events of the last one, which puts the events of this chapter just right about after the arrest of Jack Savage himself, and the start of Nick and Judy's vacation. I just wanted to clear that up so as to avoid any shred of confusion, of course!**

 **That being said, I also have a brand new music suggestion for you all! It doesn't fit in with any particular scene in this chapter, but I just think that it overall fits well with the entirety of the chapter itself, so if you'd like to check it out, here's the title of said music suggestion, for your esteemed likeness to consider!**

 **Music Editing: Davy Jones Theme Suite - Hans Zimmer**

 **And that's that! Without any more further ado, I present to you the latest (And longest) chapter of When Instinct Falls thus far,** ** _Bad Romance Part Two_** **!**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"Love is not about possession: Love is about appreciation." - Joe Osho

* * *

 _One Month Later..._

8:30 P.M

Fire is passion: The bright, burning flame of raw and pure emotion sweeping over everything.

There is a reason, and a good one at that, why love, of all such emotions, is considered to be fire-like in characterization: Long has it been revered as perhaps the strongest of all internal feelings, through burning desire and passion, one can be left feeling as if they have been warmed and cleansed by flame, purifying them of their doubts and troubles.

Yet, for all of its glories, fire was far more than just an element of purification and cleansing. Fire can heal through warmth and light, yes, but fire can also burn: Reducing matter to ash and charred rubble, literal husks of what once was. Fire, despite having always been characterized as a symbol of emotion and thought, has no such qualities for itself: If unleashed, it will mercilessly consume everything lain within its burning path, and leave behind nothing but scorched and blackened memories sizzling with searing embers.

Perhaps none knew this better than Vladzotz himself, having been touched by the more passionate side of fire, yet also having been left burned by its hot and flaming wake.

The bat lord knew what it was like to love, but he also knew what it was like to lose in the most bitter of ways: His family, taken from him in an instant, and his age-old home nearly burned to the ground. From that dark and twisted moment onward, Vladzotz vowed to bite back at the world that had robbed him of all that he had held dear, no matter the consequences. He had rebuilt his manor from the ground up; Repairing what was once burned and destroyed, and turning Castle Fangpyre into the black-beating heart of his vast and expansive criminal empire, the bat lord rooting himself in the Nocturnal-District as the most prolific and notorious criminal that the city of shadows had ever seen.

His mere name became a word only to be whispered in the most secluded of places, and the light of the city itself learned to fear the encroaching shadow of his leathery wings.

Vladzotz's influence spread long and far, but deep down in the plumbless, starless depths of the Nocturnal-District, was where his power was at its absolute peak: Castle Fangpyre served as the very highest anchor of the bat lord's criminalistic imperium. The age-old manor had seen very much over the many years of its history, but of all that it had held witness to, nothing served to be more mnemonic to its master than the night that it at last fell to the ground.

Castle Fangpyre had been built upon the sweat, tears, and _blood_ , of entire generations: The oldest parts of the manor had been hundreds of years old, and the very foundation of the property itself was long since tainted with the dark dried blood and bitter, solemn memories of long forgotten atrocities, including the likes of the horrific Blood-Crisis.

Yet despite all that The House of Fangs had held witness to throughout its life, the only thing that the bat lord could seem to remember was the moment of its destruction: A thunderous, crunching roar that shook the earth and rumbled the sky, the sound of a thousand black bricks turning to dust, and a thousand more collapsing atop that dust.

In the end, Vladzotz had been lucky to escape with his own life...

He remembered his escape from the hellish confines of the manor all too well: The only home that he had ever known, encased in roiling flames, clouted with choking fumes of simmering black smog, and the stench of ash and soot as it forced itself into his nostrils. But above all else, he remembered the _pain_... Horrible, indescribable pain... Fire licking away at his fur and scorching his skin, his wings shredded with painful holes and tears, his lungs being forced to breath in the smoke and debris again and again, eating at his vocal chords and esophagus.

It had been the most painful endeavor in Vladzotz's entire life, yet also, perhaps, the most meaningful of all, for he had survived the nightmare, and came out alive.

After escaping the fire, he had made the long and painful journey to the Sahara-Square, seeking help from an old friend: Shahaz Pholmok, the crime-lord of the desert district, and one of Vladzotz's most trusted allies and business associates. The bat and the pangolin had done much work together in the past, and had perhaps the strongest of ties between any of the city's registered crime-lords, as the ZPD and the public had dubbed them so.

The bat lord reminisced over his time in the Sahara-Square: He had spent nearly a month in hiding within the ranks of Shahaz's own mob, the Sand-Striders, as they so called themselves. There, he underwent the painful recovery from his wounds, including the likes of his fractured ribs and burned skin: Shahaz nursed him back to health, even personally providing Vladzotz with his own blood to sate the bat's thirst and to nourish his weakened being. It took entire days for him to recover the strength that he needed to fly once again, and even more to at last muster the will, determination, and steadfast resolve to continue his criminalistic business outings and practices across the city itself.

Having gone dark to avoid detection from the ZPD, Vladzotz was also forced to temporarily sever contact between himself and the Nocturnal-Mob, whom the bat lord could only hope would be able to run things effectively even with his unexpected absence. Back when the manor had burned down, it had been the last thing on his mind, but now, thinking back on it, the bat lord could only see it as a minor setback: Castle Fangpyre may have been gone, but in the end, it was just one of many different and numerous Nocturnal-Mob safehouses, warehouses, and other territories spread throughout the likes of the Nocturnal-District, and even the surface world itself.

Despite the setback, the Nocturnal-Mob was still very much in charge of the organized crime down in the inky depths of the city of shadows. They were still quite powerful, and although the loss of Castle Fangpyre had been a rather disastrous occasion, Vladzotz knew that his mob would fully recover soon enough, even if they had suffered such a major operational blow. It would only be a matter of time before things were back to normal, and the daily routine would cease to be so addled due to the manor's sudden destruction.

Upon making and concluding his painful recovery under Shahaz's generous hospitality, Vladzotz departed from the Sahara-Square and returned to the Nocturnal-District, only to find that his mob had been functioning surprisingly well with his absence, even despite having just recently suffered their worst blow-back in years on end. Trade between the city districts, deals with allied and rival mobs, and just plain simple management all had fallen upon the shoulders of Vladzotz's men, whom had continued operating and working the entirety of the Nocturnal-Mob all on their own, impressively enough.

With Vladzotz's sudden return, however, power had been instantly handed back to him, and from there, he set about rebuilding what was lost, and reforming what was left...

With their head-quarters, Castle Fangpyre, no longer of any use to him and his mob, the bat lord then set about reconstructing and strengthening ties between the other various sects of the Nocturnal-Mob that were spread throughout the dark district: Warehouses, safehouses, business complexes and campuses all being webbed together under the territory beneath Vladzotz's rule.

The ZPD themselves may not have thought of him as dead any longer due to his brief appearance and attempted murder of one Jack Savage, but still, they thought of the Nocturnal-Mob as greatly weakened: Wrong were they in their assumptions to so blatantly believe that the criminal empire of a crime lord himself would be so easily disbanded.

Yes, despite that factor seeming rather unsavory, it was in fact a blessing in disguise: With the ZPD falsely believing that the Nocturnal-Mob was mostly disbanded, or at least greatly weakened, it would provide Vladzotz and his mob with a great advantage, and one that the bat lord had _no_ intention on wasting; The last thing he wanted was for the ZPD to pursue him and his men, if only to finish the job of bringing down his criminal empire.

Cloaked in even more secrecy than before the incident at Castle Fangpyre, so as not to arouse any more suspicion from the officials, the Nocturnal-Mob continued their work down in the Nocturnal-District, repairing the wounds that had been wrought against their finances through trade agreements and business deals, and even setting up a new home for Vladzotz to live in; A sort of office fashioned within the depths of one of the mob's warehouses, where he would privately perform his own personal work, and would be able to rest his rather addled conscious through peaceful sleep and dormancy.

After all, no great and powerful criminal empire could go without a crown for its head.

Such offices were constructed all throughout the territory that the Nocturnal-Mob controlled, whether it be in backlot warehouses or even minor business complexes, so as to provide the bat lord with multiple places to lie low in between jobs, or to consistently swap around for residence, so as to avoid detection from the ZPD by staying in a single spot for too long. They may have been suitable for his current situation, but to Vladzotz, none of them came anywhere near the majesty of his once and only home, Castle Fangpyre.

As the many days passed by down in the plumbless depths and inky black recesses of the Nocturnal-District, and as Vladzotz found himself working to strengthen his mob's practices, he would consistently reminisce over the likes of his old home, including its long and eventful history, of which stood as dark and as brooding as the building itself...

Hundreds of years ago, Vladzotz's ancestor, Lorcan Yulfzotz Fangpyre II, had built the first iteration of The House of Fangs for himself and his family after the old city government had banished the bat populations down into the underground of the recently discovered Nocturnal-District. The act had been done just before the city government had outlawed the vampire bats from drinking living mammal blood.

With The House of Fangs over their heads, protecting them, the Fangpyre family had managed to overcome the abominable terrors of the Blood-Crisis, and would then flourish for many years to come, with each generation only building upon the foundation and structure of the home itself, soon turning it from a small, and humble shack, into a dark and sprawling mansion of black brick and purple wood, standing tall and erect as a testament to and against time and terror themselves.

Vladzotz had been born and raised beneath the roof of The House of Fangs, and even in his adult life, had continued to reside within the manor... That was, until it fell at last...

The bat lord shuddered, his wiry black fur standing on end as his backbone twitched in reminiscence, causing a cold shiver to crawl up the length of his spine.

He opened his blood-red eyes, and breathed in deeply through his quivering nostrils, his lungs taking in a great fill of oxygen before being exhaled with a slight wheeze from his fanged maw. Upon flinging open his eyelids, the bat lord took in the sight of one of his new offices through an inverted gaze, his body having hung by his clawed feet from a small metal bar fastened against the roof.

Though upside down in his own field of vision, Vladzotz was still very much able to make out the detail and space within his office: A large, and spacious room situated within the attic of one of the Nocturnal-Mob's more prominent personal warehouses, where his men filed, shipped, and documented smuggled goods brought in from the other districts. The warehouse itself, which was positioned in one of the far corners of the Nocturnal-District and away from the public eye, was a massive distribution center for all things nefarious, whether it be black-market goods and services, smuggled materials, or even mammal trafficking.

Vladzotz himself, having taken refuge in his office, far and away from the hustle and bustle within the warehouse itself, was alone and all by himself, his own thoughts and ideas being his only accompaniment, at the moment. He admittedly missed Castle Fangpyre, with the organ, and the windows, and all the beautiful paintings... The bat lord's organ may have been the most regrettable of the three, since it was one of his most favored and prized possessions... But it too, had been lost in the volatile fire from before...

However, his large office and secondary home within the spacious attic of the warehouse was complete with its own, brand new organ. It was slightly smaller in total size, yes, but it played just as powerful as his old one, and although Vladzotz himself found great enjoyment from playing upon it, even he couldn't deny that it simply didn't feel the same.

The bat lord personally found that the memories gathered from an item were more treasured than the items themselves. His preciously favored and lovely pipe organ may have been gone from this world, but in his mind, he had a lifetime's worth of memories from it, each and every one of which he would cherish until the day that he passed away.

Yet, of all the many hundreds of hours that he had spent playing upon his towering organ, memorizing music piece after music piece, and gathering entire lifetimes worth of experience and memories from such, there was one very particular memory that stood out like a lighthouse beacon in a storm of remembrance: Of all the things that he had seen and wrought with his organ, none stood out more, and none was more cherished, than the moment of intimacy between himself and his good friend, Lucy Sang, nearly a month ago at this point in time.

Aside from being kissed full on the lips by his female counterpart, with a true, genuine intent, Vladzotz himself mentally relished in the many memories that he had so obtained from his experience playing upon the organ with Lucy herself, not just with her simply watching, but with her sitting right beside him, playing along with him. He remembered how she had peacefully fallen asleep against his shoulder, having been lulled into a state of tranquil dormancy due to the soft sounds of the organ before them both.

That event had been the very last time that he had seen his friend Lucy in over a month, at this point... And it was all his fault...

For over a month, Vladzotz had been in hiding, having gone dark to avoid recapturing the attention of the ZPD, and of course, to recover from the painful wounds and injuries that he had received from the fires. He had only just recently reconnected with the likes of his very own mob and business, so his attention as of late had been near-exclusively and primarily focused on restructuring and recovering from the setback of Castle Fangpyre's destruction.

Now, with the ZPD no longer after him, his wounds healed and recovered, and his criminal empire back in working order, Vladzotz wished to see Lucy once again.

He missed her greatly, and the many weeks of absence had only strengthened his desire to see her in the flesh, to stare into her green eyes with his very own, and perhaps, even, to kiss her sweet lips and indulge in one another's esteemed company: Vladzotz had very much to tell her, and he was quite certain that she had much to tell him as well.

Vladzotz sighed longingly, his exhalation accompanied by a slight wheeze: A grim and bitter reminder of just how much damage that the fire had done to him.

Thinking over the last time that he had seen his friend in the flesh, the kiss between them both, in particular, the bat lord couldn't help feel rather conflicted with himself: He and Lucy were business partners and associates, and great friends, yes, but that single kiss between the two of them respectively suggested otherwise... Suggested more...

Vladzotz knew of his female counterpart well: She was, by no means short of the definition, a conflicted sociopath, much like himself. Her mind, like his, was cracked beyond repair, perhaps in different ways than his own, but fragmented none the less. If she was anything like himself, her own ability to feel and register emotions would be slightly hampered, and somewhat suppressed, to an extent, due to the rather unique mental configurations of both of their minds.

Yet, despite that fact, Lucy undoubtedly showed a much more pleasant and tender personality and mindset around Vladzotz: After all, in her very own words, she trusted and appreciated him more so than virtually _anyone_ else, their bond having strengthened and solidified through months of work, companionship, and also simple business association.

To Lucy herself, Vladzotz was a sturdy shoulder to lean on in hard times, a stable business partner and associate, and a dependable friend...

A friend, yes, yet she had kissed him so passionately...

A friend, yes, yet she seems to regard him as so much more...

Just what _did_ that make them?

Vladzotz wasn't sure himself, really: He considered his relationship with Lucy to be friendly, and at times quite affectionate, but far from truly romantic in of itself: Their business, mental states, and overall preferences would prevent them both from truly settling down like Vladzotz had with his previous family, but in the end, he cared not...

In the end, just having her company and affection was all that he would ever need... And although he didn't yet truly realize it, Lucy herself felt the _exact_ same way...

Both respective vampire bats adored one another's presence and company, and found refuge from their bitter past, upbringings, and memories with one another more so than anyone else. They cared for one another deeply, respected their respective best wishes and thoughts, and appreciated their counterparts with a powerful sense of pure choice.

And so, the bat lord wished to reunite with his friend, partner, and to an extent, his lover. After everything that he himself had been through as of late, from the scalding fire that had injured his body and cracked his mind, to the destruction of his age-old home of Castle Fangpyre, Vladzotz sought nothing more than to find refuge in the company of Lucy, the only mammal capable of quelling his own doubts, fears, rage, and contempt, and comforting him into a passive and peaceful state of mind body, and even soul itself.

Likewise, he knew that Lucy felt the exact same way about him in return, the fact of which only further fueled the male bat's desire to reconnect with her once again.

But where to start?

Unlatching his clawed toes from the metal bar fastened to the roof, Vladzotz dropped rather elegantly to the ground, landing expertly on his own two feet. Readjusting his blood red bowtie and recomposing himself and his formal attire, the bat lord then set out towards a line of wooden tables that were pushed against the far corner of the attic, where piles upon piles of paperwork, documents, deeds, deals, and other bits of information were lain out for the bat to see and take in.

Scanning over the many tables and the contents lain across them, the bat lord eventually singled out a thick, purple-colored writing book, the cover of which was blank, smooth, and clean, save for the single crooked symbol of House Fangpyre, the bat shape that served as Vladzotz's family coat of arms. The book itself was choked full of papers and post-it notes of long-forgotten reminders and other notices, and the real, genuine bovine leather that wrapped around the book's smooth spine was etched with the bat lord's full name, including the title of his inherited lordship and nobility: Lord Vladzotz Canomir Fangpyre III.

The book itself was his very own personal journal, where he wrote down his thoughts and ideas, planned out intricate schemes and strategies for the likes of his mob, and even occasionally documented routine events of his daily life. Flipping through the many pages, Vladzotz eyed over old memories of long completed business deals, strategies for various heists, and even several passages that he had written a few years back, of which detailed his mob's latest bout of success within the criminal underworld.

Alongside the more more formal sections, Vladzotz's journal was also filled with lines of poetry that he had written, drawings that he had sketched, and photographs that he had captured. Sifting around through the various pages, Vladzotz noticed a depressing pattern in the likes of his poetry, art, and pictures: The oldest ones were plentiful and pleasant as they were, the journal entries dating back to nearly a decade ago. However, after that, the pages grew empty, blank, and completely devoid of anything remotely active.

Vladzotz knew even without thinking that this particular section was the period of time in between the loss of his old family, and the emergence of Lucy into his life, which interestingly enough, had prompted him to resume documenting his own personal poetry. Looking within the journal's latest few sections, Vladzotz smiled as his blood-red eyes locked onto a light pencil sketch that he had created of Lucy's face the night after he had returned from his first assignation with her, when he had gone to her apartment to recollect his locket nearly a year ago.

The bat lord was a fan of all the fine arts, ranging from music, art, poetry, and even some minor waltzing skills, but even he was surprised to take note of just how accurate he had sketched out his female counterpart's facial features, ranging from her large ears to the minuscule, needle-like fangs that protruded slightly from just below her upper lip.

Perhaps his mind simply couldn't shake Lucy's face and expression from his mind upon his departure, at the time... So much so that he needed to put it to paper...

As lovely as it was, it was not what he was looking for, at the moment: The bat lord flipped past the coming few pages, his blood-red eyes delicately scanning over the pages upon pages of words, all written in cursive, some in ink, others in pencil, and the rest in blood itself, creating a diverse range of printed colors within the confines of the journal.

Eventually, Vladzotz managed to find his intended page: The very final, and latest entry in his journal, dated to some few weeks past, roughly, with the date itself being the exact one that the bat lord had last seen his female counterpart in the flesh, which had been when she had visited him in Castle Fangpyre and played upon the organ with him.

Thinking back on the old memory in its entirety, the male bat smiled slightly as his blood red eyes glazed over, but soon refocused his attention to the dusty book before him...

There was work to do, and if he wanted to see Lucy again, he'd have to plan this out effectively.

Sure, he could have simply called her, but he wished to see her face to face, and eye to eye after nearly two full months of separation and lack of contact: This was to be special.

Within the latest few pages that the bat lord had filled out on his own time, a slew of entries detailed the likes of various bits of specific information that Lucy Sang had once previously told to him about her past and family history. Vampire bats, with a culture centered highly around family names and descent, were a species that relished in the idea of ancestry and veneration. Names were viewed as an extension of oneself in bat culture, so as to further learn more about his female counterpart, Vladzotz had previously taken to noting down her attributes and family history, giving him an idea of where her own family branch resided within the tree that was history itself.

Not only did he do it at the time to simply sate his own personal curiosity, but an underlying desire to clarify whether or not Lucy was actually related to him also served as an influencing factor, for back in the early days of before, not too long after the end of the horrific Blood-Crisis, the vampire bat population had suffered an astronomical loss of numbers, causing some small percentage of the remaining populace itself to go so far as to result to inbreeding, if only to keep the species from going completely extinct.

Most families at the time didn't result to such inconsiderate behavior, thankfully, but the _very_ small percentage that had was all that it took for Vladzotz to seek rightful clarification.

Since then, the vampire bat population as a whole had risen up considerably, and there were plenty more bat families residing alive and healthy within the Nocturnal-District, providing an ample supply of potential mates for the coming few generations that were actually _outside_ of the range of one's own family tree. Admittedly, not too long after his association and friendship with Lucy Sang had begun to blossom and develop, Vladzotz himself had begun to feel rather flustered and thoughtful with the likes of his female counterpart: After that first assignation of theirs at Lucy's own apartment some time ago, when the female bat had offered up the chance to mate with her, for whatever reason, Vladzotz made sure to double check with the background family history of both of their respective ancestors, just to be sure that they weren't related.

Thankfully, they weren't.

The male bat couldn't deny his own personal feelings of affection for and attraction to Lucy herself, and although he was certain that her first offer of intimacy had been one more so of simple teasing (If not fueled by a slight tinge of lust itself) than anything else, he just wanted to be sure, especially if in case it ever _did_ come to that in the future.

With a species-oriented history as complicated and twisted as the vampire bats, there was never anything wrong with being too safe... Certainly better than sorry, as it were...

Now, with the thick velvety-purple book lain out before him, Vladzotz's blood-red eyes quickly skimmed over the various passages of information that he had written in comparison and contrast between his own family and its history, and Lucy's, respectively. He recalled how he had continued to add onto both selections as time went on, jotting down little notes and other bits of insightful information here and there, if only for the sake of simple consideration and forethought.

What he was looking for in specific was a single note that he had taken down roughly a week before the incident at Castle Fangpyre: The address of Lucy's old family home, where she had been grown and raised before her life took a turn for the worse, and she was framed for a crime that she didn't even commit. The female bat wasn't one to openly talk about her somber past very often, but the mere fact that she even so much as _considered_ to do so around Vladzotz _really_ showed just how much she trusted him.

Ah, and there it was... The address of the Sang family house, of which was located on the outskirts of the Meadowlands, in a small-sized, yet considerably wealthy and quite sophisticated suburban neighborhood situated away from the hill-choked farms and ranches. The information itself may not have seemed very helpful or of any particular usage at first, but for his current situation, his burning desire to find and see Lucy once again rendered the coordinates as near priceless to him, in nearly every sense of the word.

Why, precisely?

Simple enough on its own: Several weeks back, before the incident with the fire at Castle Fangpyre, and even before Lucy's surprise visit where the two of them played the organ together and shared their first true kiss, Vladzotz had met up with Lucy in secret, the point of their assignation being in the small community park that was located near the outskirts of the ruins of what was once the neighborhood of Blackwood, down in the darkened depths of the Nocturnal-District.

While the two vampire bats strolled peacefully through the park, all alone and meandering over this and that, the bat lord himself recalled how his female counterpart had so avidly spoke about her latest discovery at the time, having just recently found out that her old family home in the Meadowlands was being purchased by a brand new owner, and that said customer had scheduled an exquisite house-warming party for all the other wealthy socialites in the area: One that Lucy had intentions on crashing, perhaps so as to gather some juicy bits of information for blackmail, though Vladzotz himself reasoned that his female counterpart simply wished to revisit her old home, above all else...

The party itself was scheduled for that very evening, some half hour from the current time of half past eight.

He had the date, he had the address, and he had the motivation: Now, all that he needed was a quick shower and a fresh formal outfit.

Party time.

* * *

9:03 P.M , _The Meadowlands_

There's no place like home...

Lucy must've heard that phrase at least a million times by now, and each time that she did only caused her to despise it more and more.

She wasn't one to reminisce over her past very often, mostly due to how glum, if not somber it caused her to feel on the inside: The female bat didn't like it when such petty emotions got in the way of her and her work, so she consistently took to brushing them off and aside whenever they popped up and reared their ugly, distracting little heads.

Whenever she heard that phrase, it made her think of home. Not her apartment, nor any of the other places that she'd grown accustomed to throughout her life thus far: Her _real_ home, the one that she had lived and grown up in. The one that held many diverse and cherished memories to her, and the one that had protected her in her early years.

Yet... It was also the one that had held refuge to her darkest of personal sins...

The female bat shuddered, a chilling shiver worming its way through her nervous system.

 _No_... She wouldn't think of it... She refused... She _hated_ it...

Lucy sighed softly and leaned her head back against the metal wall of the air-duct behind her, of which her back and shoulders currently pressed against.

When she had first arrived at the house, the female bat had been quite excited over the whole ordeal: Her heart pumped fervidly in her chest as she managed to slip in through one of the windows on the upper story of the building, using the same technique that she had on one of the windows at Castle Fangpyre nearly a year ago; Tracing her claws along the smooth surface of the glass window, creating a hole large enough for her to squeeze through clean and untouched, without so much as a single sound left in her wake.

Eyeing over the sizable opening that she had made in the glass window, she snorted somewhat humorously, not so much as a single shred of guilt accompanying the prospect of her own vandalism. She didn't really care at all, in the end. Besides, the new homeowners would be able to pay for it easy enough on their own: It was their problem now.

From downstairs, she could hear the rowdy voices of other mammals, each one diverse and unique: Friends and other guests of the new homeowners, no doubt here for fun.

Smiling to herself, Lucy slightly snickered as she pondered over just what kinds of juicy information they'd so carelessly toss around as the night dragged on and on...

However, her excitement soon dwindled as she crept along through the halls and rooms of her old home. Gazing across the walls and furniture, none of it was quite as she had remembered from her own childhood, for her house had long since been vacant and empty, only just recently being filled with decorations for the new homeowner and his family. It was a strange feeling to think that at one point in the past, it was _her_ that would've been walking through these halls, knowing that the building itself was of her own.

She had many memories of this place, and for as hard as she tried to block them out, they all just so easily came flooding back into her mind, filling her conscious with bright and colorful images of her old family and friends, and the very house itself filled with furniture and other decorations that were unique to her and her respective family alone.

Hell, of all the rooms in this blasted house, she should've recalled the one of her current residence the most of all... The dusty, spacious attic, hidden away from the others...

After breaking into the home and taking a quick little trip down memory lane, Lucy immediately made her way to the attic of the house, wedging in through a hidden air-duct in one of the storage closets, worming her way up and around through the framework of the house until she finally entered the attic: A large and spacious room within the roof of the house, with smooth wooden planks lain out across the drywall, creating a sizable platform and allowing for all kinds of unwanted furniture and other useless material to be stored away and forgotten, taken by time itself.

In her childhood, Lucy remembered spending a great deal of her free time up here in this very attic, carelessly milling about through old junk and storage, all the while listening in on the many diverse sounds that her hyper-sensitive ears managed to detect: All the metal air ducts in the entire house led to, from, and through the attic, allowing for all sorts of different noises to congregate within for Lucy to hone in on, whether it be of conversations from one room, or arguments from another.

The female bat had learnt very much over the years of her childhood through her rather private eavesdropping, and she knew that if she wanted to hear anything important, noteworthy, or sensitive that these bumbling socialites and aristocrats had to say, that she would have to hole up in the old attic once more, and bed down with eager ears.

From her hiding place, Lucy could hear just about everything in the entire house: Classical music from the small sized orchestra that had been stuffed into the house for the entertainment of the guests, conversations from the lower levels of the building ranged in tone, frequency, and volume, and the diverse laughter and chortling of dozens of different mammals, and from the sound of it, mostly sheep; Not very surprising, considering the fact that they were the unchallenged mammal majority here in the Meadowlands, much like the lapins down in Bunny-Burrow, although not quite as numerous nor overpopulated, rather understandably so.

Back when she had first lived here in the more suburban part of the Meadowlands with her old relatives, they had stood as the only family of vampire bats in the entire neighborhood community, sticking out like a sore thumb among the sea of wool and cloven hooves that completely surrounded them on all sides. With the Meadowlands itself being a community made up mostly of sheep, with accepted sheep customs, practiced sheep ideals, and expectant sheep traditions all rolled into sheep culture as a whole, it wasn't very surprising to Lucy or her very own family when they had started receiving vile threats from those around them, some anonymous, and others a lot more up-front.

Sheep, like most species of prey mammals, were subconsciously terrified of predators; Even the smaller ones, like Lucy and her kind. An entire family of vampire bats suddenly parking in and settling down smack in the middle of the second largest prey community outside of the city of Zootopia itself was bound to attract some very unwanted attention.

But now, the present: The once publicly detested family of vampire bats was no more, and as it always should have been, was now replaced with even more sheep.

Even more sheep. As if the Meadowlands needed even more sheep.

Lucy rolled her eyes as she tapped her claws meticulously against the floorboards that she currently sat upon, each little point of contact enticing a slight and airy drumming noise to ensue. For nearly an entire hour and a half at this point, the female bat had been silently sitting by herself in the loft of the house, all the while casually listening to the conversations and other audible bits and pieces that emanated from the lower sections of the house. It wasn't exactly thrilling entertainment, but she still enjoyed it.

Although she had originally came to her old place of residence simply just to see if she could acquire some juicy gossip for her own personal amusement, it soon became clear to her that an underlying reason had also influenced her decision to crash the party that night: Perhaps, from the start, she had only wished to see her home one last time before it become just another bitter memory crammed into the very back of her mind, intent on gathering dust and rotting away until there was nothing left but ruin and thought.

Though she didn't like thinking about this old house very often, she couldn't deny that it was one of the few places that made her feel at ease.

There was also one other in particular: One that had not only made her feel at ease and relaxed with herself and her thoughts, but one that made her feel safe and appreciated, perhaps to an extent even greater than her old family home itself. Yet now, it was gone. Castle Fangpyre had been completely destroyed when it had burned to the ground, along with everyone and everything inside of it when it had finally collapsed into a giant, smoking pile of charred wood and black powdery ash.

When the news had first reached her, she didn't know what to think or feel: There were no bodies found in the wreckage of the ruined manor, and knowing Vladzotz himself, he wouldn't have let himself get killed off so easily. She may have had her suspicions, but in the end, it mattered not: Each day of her friend's absence weighed heavy on her heart, to such an extent that it even begun to effect her work. She missed him very much so. She grew stressed, and longed for some sort of release... That must've been one of the reasons why she came here to the Meadowlands, to her old family home, no less, in the first place.

Here, she could sit down and pretend that nothing bad had ever happened to her... As if she was still a thoughtless, careless child living a thoughtless, careless life.

Perhaps there really was no place like home.

The female bat's jade-colored eyes darted to the circular window that she had broken in through over an hour and a half ago, for a flicker of shadowy movement just outside had momentarily earned her attention. She was three stories above the ground: Nobody would be able to just walk around out there as if they defied the force of gravity itself.

She glanced away, but once again, the shadowy flicker of movement caught her attentive eyes, this time, the dark shape being much much closer to the glass window itself.

Realizing that there actually _was_ something outside, Lucy lifted herself up from the wooden floorboards and quickly darted behind a nearby pile of boxes, making sure to hide her form before slightly peaking her head over and eyeing the commotion going on just outside the window. From her hiding spot, the female bat saw a long arm reach inside the attic from the smaller hole that she had entered through earlier, reaching around and unlatching the window before pushing against it and stepping inside the loft.

Through the shadows, Lucy could make out the outline of another bat, this one being far larger than herself. Male, as evident by the body shape and more muscular structure in his long arms, which in turn branched out into rows of fingers, each and every individual one tipped with sizable talons. The membrane of skin that stretched between the male bat's wings was torn in some places, with shredded bits of skin dangling loosely here and there, looking as if they had been attacked by a full grown tiger, almost.

Wiry black fur sprouted from his body, save for a few bare patches of what looked like burn marks. The male bat's large ears were dotted with peppery holes and lined with minuscule scratches and cuts, but most striking of all was perhaps the likes of his right eye, or more accurately, the lack there of: What once must've been his eye socket was now nothing more than a sunken mass of scar tissue, accompanied by a single slash lining across the length of his muzzle, crossing over his horribly obliterated optic cavity.

However, his left eye, a deep and blood-red color, burned nearly as healthy and as bright as the sun itself.

Lucy recognized this bat. She saw past the burns, and the scars, and the shadows that enveloped his form.

The female bat lifted her body up and away from the pile of boxes, stepping away from her hiding spot and with a hesitant voice, uttered her coming few words aloud;

"Vladdy...?" She asked the figure, causing his single blood-red eye to lock onto her smaller body. "Is... Is that you?"

"Lucy!" The figure cracked softly before trailing off with a sputtering and raspy cough.

Her facial expression softened, and a slight smile spread its way across her lips. The female bat then ran forward and away from her previous hiding spot in the shadows of the room, flapping her wings as she closed the distance between herself and her old friend before plowing into him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him close.

"You're alive!" Lucy cried out louder than she had intended. "How did you... W-what are you _doing_ here?"

With her hyper-sensitive ears pressed against the male bat's chest, she noticed an increase in his heart rate the moment that she had thrown her arms around him and pulled him into a hug. From behind, Lucy could feel Vladzotz's bony paws as they pressed against her shoulders, rubbing them reassuringly as he softly wheezed his following words;

"Yes, I am very much alive, my dear... _I_... I came here to find you. It's been too long."

Lucy removed her head from her friend's chest and gazed upon his face: His jawline had been singed slightly from fire, and various patches of fur around his body was in less quantity than those around them, indicating deep burn marks, no doubt earned from his endeavor through the harsh roiling flames of the slowly crumbling Castle Fangpyre.

Moistening her lips, the female bat couldn't help but notice how her male counterpart seemed to have lost a little bit of some weight, further defining the strips of muscles in his long arms and the rigid lining of his jaws and skull. Past the burns, cuts, scars, and other rather unfortunate injuries, Lucy thought that he looked quite handsome, truthfully.

Burns, cuts, scars...

The female bat's ecstatic expression melted, and her large ears drooped.

"Vladdy... What _happened_ to you?" Lucy asked softly, raising her palm up and pressing it lightly against Vlad's cheek.

When her palm came into contact with his face, Vladzotz closed his eyes and sighed softly, nuzzling his jawline into the the hand of his female counterpart, all the while relishing in the cool feeling of her clawed fingertips as they pressed against his cheeks and jawline, stroking over the minuscule scars that he had obtained from the incident.

"The fire." He finally croaked. "I escaped, but... N-not without... Great agony."

Staring into his single, blood-red eye, Lucy saw a feeling of pain and discomfort simmering behind his corneas: It was clear to her that he must have been through a lot.

"Everyone's been saying that you were dead..." Lucy muttered lowly. "Word got around pretty quickly when Castle Fangpyre got torched... But you're alive! God, your _eye_..."

She reached out, and using the soft underside of her thumb, delicately ran it down the mass of scar tissue that stood as what was once his right eye, the socket of which was slightly sunken. The female bat traced a finger along the length of the cicatrix mark that crossed over his eye socket, stopping once she reached the end of its considerable length.

"All of this happened to you in the fire, didn't it?" Lucy questioned.

"Not all of it..." Vladzotz corrected, his tone laced with a sense of bitterness and despair. "The burns, yes, but the scars came from a terrible fall into a pile of wooden crates."

"What?"

"It's a long story." The male bat groaned, but with a slight smile edging at the corner of his mouth.

"I'm willing to listen to it. Every last word of it." The female retorted as she at last released her hold on her male counterpart, backing away before eyeing him up and down.

"If you so insist, my dear." Vladzotz then cracked his neck audibly. "But I need to rest... The flight here was a lot longer than I originally expected it to be."

Breathing in deeply through his nostrils, the male bat then lept up into the air, and pushing with his powerful wings, ascended a few feet before lunging out with his feet and latching on to a thick and horizontal support beam, digging his clawed toes into the wood and hanging upside down, all the while gazing carefully at his female counterpart, whom simply chose to sit upon a small wooden crate some three or so feet away from where the bat lord hung, his inverted eyes locked steadily and intently upon her own.

From there, he told her his story, sparing no detail to the winds.

The bat lord explained how he had escaped from the roiling flames of his mansion, starting with how he had woken up buried beneath a pile of wood and other splintered debris. A thousand different words he could use, yet not one of them would have been able to fully express just how painful the endeavor had really been. He mused over the long and agonizing flight to Shahaz the Stinger's desert compound in the Sahara-Square, where he had lost his eye after passing out just a few yards away from the premises itself.

All the while, Lucy listened with intended attention, taking in every last bit of information that she could. She made sure to make special note of the fact that her friend had been left traumatized by the hand of Nicholas Wilde, a former con-artist fox turned ZPD police officer: It made her mad, thinking over the fact that it was all his fault, and made herself a mental note to add that particular fox onto her personal shit-list.

With the female bat honing in on his explanation as it flowed by, Vladzotz continued telling his story, from how his pangolin friend has nursed him back to health, leading all the way up to the present moment, with the two vampire bats idly chatting in the attic of Lucy's old family home, sweet orchestral music filling their respective ears from the lower levels of the building.

Soon enough, the male bat's story came to an end, and with it, Lucy only had even more questions to ask him of;

"How did you find me here, though?" She suddenly piped out in question, her curiosity having overtaken her desire to stay quiet and content, for the moment.

The male bat grumbled in thought as he pondered over Lucy's question, his mind pulling him back to the exact moment that he had learned of her location.

"Well, I recalled how you talked so fervidly about your old family home, and how you wanted to revisit it on the day of the new owner's welcoming party, for whatever reason."

"What else? Gossip, of course! Always enough to go around, huh? I know everything about everyone, even you, sweetie!" The female bat retorted teasingly.

"Hmm, well I can think of at least _one_ exception to that." The male grumbled with a smile tracing at the edges of his muzzle, thinking of Ratsputin's archive.

"Please... I've got dirt on all sides. Well, 'cept for maybe a few sore thumbs here and there, like that one nasty old rat... I'll have to try my own against _him_ sometime soon."

"Pardon?"

"Oh, forget it." Lucy waved her wings around in the air as if to waft away a bad smell. "Point is, yeah, I came here to get some dirt on those bumbling socialites down below."

The female bat thumped her clawed toes against the wooden floorboards beneath her feet before finalizing her previous statement;

"Ya never know when somethin' as simple as eavesdropping might come in handy!"

Vladzotz nodded his head in understanding, yet couldn't prevent himself from dissenting with his own personal thoughts;

"Is that all that you claim, my dear? Perhaps, you also simply wish to revere in the likes of your old family home, no?"

Lucy made a contented _hmm_ sort of sound beneath her breath.

"Sort of... I _did_ grow up here, after all."

"Certainly. I can understand your choice to so-" Vlad began, but promptly trailed off as his ears detected a brand new noise, singled out among the many voices from below.

The ears of both bats twitched slightly at the sudden, rather high-pitched noise of what sounded like some sort of wood-wind instrument. Lowering his gaze and glancing at the source from which the sound had emanated from, being somewhere below the wooden floorboards beneath his feet. Being an able and seasoned musician, Vladzotz was easily able to classify the instrument behind the peculiar noise...

"Clarinet..." He muttered aloud softly, causing Lucy to slightly raise one of her eyebrows. "I know this song..."

"What, the one down there that the orchestra is playing?" The female bat inquired, her interests somewhat elevated.

"Yes, the one downstairs... Orchestra." Vlad mused, almost trance-like.

His eyes glazed over in deep thought, and his mouth soon uttered a single word that his mind had pulled from the depths of his creative conscious;

"Kunstlerleben."

Meanwhile, had tilted her head to the side, clearly taken aback by her male counterpart's sudden interest in the soft sounds of the orchestra emanating from below them both.

"Coon-ster- _Whatnow_?" She mumbled ineptly.

"The life of an artist." The bat lord mumbled, closing his eyes an perking his ears up, intent on honing in on the sweet sounds emanating from beneath his very own feet.

"Okay, you're acting kinda weird, Vladdy... Just sayin'."

"Yes, yes, I do so apologize, my dear." He replied. "I just adore this particular song so very much... It reminds me of you. Very sweet, very fluid... Very beautiful."

As quickly as it had arrived, the tone of the song itself changed: Slightly speeding up, violins and other stringed instruments replacing the blares of the trumpets and the flutes, a slow and winding waltzing tune unfolding from the coming sounds, all of which emanated around the room surprisingly well, having traveled up and about through the many different air-ducts and other connections to the varying floors below.

Dropping rather elegantly from his inverted perch, the male bat landed on his two hind legs before straightening himself out visibly, closing his blood-red eye shut and inhaling deep through his two quivering nostrils before breathing out from his fanged maw. Soon opening his eyelids and revealing to himself a world of sight and sound, the bat lord stepped forward and picked up one of Lucy's arms with his own, gripping her delicately by the paw. With the music flowing around the two of them, he asked aloud;

"May I have this dance, my dear?" Vladzotz questioned.

As he concluded his previous statement, the bat lord lifted his female counterpart's arm up with his own before bringing it to his lips and lightly pecking against the very top of her wrist, causing a slightly chilling and tingling sensation to creep along the length of her arm, all having been spawned from the very brief point of contact with Vlad's mouth.

"Wow, such a gentleman." Lucy teased playfully.

Though secretly, she had enjoyed her male counterpart's rather minor, but meaningful act of affection quite much, really: It had made her feel somewhat giddy and endearing on the inside, with her small heart fluttering fervidly within the walls of her chest, and a rather warm blush beginning to heat up and develop around her cheeks and muzzle.

"So, I suppose that's a yes, then?" The male bat asked for clarification, for Lucy still had yet to give him a proper response.

Truthfully, Lucy wasn't much of a dancer herself, despite having grown up in a part of town where classic ball-room parties were the norm, and the act of waltzing and other dances were even taught professionally in various schools within the area. Admittedly, she'd never thought of dancing as a very useful skill to have, especially since she was such a workaholic; Always taking drastic and rather stressful measures to ensure that she got done what needed to be done.

Heck, in a bout of desire to forever rid herself of the burdening thoughts that came with the idea of raising her own children someday, Lucy had undergone surgery to have her tubes tied, rendering insemination from any mammal, even her very own species, as completely impossible. She vividly remembered her first conversation with Vladzotz himself over that exact same topic, of which had been brought up after a particularly stressful day of work. The female bat recalled ranting for nearly an entire hour straight on how much she hated unnecessary burdens and ideas, with her male counterpart intently listening all the while.

So in the end, Lucy had added the art of dancing onto her mental list of useless talents to have, and of things that she never had any intention on enacting.

Yet, the way Vlad had asked her had caused her heart to flutter annoyingly within her chest, and a slight blush to begin developing around her cheeks, warming her face.

She couldn't say no to him.

"Sure! Why not?" She stifled.

Lucy then stepped forward quickly, as the male bat had immediately tugged upon her arm as soon as he had her consent, effectively pulling them closer to one another, nearly nose to nose, in fact. The female bat tried not to look flustered as her male counterpart placed one of his large wings against the small of her back, pushing her lithe body even closer to him, their chests now touching slightly.

"Just follow my lead, my dear." Vlad requested.

He then interlocked the long fingers on his other paw with Lucy's own, holding both of their respective arms out to the side and away from them, yet still connected firmly.

"Oh, and Vladdy," The female bat quickly interjected, effectively earning the attention of her male counterpart. "One last thing."

From there, Lucy then punched Vladzotz square in the stomach with her free arm; hard enough for him to bend over slightly with a gag.

" _That's_ for faking your own death and leaving me all alone." She growled, her words stern, but with an undertone of playful chiding and humor.

The bat lord coughed a single time before breathing in wheezily and straightening his spine back out, a smile playing at his muzzle all the while.

"Guilty as charged, my dear." He croaked.

Repositioning her paws back in their proper places and assuming the classic waltzing stance, the two vampire bats then begun their dance, starting rather slowly at first, just barely scraping by the steady tempo of the song itself. The two of them turned about in a square-like pattern, each new step causing them to face an entirely new direction.

Lucy kept her jade-colored eyes fixated upon Vlad's very own, and as she stared deep into the single dark pupil in his one good eye, the female bat felt a rather gratifying sense of appreciation and endowment course its way up the length of her spinal cord, causing her fur and ears to stand at attention, and her shoulders to shiver very slightly.

Soon enough, the song picked up a bit in its swiftness, with the many notes becoming quicker and more delicate, like wisps of wind among a field of wheat and grain.

As the music picked up in speed and tempo, so too did that of the vampire bat's waltz, with Vladzotz increasing his foot-speed and his movements to match up with that of the song itself. All the while, Lucy stumbled along better than before, yes, but still rather inefficiently, especially compared to the likes of Vlad himself, whom despite his superior waltzing skills, made sure to not go so fast as to imbalance his dancing partner, or to cause her to feel unsure with herself, of course.

This little act of theirs went on for quite some time, with both bats relishing in the indulgence of their counterpart's accompaniment until at last the song came to an end.

The piece itself may have been over, but for the two vampire bats, their night had only just begun.

* * *

11:30 P.M , _The Canal-District_

Hours pass, but memories last.

What better way to experience such a thought than with an evening waltz at a socialite party, a midnight stroll through the flowing and grassy hills of the Meadowlands, and an expensive late-evening dinner at one of Zootopia's very finest of restaurants? Yes, upon leaving the old family home of Lucy Sang herself (Only after breaking a few windows here and there), the two vampire bats set out for their latest assignation, starting with a nice meal, for both bats respectively were quite hungry at the time, as a point of fact.

Ever since their very first true formal meeting with one another, Vladzotz had slowly begun to develop and hone his skills in consuming purely solid food on his own, and now, he himself very much enjoyed indulging in all sorts of diverse new foods, ranging from flavorful house salads to sweet buttered croissants and bread slices. Following their hasty departure of the restaurant, with neither bat having left any sort of tip for their waiter, the two of them enjoyed a luxurious and peaceful midnight stroll through the winding hills of the Meadowlands, the stars up above their heads lighting up the night, much like the fluorescent blue light from the glow-worms back down in the Nocturnal-District.

Soon enough, Lucy and Vladzotz decided to retreat back to the former's own personal flat, of which was located in the Canal-District, situated at a local high-rise building.

Upon closing the door behind him and setting foot within the female bat's whom, Vlad could tell that she was feeling rather giddy and excited by the way that she jumped up and down on the very tips of her clawed toes, and lightly flapped her wings around as she whirled about, giggling softly to herself as she reminisced over her time with Vlad that night.

"Oh, that was just so much fun!" She claimed aloud. "You're such a good dancer, you know!"

"You're not so bad yourself, my dear." The male bat replied with a coyish smile, of which caused his female counterpart to smile wide.

From there, Lucy jumped up to his taller height and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into deep and passionate kiss. As his lips connected with her own, Vlad's eyes widened in surprise, and his large and sensitive ears detected his female counterpart moan softly with an audible _mmm_ sort of sound, clearly enjoying and relishing in the kiss...

The kiss...

With her own eyes suddenly flying open in realization, Lucy quickly parted her face from Vlad's, severing their oral connection. The female bat thought back to just a few mere seconds before, when she had leaned forward and kissed her male counterpart in a bout of excitement and affectionate appreciation. Now, she swallowed and stuttered aloud;

"Um..." Lucy squeaked. " _Sorry_..."

Vladzotz simply stared at her in seeming bewilderment. After a few short seconds of tranquil silence, he uttered aloud firmly;

"Don't be."

The male bat then leaned forward and reconnected their previously severed kiss, this time pushing back against his female counterpart and even wrapping his leathery wings around her smaller form. Although somewhat surprised at first by her male counterpart's sudden advances, Lucy soon melted away into the moment, and found herself kissing back against him, driving her tongue into his mouth and intertwining it with his own, causing a flavorful dance to assume between the two of them, with their lips locked together.

Lucy's long and thin tongue twisted about in her male counterparts fanged mouth, wrapping slightly around his own tongue and relishing in the faint taste of blood that it detected, no doubt the flavorful remnants of his last feeding. The female bat felt a pressure apply itself to the small of her back; Vladzotz's paws, no doubt, tracing up the length of her spine in a soothing gesture of affection. All the while, the two bats continued kissing fervidly, with Lucy herself positioning her paws against the male bat's rather scruffy neck, preventing him from pulling away and breaking the sweet and passionate kiss.

Soon enough though, their kiss wound down, eventually resulting in the two vampire bats parting lips, but keeping their respective foreheads lightly connected, touching delicately together as they panted hotly, their warm exhales of air flowing outwards from their mouths and brushing against the fur on their counterpart's very own face. They both stared longingly into one another's eyes, each tick of the clock spent gazing unblinking into depths of their partner's corneas, staring past even the likes of their own reflections.

Finally the male bat uttered aloud, his voice husky and labored from the breaths that he had been so fervidly taking;

"I'm so sorry that I didn't find you sooner..." He soothed lowly. "Other pressing matters diverted my attention, but it hardly matters now!"

Vlad then leaned forward and rather aggressively kissed at her once again, the two vampire bats making out for a few brief seconds before taking yet another moment of rest.

"No need to apologize, Vladdy." Lucy soon responded softly. "It's clear that you had more important things to worry about than little ol' me." She teased.

The female bat's clawed fingertips slowly slid down her male counterpart's chest, having been unwrapped from the behind of his sturdy shoulders.

"Besides, those wounds of yours weren't gonna heal themselves, were they?" She cooed soothingly.

Lucy then carefully slid her thumb down the length of the scar that edged across Vlad's right eye socket, crossing directly over his obliterated optic cavity, which stood as nothing more than a mass of scar tissue amidst an empty, sunken eye socket. She sighed as she stared into the darkened hole, which itself stood in stark contrast to his opposing eye: Red, bright, and full of life.

The female bat leaned forward and kissed her male counterpart's good eye, her soft puckered lips coming into contact against his closed eyelid, causing the male bat to rumble rather lowly in satisfaction and seeming appreciation. Lucy then diverted her full attention to his other socket, his dead eye, of which she also smooched delicately a single time.

Vladzotz sighed longingly, relishing in the feeling of her soft lips upon his face, the act of which being exactly how he had dreamed about for nearly the past full month.

With his feelings running high and fervid, and his own personal desires leaking from his very being, Vladzotz simply couldn't resist muttering aloud his coming few words;

"In a life of pain, you're the one thing I look back upon that makes me smile..."

The female bat momentarily seized up as if she had been paralyzed.

Lucy felt her heart beat faster within her chest, and a warm blush begin to heat up around her cheeks: No one had ever shown true respect for her quite like _that_ , before...

Throughout her entire life thus far, the female bat had been so callously used to being despised, feared, reviled, and even just plain ignored by those around her: Lucy's reputation had cemented itself beyond repair, thus etching her destiny to be one of lonesomeness and crime, with no one but herself to have her own back, in the end. However, to hear the words so easily uttered from Vladzotz's fanged mouth, she felt a sense of acceptance and security that she hadn't experienced in a _very_ long time.

Vladzotz was the very first criminal associate that she had ever worked with whom treated her as more than just an asset for their own personal gain, whatever that may have been. Before meeting and working with the bat lord himself, Lucy Sang had always been treated by her business partners as some temporary tool to be used and exploited, soon discarded in favor of a more substantial counterpart. Vladzotz, however, both treated and saw Lucy as an actual person, and liked the whole package, flaws and all.

That fact alone was enough to make Lucy feel the way that she did now, but knowing that her Vlad _truly_ appreciated and valued her was ultimately what took it to new heights.

Staring into the male bat's blood-red eyes, Lucy blinked a single time and sighed longingly.

"Oh, Vladdy..." The female bat cooed dreamily.

Smiling warmly, she then closed her eyes shut and briskly leaned forward, pressing her lips firmly against Vlad's as she threw her arms around his shoulders once more and pulled him into another kiss, of which only grew more heated and passionate with each passing second. Subconsciously, Lucy slightly raised her left ankle up and off of the ground both to balance out against the force that Vladzotz was pushing against her, effectively preventing her from losing her equilibrium, and as a simple display of enjoyment.

As they fervidly kissed at one another's faces, their respective paws took to exploring the bodies of their counterparts, with the male sliding his palms down the female's sides, stopping at her waistline and pulling her hips against his own. In turn, Lucy began to unbutton Vlad's black vest and blood-colored undershirt, all the while leading him off in the direction of the nearby bedroom, her interests and desires aligned with his very own, respectively.

Soon enough, they reached the aforementioned room of rest, where they promptly closed the door shut behind them, sealing the two of them within the confines of the room, all to themselves and their very own whims. By now, Lucy had completely removed her male counterpart's vest and undershirt, saving the removal of his midnight-black slacks for later on. With his bare chest and torso now exposed to her watchful eyes, Lucy took to analyzing her male counterpart.

As she gazed him over, her face and body just mere inches away from his own, she couldn't help but notice the haphazard claw marks, and the grisly burn patches that dotted themselves across his bare chest and abdomen, all evidence of the horrors that he had both seen and underwent within the hellish depths of Castle Fangpyre's very final few moments, nearly every second of which was alight with flame.

Vladzotz observed the way that Lucy was staring at his chest and abdomen, with her blank, thoughtful stare, her once sultry and wanting expression having melted away upon catching sight of her male counterpart's injuries and old wounds, the patches of somewhat bare skin lined with scorch patterns that had been singed into his very flesh from the intense heat of the fires. The male bat's ears lowered in shame, and his posture visibly slackened, for he believed Lucy to be disgusted by his appearance and traumatized body.

The female bat quickly noticed his sudden look of embarrassment and despair.

" _Oh_..." She mumbled softly upon realizing that she had been staring. "I'm sorry, Vladdy... I-I didn't-"

"No, no... _Don't_... Don't apologize..." Vlad interrupted as he pulled her closer. "I know what I am. I know that I am... _Unsightly_... A-and scarred..."

Lucy felt a slight tinge of guilt edge upon her mind, urging her to correct the mistake that she had made. It was clear that Vladzotz was somewhat self-conscious about his wounds and his scars, as evident by the fact that he had so degradingly referred to himself as unsightly, and scarred, both being traits that Lucy didn't see him as a single bit.

She needed to prove it to him.

"Vladdy, you're not unsightly... You're not scarred..." The female bat cooed soothingly, rubbing at her male counterpart's bare chest. " _Not to me_..."

Lucy kissed his pectorals, her soft lips coming into contact with one of the claw marks on his chest. After smooching along his wounds, the female bat rubbed her cheeks against his upper chest and chin, peacefully nuzzling him all the while purring softly from within her throat. To her delight, Vlad returned the act of affection; Pressing his own face against Lucy's as he squeezed and massaged the very base of her large ears, running his claws through the fur on her scalp in a gesture of appreciation and gratitude.

Lifting her head up and locking eyes with him, Lucy stared longingly into Vlad's own gaze before once again reconnecting their previous kiss, to which the male bat was more than happy to resume. They slowly waltzed closer to the bed, all the while completely stripping themselves of their attire, save for Lucy herself, whom kept her own bodysuit on until they both reached the very foot of the bed itself.

After breaking their heated make out session, the female bat slightly backed away from her male counterpart before reaching her arms up to the behind of her neck, all the while smiling seductively and staring into the blood-red eyes of her partner with a lustful gaze; Passionate desire glowing behind her corneas and emerald-colored irises.

Vlad had a feeling that this would be a long night.

* * *

 _Later..._

While Vladzotz hung upside down from the bar, Lucy herself quite literally clung to _him_ ; Her clawed feet locked against her counterpart's ankles, her wings wrapped around his torso, and her head mushed and snuggling against his bare chest. The light grooves of burn patterns singed into the flesh on the male bat's pectorals gave Lucy a delicate path to follow along with her tongue and lips, kissing here, biting there, and licking everywhere else.

Meanwhile, the larger bat had taken to wrapping his massive wings around Lucy's body like a blanket, enveloping the entirety of her smaller form in leathery darkness and shadow, pulling her close against himself, their combined body heat providing an ample amount of comfort and satisfaction for both respective parties to effectively behold. As he cuddled with his female counterpart, he took to carefully grooming the gray-colored fur on the top of her head; Running his claws across her scalp like a comb, picking out bits of unwanted material before tossing them aside.

Silently, the two vampire bats soon took to simply snuggling with one another, their bodies heated warmly and their respective minds at great ease and satisfaction.

The female nuzzled her cheeks into the male's upper chest and neck, enticing slight groans of gratification from him, the low bass in his grumbles causing his torso to vibrate against Lucy, whom clung rather tightly to his larger form, purring softly from within her throat as she cuddled against her counterpart, holding him very close and very tight.

From above, the female bat felt her male counterpart nuzzle his chin and jawline against her head, effectively causing her to exhale softly in soothing relaxation and appreciation.

It was nice... Very nice, indeed...

Yet, something cautiously egged at Lucy's conscious, tempting her to question upon her male counterpart. At the thought of Vlad himself, Lucy swiveled her head towards his own, locking eyes with him and pondering over her own thoughts. As she gazed deep into his blood-red eyes, she simply couldn't help but utter her coming few words out loud;

"Do you regret what we did?" She asked softly.

" _No_." Vladzotz replied firmly without so much as a single shred of hesitation. "Not at all... _Not at all_..." He whispered, all the while caressing Lucy's ears and scalp with his talons.

"Sometimes..." Lucy momentarily paused and swallowed hard before continuing. "Sometimes the stress is just too much... Thank you for this..."

She then squeezed even harder against his chest, her voice slightly cracking as she uttered her coming words;

" _Thank you_..."

The male bat himself felt a great and gratifying sense of value and appreciation thrum within his mind: It was clear to him, perhaps now more than ever before, that Lucy herself had needed the comfort and the reassurance from their intimate coupling just as much as he had, if not even more so. Like him, the female bat was an emotionally broken and hampered soul, whose life had been limited to small and insignificant joys, her own views upon the world itself being just as volatile and oppressive as his very own.

Yet together, the two respective bats found great enjoyment and appreciation from indulging on one another's esteemed company and companionship, with Vladzotz finally feeling at ease with himself and the world around him, and Lucy in turn at last feeling as if someone truly appreciated her, truly loved her, like perhaps no one else had before.

Around Lucy, Vlad felt as if a lifetime of pain and cruelty had never even existed, and around Vlad, Lucy felt more safe and more loved than she had ever been before.

If anything, that was a match that both bats were more than happy to continue.

"I understand." The male claimed quietly, whispering into the female's large ears. "It's okay to feel as you do... I will be there for you whenever you need me, my sweet Sang."

He then dipped his angular muzzle into Lucy's ear, kissing lovingly at the entrance to her ear canal before compressing his affectionate grip upon her smaller body as she clung tight against his very own, somehow pulling her even closer. The female bat continued to nuzzle her cheeks and press her soft lips against her male counterpart's scarred chest, his blissful heartbeat slowly and steadily lulling her into a state of peaceful dormancy and dreamless slumber. Soon enough, Vlad followed her example, closing his eyes shut and sectioning off his sense of sight, relishing in the lovely feeling of Lucy's heated body breathing in and out against his own.

"My sweet, sweet Sang..." He muttered softly one last time.

Eventually, sleep claimed him too, and with it came bright and vivid images of the future: Vlad and his new mate together maintaining their dependable friendship, business partnership and association, and yes, even their sexual relationship, quite consistently at that. The male bat knew that such high hopes and dreams were more than possible, if not completely within their grasp: With Lucy's help, he would rebuild and reestablish what had been lost in that horrible fire, and whenever the times were stressful, he knew that the two of them were bound to indulge in one another's sweet company, perhaps occasionally going so far as to rid themselves of their respective clothes and take heed in what was possibly the most passionate form of appreciation itself...

Bad, bad romance.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Ah, it's about time that this new chapter got released, huh? Yeah, it took quite a while, but it is _finally_ here for you lot to enjoy to the fullest! :)**

 **I myself would absolutely adore knowing what you think of this latest chapter of ours! Do feel free to leave a nice review detailing your thoughts over the various scenes and other bits that take place, of course... There is little I appreciate more than someone taking the time to write up a brief and friendly response to the chapters that I work so hard on. I _always_ welcome the thoughts of any individual, so do feel free to voice your own opinions, my friends!**

 **But regardless, I do thank you all for reading the chapter! I certainly hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did myself! :)**

 **That being said, most of the stuff I mentioned and brought up in the previous author's note still applies, but I won't bring it up again, of course. No need to.**

 **Alongside that, I actually do have some more fan art to show off, for those of you who are interested! On my personal Tumblr account (Labeled identically as my account here on fanfiction), you will find several wondrous new art-pieces gifted to me in honor of this story of ours! A big thanks to the creators, of course, as your contributions are highly appreciated! Thank you all so very much!**

 **Anyhow, that's pretty much all that I got for you lot as of right now. The next chapter (70) should be the very first narrative installment of the upcoming 6th story arc, and will deal with all of the fallout and repercussions of the Ratsputin arc, including what becomes of Nick and Judy themselves! I'm oh-so very excited to reveal it to you, and I certainly can't wait to do just so! Do stay tuned for its eventual and inevitable release here soon enough, my friends!**

 **Again, thank you all so much for reading this latest chapter, of course! I very much appreciate it! :D**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	67. Forbearance

"I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice." - Abraham Lincoln

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"A little bit of mercy makes the world less cold and more just." - Pope Francis

* * *

Time and time again, luck was on their side.

When it came to their relationship with Chief Bogo and the ZPD as a whole, it seemed that no matter how many times things went south, Nick and Judy always managed to make it out without a single scratch. The fox liked to consider it as nothing more than 'dumb-bunny luck', as he called it, much to his mate's annoyance. In the end, it made sense: Both Nick and Judy were perhaps the very best that the ZPD had to offer, and their reputation had cemented itself across the city as that of strength, lawfulness, protection, and chivalry.

The two tiny officers, even despite being the smallest mammals on the entire force, were perhaps the very symbol of the ZPD itself...

Yet in the end, that prospect made their downfall all the more unbearable to behold.

There was simply no denying it: Both Nick and Judy were guilty of attempting to sell state-secrets to Grygorri Ratsputin. Bent harshly to sate the rat's crooked desires, they had been forced beneath his will through extortion, and ultimately blackmailed into doing his bidding. But in the end, what choice did they have, really? It was either that, or suffering a fate even worse: With the knowledge of Nick's past crime of arson, and Judy's ties and associations to the Big family all grasped firmly within the palm of the rat's hand, there was little that they could do to oppose him other than follow through with his cruel and twisted demands.

All of that changed with his death.

The instant that Nick saw the rat's sword plunge through his very own sternum, the fox knew that things were only going to get worse from there on out. Grygorri Ratsputin himself may have at last been subjugated to defeat, but it would seem that his death would bring forth only even _more_ chaos: Both Nick and Judy respectively were left horribly exposed and open to the inevitable repercussions of the crime that they had committed. They could only watch as the others began to put the pieces together, positioning the fox and the bunny as co-conspirators to the rat's master plan.

Throughout their respective careers as officers of the law, both Nick and Judy had been shown, honestly, a rather impressive amount of leniency and mercy on behalf of their superior, Chief Bogo, whom time and time again would show mercy for their screw-ups. That being said, the stern water-buffalo was no soft soul, and would always take the proper precautions whenever he had to deal with his subordinates, especially on the more sensitive incidents.

Yet, he had always seemed to display a sort of soft spot for the ZPD's very finest. Perhaps because it was the two of them whom truly taught him the act of dealing fairly with the officers under his own command: Back when Judy herself had first joined up with Precinct One, there was simply no denying the lack of support that she had received from her superior, who never seemed to see her as anything more substantial than a low-life meter-maid.

Fortunately for Chief Bogo, all that it took for him to change his previous mindset was one rather outspoken fox.

Back during the thick of the infamous Night-Howler pandemic, Chief Bogo remembered all too well the feeling of bewilderment and curiosity that had captured his very being upon hearing word of then rookie cop Judy Hopps's capture of a supposedly savage jaguar. Yet, alongside that, he also remembered all too well the feeling of utterly sinking disappointment and despondency when the rabbit police officer had unveiled her prize: An empty gondola dock.

Least to say, the chief had been less than appreciative for having been dragged all the way out to the third precinct in the middle of the Rainforest-District for, quite literally, nothing.

From there, the rather irate and disgruntled water-buffalo had stepped forward and planted his flag into the ground: He had had enough of Hopps's tricks, and was determined to put her in her rightful place, once and for all. He had demanded her to hand over her coveted police badge, ultimately resigning from the force. Bogo reminesced over the look on her face far too often for his own sake: She had worn an expression of true, utter defeat. In that moment, the rabbit had been a being with no hope or pride whatsoever.

In her eyes, her life as she knew it was over...

Until one silver-tongued voice called out in her defense, its owner stepping forward and challenging his comparatively towering opponent, who himself stood mistifies and enraged.

The fox had spoken swiftly and with ease, not even letting the water buffalo throw in a single comment, and in the end, he had walked off with his lapin partner, bidding the cheif an almost sardonic 'Good day' before setting out without another word to spare on his behalf. Bogo himself had been fuming, but soon after departing from the scene, the water-buffalo had begun to take the time to think over the fox's words. As he pondered them over, he couldn't deny the fact that he had been right: Bogo had been unfair, unjust, and blinded by an obsolete mindset. He had torn her down again and again, when all that she sought was his guidence and his value.

As the coming months passed by, and the Night-Howler pandemic grew worse and worse by the week, the water-buffalo's ideology had slowy begun to change: He began to look upon others with a lense clear of bias and prejudice, and what he saw made him question his old beliefs, wondering how he could have possibly stood for such blatant oppression.

Chief Bogo himself knew that he had been played the fool by society's violating gaze, and so, did his best to adjust to a more accepting and appreciative mindset.

However, said mindset could never have predicted just how far that vulpine and lapin would go...

When he had arrived at the scene of the duo's latest sighting, it had been for reasons far beyond the norm: Chief Bogo had been peacefully sitting in his office when he had received a sudden call from the mayor, Blair Lyncoln, whom had proclaimed that officers Hopps and Wilde had defied the sacred trust of the city. Confused as to the bobcat's fiesty tone, the water-buffalo took to questioning her as to her previous statements. Mayor Lyncoln claimed that the tracking beacon implanted in the laptop, of which contained digital copies of the shock collar documentations, wasn't registering at its intended destination, the ZPD head-quarters. Instead, it was signaling from within Ratsputin's estate.

In that moment, Bogo knew that something was horribly wrong.

Brandishing himself with his shiny badge and tranquilizer gun, the chief personally made the trip down to Tundra-Town, though not before alerting the precinct within the icy district that trouble was aloof. Bogo soon arrived, but only after the chaos had subsided: Ratsputin had commited suicide, and Bogo's two best officers had been right by the rat's side the entire time. The water-buffalo wanted to question them, but promptly chose not to, for at the time, it was clear that both the bunny and the fox alike had been subject to a considerable amount of trauma, with Nick in particular keeping an iron, white-knuckle grip on the rat's gifted sword, all the way up until the forensic investigators forcibly pried it from his grasp, and shipped it off for evidence gathering, gone form sight and mind.

Bogo himself personally drove Nick and Judy back to the ZPD head-quarters, though barely any words at all were uttered throughout the entire drive back.

Eventually, the three of them retreated to the water buffalo's office. There, the door was shut behind them with a near foreboding slam.

"Sit." Bogo ordered simply, his tone stern, yet deadly.

Nick and Judy both did as they were instructed, and so they lifted themselves up onto the single, too-large seat in the middle of the room, facing towards Bogo's desk.

Meanwhile, the water-buffalo himself had taken to filling up a small styrofoam cup of water before seating himself upon his chair with an audible grunt. He sighed lowly, and without breaking eye contact with his two subordinates, simply sat there as he brought the cup of water to his muzzle, sipping silently, the only sound in the whole room being the slight slurping noise that emanated form the liquid as it was siphoned through Bogo's thick lips. Carefully swiveling in his chair, the water buffalo set his cup, now roughly half empty, down onto the surface of the desk in front of him before folding his hands across his lap, his hazel eyes still locked firmly on the smaller forms of Nick and Judy.

"I don't know what to say..." Chief Bogo muttered at last, his tone low and brooding. "You two were always a bit unpredictable, at times, but this is truly something new..."

The water buffalo uncomfortably shifted his weight around in his chair, as if the mere topic at hand was enough to cause him physical discomfort. He continued softly all the while;

"Maybe you both did bend or break the rules once or twice, but it was always for a good reason, and I know that because you wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for a good reason. This city has seen more than its fair share of crime and chaos, but no matter what, you two have always managed to prove your worth, and come out on top. Always did the right thing. You've even taught _me_ of things that I never even imagined... You showed an old buffalo how to make the world a better place... I looked up to you two..."

He trailed off, shaking his head. Bogo then brought one of his hooves to his brow, pinching it delicately in a gesture of agitation and stress. The water buffalo sighed heavily.

"But _this_..." Bogo muttered, sinking back into his chair. "This is more than just some minor protocol violation... This is nothing short of treason against the city itself..."

The water buffalo let that rather somber statement hang in the air for a few short seconds.

"Yet above all else... This just isn't _you_..." He murmured, his expression that of seeming disbelief. "I want you to tell me _why_... Why you did it..."

Clearing his throat audibly, the fox then spoke aloud rather softly;

"We were blackmailed, sir... Blackmailed by Ratsputin. He threatened us into working with him... Bringing him the shock-collar documents in exchange for his secrecy..."

Bogo's expression seemed to sulk even more so than before. The water-buffalo pursed his thick lips before reaching out for his cup of water once more. All the while, he spoke;

"What would that rat have to gain by possessing the documents, exactly? Did he tell you?"

"Actually, he _did_." Judy muttered with a slight chuckle. "Apparently, he wanted to use them to extort the entire city government into doing what he said..."

"Pretty good con, if you ask me." Nick added, to which his superior grunted in distaste, his demeanor morphing into that of anger, rage, and frustration.

"Then why did you help him?!" Bogo roared, rising from his seat. "You both are near-model citizens!"

"My my, chief, I never thought I'd hear _those_ words come out of your mouth!" The fox berated, but was immediately shut down with a smoldering glare.

"What could that rat have _possibly_ had on you that would make you do such a _careless_ and _negligent_ act?!"

Silence enveloped the room, and Nick himself swallowed rather hard.

Ever since Vladzotz had reappeared into his life, he'd been fearful of this exact moment: The moment that he would have to reveal the ugly truth of his past crimes. He simply saw no way of being able to explain to Bogo that they had been blackmailed without bringing up just what they had been blackmailed over, which itself was just as, if not even _worse_ than what they were already being held accountable for.

Worst case scenario, Nick and Judy would both be charged for working with Ratsputin, _and_ for their past crimes too.

" _ANSWER ME_!" The water-buffalo thundered, his powerful words causing Judy to slightly wince in apprehension.

The fox's mind was moving at nearly a million miles an hour, trying to devise some sort of clever excuse for choosing to help Grygorri Ratsputin with his rather nefarious plans, but for the current moment, his conscious drew back and gave him nothing but blank ideas and blanker thoughts: He just simply couldn't focus. Breathing in deeply, Nick cleared his addled mind as best he could, and reasoned that the most probable way out of his current situation was to come clean at first, telling the chief that they had been blackmailed, but carefully directing the conversation away from just what they both were blackmailed over, which Nick knew that the chief would press him for soon enough.

No sense in any further stalling, at this point.

He opened his mouth, prepared to formulate a response, but before he even knew it, Judy had already beaten him to it;

"Chief Bogo, sir, _please_... We didn't have a choice..." She pleaded. "We're so sorry, but there was nothing we could do..."

The water buffalo's expression contorted through at least three different types of anger before finally he could stifle his coming words through clenched teeth;

"This _isn't_ up for debate, Hopps! _Sorry_ doesn't cut it! Not this time! You took the sacred oath and badge that the city entrusted with you, and you _spat_ on them! The _only_ reason you two aren't _unemployed_ yet, is because I'm being generous enough to allow you to explain yourselves for your misgivings! Sorry may not cut it, but an explanation might."

"You know, if I recall correctly, Ratsputin blackmailed _you too_ , right?" Nick interjected. "You never told us over just _what_ though, did you now?"

"What are you getting at, Wilde?" The water-buffalo boomed broodingly.

Nick smiled, his grin almost menacing: He had his boss right where he wanted him. From there, the fox spoke aloud;

"I'll tell ya what, chief, we'll tell you what Ratsputin blackmailed _us_ over, if you tell us what he blackmailed _you_ over! Sound like a good plan?"

Chief Bogo seized up in the slightest, clearly a tad bit taken back by the fox's sudden comment.

"You see it now, chief? Blackmail is a rather touchy subject... It's _kinda_ personal... Not the kind of stuff you want to share with others, really. Wouldn't you agree?"

The water-buffalo shifted his weight around in the office chair that supported his towering frame. He severed his gaze from the fox's, pursing his lips as his hazel-colored eyes broke away form Nick's and refocused towards a spot on the ground. Bogo seemed to be milling over in rather deep thought, judging by his glazed vision and dulled expression. Nick smirked, knowing that his boss was finally being reasonable: Hopefully, with the sympathizing factor in place, he would be more lenient when dealing with his officers.

At last, Chief Bogo simply closed his eyes and sighed.

"Fine. I won't prod, but _only_ out of respect for you and your privacy. It's clear that we were _all_ leveraged by that despicable rat, one way or another, and although it would be best if we had all of our sources on the table for consideration, if only to prevent something like this from ever happening again, it appears that in the end, our own security matters more."

"Glad that you agree, sir." Nick concluded, leaning back in relief.

"You're not out of the boiling pot yet, Wilde." The chief claimed.

"Wait, what?"

"I hate that I have to punish you..." Bogo grumbled lowly, pinching at the bridge of his nose. "But you two _need_ to straighten up. I can't let this go unchecked... Not this time..."

"You sure we can't settle this over a pint?"

Nick's mouth snapped shut the instant that his superior shot a disintegrating glare towards him.

"As I was saying, you two aren't getting off scott-free this time. No one else knows about your consolation with Ratsputin except me, and we're going to keep it that way."

"What about the other officers? The public? People are going to be asking questions, you know..." Nick inquired to his superior, who sighed bitterly, his upper-body slumping.

"Yes, I understand, Wilde. Fortunately for that, I think I have a plan that just might work to keep all of this in its rightful place... Ratsputin is dead: That, we won't be able to change. However, the circumstances _of_ his death, we can... The rat was the only other witness to what happened there, so with him gone, we can simply state that it was all nothing more than a ploy to arrest him for his many crimes, but that it went south quickly. With no trial, as there is no prisoner, we can declare it as an open and shut case..."

"Thus saving us all from the shame and prosecution that would follow..." Judy finalized bitterly, her long ears drooping in disappointment.

Chief Bogo sighed, taking note of her slovenly posture and overall demeanor.

"No one's saying that this will be easy, Hopps... Nor is it exactly the most, uh... _Savory_ path to follow... But as of now, I'd say that it's the only _one_ to follow."

"He's right, whiskers." Nick added, rubbing his wife's shoulder in a gesture of reassurance. "This is the best option for us all."

"Now don't get your hopes up too high, fox: We may be at an impasse, but _neither_ of you are walking out of this office without _some_ form of punishment for your actions!"

" _Sooo_ , I take it that we _aren't_ losing our jobs then?" The fox pressed, his brow furrowed as he anxiously awaited the response of his superior, whose eyes had closed in thought.

After a very slow, and _incredibly_ nerve-wrecking count to ten, the water-buffalo reopened his eyes and locked gaze with his two subordinates, all the while voicing his declaration;

" _No_. As much as you two _infuriate_ me, I'm afraid that the city needs you both... _I_ need you both..."

"Aw, now that's just heart-warming!" Nick crooned, hovering his paws over his chest.

"Can it, Wilde, before I double back on my promise! The ice that you're on right now is thin enough as it is!"

"Alright, alright... Continue then."

"Right, now where was I?"

"I believe you were about to smite us with your god-like political powers, no?"

"Ah yes, _that_... Your punishment... Something that gets you out of my hair for a while, and away from the prying public eye, especially that of the mayor and city-hall, yet isn't a full-fledged suspension. Something that puts you two in your place for good, yet isn't too much of an overbearing force to handle... Hmm... I _do_ have a few ideas, actually..."

The water-buffalo rose from his chair, turning to his right and towards the stack of filing cabinets pushed up against the wall of his office. Stepping forward, Bogo opened up the one farthest from himself, and dug around the first drawer for a few short seconds, grumbling rather incoherently beneath his breath all the while. Soon enough, the water buffalo selected a choice vanilla folder from the draw of the filing cabinet, of which he closed shut in his wake before lumbering back to his desk and placing the recovered item down onto its smooth wooden surface for all to see. The two tiny officers stood up in their chair so as to acquire a somewhat better look at the titular object lain out before them.

"I'm thinking some sort of temporary exile... Paired with a reduction in salary, of course. You'll be sent off to one of the other precincts, where you'll be _their_ problem for a few weeks, or so. You'd take orders and commands from a new and temporary superior, whom you will obey without question or hesitation, and whom _I_ will instruct to show _no_ mercy or tolerance to _any_ sort of inconsiderate or out of place behavior, regardless of the situation or predicament at hand."

"So what, you're gonna ship us both off to Precinct Two in Tundra-Town, or something like that?" Nick inquired of the water-buffalo, whom smiled in amusement before saying;

"Oh no, I have a _much_ better idea on just where to send you two..."

"Please don't tell me it's the Nocturnal-District." Judy grumbled lowly.

"Don't worry, Hopps, you won't be going anywhere that isn't above the surface, I assure you."

"Then where will we be going, exactly?"

Bogo smirked as he reached out and flipped open the folder on his desk, displaying various pictures within, each one detailing vast swathes of colorful trees and dense forests.

"Precinct Seven, in the Deciduous-District."

He let that sink in for a few surprisingly ominous seconds.

"Honestly, I've always wanted to go there." Nick interjected teasingly, breaking the brief period of silence. "But what if people start asking about us, huh?"

"It will be under the guise of extended training, so that if anyone asks, there won't be any unwanted suspicion." Bogo replied rather matter-of factly.

"I think a better question, is what about our home?" Judy added in. "If we'll be living there for a few weeks, wouldn't it be-"

"All of it will be taken care of accordingly, I promise. I'll work on making sure that everything fits in effectively for both parties. For now, you best return home and gather your things, except for _you_ , Wilde: _You_ will be staying after hours, helping the archivists sort through and document all of the evidence gathered from Grygorri Ratsputin's home."

"Oh, come on, _really_? That'll take _hours_!"

"You should've thought of that before making one too many jokes, fox: Today has been hell on my stress levels, and you haven't helped in the slightest. Consider it as a sort of secondary punishment on your behalf."

"Alright, fine... Point made..."

"And remember..." Bogo finalized, his tone deadly serious. "Not a word of this to _anyone_. Dismissed."

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **For starters, I'd just like to quickly take the time to apologize that it took entire moon to create, and for the fact that this particular chapter turned out quite a bit shorter than normal, even despite the extra wait time: It was never really intended to be very long in the first place, as its most prominent purpose is to serve as a vessel for the whole idea of Nick and Judy's predicament with Chief Bogo. _That's_ the big focus in this chapter, as I'm sure you've noticed by now. **

**That being said, I certainly hope that you lot can come to terms with the shorter than usual length of this new chapter of ours: After all, each of the last four previous chapters have all been the very longest in the entire story, respectively, with each individual one breaking the previous one's record, and summing up for a grand total of over 50K+ words. If _that_ hasn't kept you tided over during my absence, then I don't know what will! :P**

 **Regardless, I do thank you all _very_ much so for reading this latest chapter! I would most appreciate a nice review explaining your thoughts, as always! :D**

 **We're also gettin' quite close to the 1200 follower mark, it seems like. It would be a great and very momentous achievement for us all if we were to reach it!**

 **I know that _I_ would adore seeing it happen, that's for sure... Aim high, my friends! :)**

 **Anyhow, it seems that that's all I have for you lot as of right now. As a point of fact, there _is_ some brand new and truly beauteous fan-art over on my Tumblr, depicting all manner of neat things, including one very well done character template of Shahaz The Stinger! I absolutely love that one to bits! Obviously, if you'd like to see them all, you can find them on my Tumblr account. Be sure to let me know what you think!**

 **Do stay tuned for the coming chapters, of course! This one may have been one of the shorter ones in the story, but I assure you, the coming chapters will be quite fulfilling, least to say, with the likes of a brand new setting, the reemergence of some old faces, and even the introduction of some brand new ones too!**

 **Oh yeah, I got _plenty_ in store for you all!**

 **It'll be coming your way soon, as always! Thanks for reading, and may you all have a wondrous day! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: Yes, the events in _this_ chapter take place _in between_ the second and very final scene in chapter 67, Checkmate.**


	68. Welcome To The Woodlands

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Real quick notification here: We best put this chapter in the history books, because for the first time ever, WIF has not one, but two music suggestions!**

 **Such a special occasion, isn't it? All jokes aside, the two following music suggestions are pieces that I find particularly fitting for the two separate scenes that they correspond with in the chapter itself, of course. As our heroes finally arrive at the lovely Deciduous-District, I highly recommend this one music piece;**

 **Grasslands, All the Way (Mix)**

 **And as for the second one, of which fits with the very final scene, well, I won't spoil anything for any of you, of course, but let's just leave it at this;**

 **Shamanic drum & Didgeridoo Hypnotic Meditation music**

 **Don't worry: You'll recognize it when you get there, I'm sure! Regardless, that's pretty much all I got for now, so let's jump right into this, shall we?**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

11:45 P.M

"You know, for a temporary dishonorable exile from the city, this isn't all that bad, really."

Judy rolled her eyes upon hearing Nick's rather sardonic comment.

"And what makes you say that, huh?" The rabbit questioned.

"Well, for starters, I have you..." He started, wiggling his eyebrows. "And secondly, I heard the Deciduous-District has some amazing maple syrup."

Smirking pleasantly, Judy tugged on the wheel of the cruiser, causing it to turn steadily as the vehicle glided along the northern mountain roads.

"Maple syrup, huh? Might go good with mom's blueberry pancakes, now that you bring it up." She mused, her amethyst-colored eyes trained on the road ahead of them.

"Ooo, that's an idea if I've ever heard one!"

The two mammals laughed jovially and with great ease, their consistent chortles reverberating around the inside of their police cruiser as it silently drove down the smooth surface of the road, save for a few occasional bumps in the asphalt here and there, of course. Together, the two tiny officers set off towards their next destination, and in turn, their next adventure: The dense woods of the Deciduous-District, where they would spend the next few weeks of their lives in a temporary sort of exile while the ZPD works to clean up the mess left behind by Grygorri Ratsputin, whose rather untimely death seemed to have only made even more problems that needed to be dealt with properly.

Throughout their lives together thus far, neither of the two mammals had ever been to the Deciduous-District before, save for a few police chases on the outskirts of the district itself, which connected to the northern border of Tundra-Town, lined along a ridge of towering mountains. Although neither were sure just what exactly awaited them there, from the few pictures that they had seen of the place to begin with, they expected a bright, colorful sort of mini-city sprouting from the ground right alongside the many trees.

And boy did it deliver...

Upon rearing over another mountainous ridge along the road, the lapin and vulpine's police cruiser leveled into sight with one of the most beautiful, vivid, and healthy-looking districts the two of them had ever had the pleasure of seeing. From the winding road atop the mountain pass, for as far as the eye could see, a massive valley of lush, colorful trees stretched onward, broken through only be the occasional building or rocky cliff structure, including the likes of towering boulder piles. In the eastern distance, a snaking river, cut though the tress, flanked by a decently sized riverside town of wood and stone, with a massive dam on the river: Beaverdam, the source of the air-conditioned wall's power.

In the far distance, craggy, blue-ish mountains boxed in the Deciduous-District, creating a forested valley of trees, lakes, and various colorful villages amongst the flora. As their cruiser entered the forest itself, the two tiny mammals marveled at the sight of the sun's bright yellow beams as they dappled through the healthy green leaves above their heads, streaming across the forest floor with vivid patterns of light. Lush green grass sprouted from the forest floor, peaking out from between cracks of rocks and boulders, and gravel paths webbed throughout the thick of the woods.

Above their heads, smooth boardwalks of wood crisscrossed amongst the branches of the towering trees, creating a network of bridges and platforms, some few even lined with small-sized houses, almost all of which were also made of wood and planks. from the shingled rooftops, flowers and patches of grass sprouted alongside solar-panels. As their cruiser continued smoothly down the road, both of the two tiny officers were quick to spot various villages on the forest floor, some made from wood like the ones in the canopy, others structured more so like the buildings in the Rainforest-District.

Eventually, their car reached their intended destination: The head-quarters of Precinct Seven, the Deciduous-District's resident ZPD office, where the vulpine and lapin would be expected to work beneath their new and temporary superior, a grizzly bear known as Chief Tom Urzo. Back before they had left Precinct One, Bogo had informed them that he had previously notified the grizzly bear chief of their impending arrival, where they would be given a tour of the Precinct before being shown to their new and temporary home.

The lobby of Precinct Seven was lain with a smooth tile floor, much like that of Precinct One, though quite a bit smaller, and with much more plant life.

Down the center of the lobby, flanking lines of vertical pine trees jutted out from large glass boxes, clearly for decoration factors, though Nick personally thought that it must've been an unnecessary hassle to have to clean up after all of the fallen pine needles. Ever the pessimist, he was. Regardless, the sight was still quite unique, especially when paired with the glassy ceiling and the patches of grass and boulders laden throughout the main lobby of the building.

Soon enough, the pair reached the receptions desk, of which was a large, oval shaped ring of gray-ish stone in the very center of the lobby, much like Clawhauser's desk back at Precinct One. The differences stopped there, however, as instead of being piled high with donuts and other high-caloric delicacies, the stone stable was lined with dozens of different stacks of papers and other miscellaneous objects, including multiple computer monitors of varying shape and size. In the middle of it all was an average sized female timber wolf, busily typing away at one of the various keyboards, her brown eyes intently trained upon the screen in front of her, so much so that she didn't even notice the first ring of the nearby office bell that Nick had flicked with his index finger in order to get her attention.

On the second time, the timber wolf looked up from her screen and eyed the empty space in front of her, only looking down and spotting the two smaller officers after Judy Hopps herself waved in an effort to acquire the lupine's gaze. Smiling, the timber wolf leaned forward on the surface of her desk, crossing her arms and smiling as she spoke;

"Well, you must be officers Hopps and Wilde! We've been expecting you!"

Her voice was friendly and very warm: It was clear that she must've been an admirer of their past achievements.

"Yeah, that's us alright." Nick replied back, stepping closer to the foot of the stone desk. "We're here to speak with Chief Urzo... Think that you could you direct us to him?"

"Sure thing!" The wolf claimed as she leaned over to her right and pressed down upon one of the comms buttons. "Hey Tom! The new recruits are here!"

After a few brief seconds of static fuzz, a gruff sounding voice growled back through the intercom;

"Alright, send 'em in."

Nodding in approval, the she-wolf turned off the microphone before returning her attention to the fox and bunny before her.

"His office is straight that way, past the boulder, down the hall and to the right. You can't miss it!" She stated, pointing across the lobby.

Following the directions given to them earlier by the friendly receptionist, Nick and Judy immediately made way towards the office of their new and temporary superior. Upon reaching his rather large and towering door, they knocked in a request for entry, effectively causing the occupant within the room itself to promptly invite them inside his office;

"Door's unlocked!"

Nick and Judy both glanced at eachother quizzically before looking back at the door and shouting back in unison;

"Door's too heavy!"

Inside, a groan of discontent echoed, followed by several heavy footsteps, each one growing louder and more powerful up until the wooden door swung open, revealing the interior of the office, and the chief of Precinct Seven himself: Chief Tom Urzo was undoubtedly a grizzly bear, with his thick coat of dark-brown fur, large paws tipped with thick claws, and his massive body coated in blue, his collar lined with a row of golden-colored stars. The grizzly bear's holster belt wrapped around the thick of his torso and over his shoulder, and he wore a large bowl-brim police hat with a metal badge in the shape of a pine tree pinned to the front of the cap.

His large blue eyes looked down at the two comparatively tiny officers from above.

"So these are the two officers that practically saved Zootopia, huh?" Chief Urzo grumbled with a distasteful expression. "Why Bogo sent you _here_ for punishment is beyond me."

"Pretty sure he just wanted us to annoy you." Nick stated jokingly, to which the grizzly bear grunted.

"Joker now, are ya? When I'm through with you, there won't be an ounce of humor left to spare... One thing that never survives a round with me is a sense of it."

"We'll see about that." The fox mused.

"We best be off, now, I suppose... Precinct Seven isn't going to tour itself, is it?" The grizzly bear stated with a smug grin across his face. "Welcome to the woodlands, officers."

* * *

 _Somewhere on Outback-Island..._

2:54 P.M

The room was dark, lit only by the very dimmest of candles and lamplight.

A deep and soothing orange glow pooled within the dark recesses of the room, illuminating the interior like a peaceful sunset on the very edge of the Outback itself. Smooth wooden walls, like the inside of an old log cabin, were lined with dozens of ancient-looking relics and artifacts: Oval-shaped shields with crests of feathers, obsidian tipped spears, and traditional marsupial tribe quilts all adorned themselves across the musty walls of the small, rectangular room.

Centered on the far side of the room, a large wooden work desk was shoved up right against the edge of the corresponding wall, of which supported a thin shelf decorated with small stone idols, colorful and jagged crystals, and weathered gem-working tools. And above even that, a massive, brightly painted didgeridoo was propped up by numerous tiny pegs, proudly displaying the monstrous wooden instrument to the entire room, for all to see.

However, only one such mammal was able to see such a magnificent sight.

He sat quietly next to the old work desk, his rather stocky form deeply cloaked in shadows from the overlapping lights sported throughout the area of the entire room. The mammal's rust-orange eyes intricately gazed over a multitude of rocks and pebbles lain out before him across the smooth wooden surface of the table. As he eyed them over reverently, his large claws, of which were carved with traditional marsupial line art as a testament to his cultural heritage, delicately picked about the collection of stones and other trinkets, carefully brushing off bits of unwanted dust and decay from their statures.

There was nothing he loved more than the sweet, mahogany smell of his personal study, with the many hundreds of diverse relics and artifacts, each one telling an entire legacy to behold, each one filled with history and culture, each one serving as a testament to the handiwork of the past. This was his specialty: The handiwork of the past. There wasn't a single object nor item in the entire room that he didn't know and recognize like the back of one of his meaty paws.

Everything in the room had a story, and he knew every story. Everything had a purpose and a history, save for one, single, unopened letter...

Earlier that day, when the mammal had first received the letter from one of his comrades, he was rather admittedly quite flattered: He was quite used to obtaining his usual mail electronically, so to have someone take the time out of their day to write him a full-fledged letter was something that he found great appreciation from, especially given his more practical preferences. However, the new item stood in a rather stark, if not personal mental contrast in comparison to the other objects throughout the room, for unlike the latter, the mammal knew nothing of its origin, purpose, or plan. Ever since he had first received the mysterious letter, nearly an hour ago at this point in time, he had cast it off and to the side, where it gathered dust amongst the musty room.

Nonetheless, he knew that waiting any longer would only draw more anticipation upon him.

Setting down the tiny chunk of orange-colored citrine crystal that he had been previously examining, the mammal leaned over to his left, careful not to scald himself on the nearby candle flame, and plucked the aforementioned letter from atop the pile of books that he had so carelessly placed it upon. Using his thick and chiseled claws, he then tore open the very top of the letter, cautious with his movements so as not to accidentally destroy whatever delicate communicative treasure was hidden within its papery contents.

Casting the shredded envelop over his burly shoulder and onto the floor behind him, the mammal then brought the wrinkled note to his face, and quietly begun to read;

 _To my dearest associates,_

 _I am certain that by now you have heard word on the death of Grygorri Ratsputin, whom took his own life upon being confronted by ZPD officers called onto the scene of his private estate. The details that the press have presented thus far are unsurprisingly limited, due to the current lack of an official report from the forces behind his arrest, but if there is one thing we know for certain, it's that the rat's personal extortion archive has been salvaged and taken into custody by the ZPD._

 _As I'm sure you may have reasoned, this is very grim news for the four of us and our respective lines of work. Ratsputin had information on all of us. With him out of the picture, and all of his evidence in the paws of the ZPD, this puts not only us, but our entire livelihoods on the line as well, for as long as they claim possession over the rat's recovered archive, none of us are safe. Even as early as today, here in Tundra-Town, I have received reports of other more minor criminal figureheads being arrested, the causing factor being the ZPD's latest stolen trove of knowledge, without a doubt. It is only a matter of time before they turn their attention towards us, and when they do, it will be a truly calamitous day indeed._

 _To combat this imminent predicament, I propose that we hold a meeting between ourselves and our highest ranking lieutenants, where we will discuss ideas and solutions so as to ensure the safety, security, and stability our criminal empires. The incarceration and imprisonment of Shahaz Pholmok, and the predominant dissolution of his criminal syndicate has already left a terrible blemish upon all of our finances and hopes, but we simply cannot sit back and let the ZPD pick us off one by one. It is time to take a stand._

 _Tomorrow, at 10:00 P.M, we will meet in the Grand Palm Hotel, in a reserved conference room titled under the number 1348. I have personally gone forth and made the reservations for us all, using my own money. If you value your livelihood, liberty, and life itself, you will make an appearance along with your two highest ranking associates._

 _With sincerity,_

 _~B_

The mysterious mammal smiled darkly, his chapped pink lips unsealing themselves to reveal a set of large, sturdy white fangs.

"Heh heh... Ever the artisan, aren't you, Cristoforo?" He murmured quietly, his whittled claws gliding over the ink-wrought writing. "Such exquisite cursive, too."

Smiling all the while, the mammal brought the crinkled letter to his face, hovering it directly in front of his nose as he inhaled, the wafting and almost bitter fragrance from the material causing his prickly fur to stand on end. He then sighed in an almost pleasurable indulgence before setting the letter back down onto the smooth wooden surface of his desk.

With its true purpose having been gathered and achieved, the mammal saw the letter as no longer of any use to him. Reaching out across the table in front of him, he plucked one of the incense sticks from its holder before bringing it up to his face, analyzing the small tuft of smoldering material as it weakly emitted tendrils of light smoke. Without any further hesitation, the mammal then pressed the burning tip of the stick onto the crinkled surface of the letter, holding it firmly for a few brief seconds before the blaze at last managed to gain enough strength to burn on its own.

He dropped the smoking incense rod without a second thought, his full attention now focused onto the oil-black words of the letter as they vanished within the line of ash that crept along the length of the paper, continuing until there was nothing left but blackened dust and a few smoldering bits of leftover parchment. The mammal then carefully swept his palm across the surface of the table, his sculpted claws brushing away the remnants of the arctic shrew's letter off of the desk and onto the cold, hard floor.

"Hmm... I haven't left the Outback in ages." He muttered lowly to himself. "I suppose I could use a vacation."

Rising from his chair, the mammal relished in the feeling of his muscles stretching and unwinding, releasing all of the built-up potential energy that had accumulated throughout the many hours that he had spent in his personal study, viewing over the favored additions of his rock collection. With his intentions as fiery and as passionate as the setting Outback sun, the mammal set out for the room's exit, the lumbering sway of his strides causing the multicolored tribal beads braided within his dark-black fur to clatter against one another next to his ears, filling his sense of sound with soft noises like that of a wooden wind chime.

Surprisingly peaceful, as it was. At least in his opinion, of course.

Continuing across the room, the mammal made sure to grab his safari hat and suit jacket, each colored identically to the dim lighting of the room itself. After buttoning up the aforementioned suit, he then took to wrapping his thick biceps with his favored traditional marsupial line cloth, of which had been passed down through his family by generation upon generation. As a relic of his ancient family history, and an artifact of his cultural heritage, he could not have been a single bit prouder to wear them: They were his legacy.

But of course, the last two items that he selected for his journey were perhaps the most vital: One snaking whip curled and tucked away into his suit, and one sturdy boomerang strapped to his hip, fastened snugly in a sort of holster that wrapped itself around his waistline. The mammal was ready for his next endeavor, and now, all that he had left to do was ferry himself to the mainland, leaving behind his beloved Outback-Island. The crime-lord smiled, breathing out as he readied himself for the coming adventure.

"Zootopia, here I come."

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Ooo, spooky ending, huh? Not to worry, though: The identity of this mysterious new mammal will be revealed within the coming chapter, I assure you! :P**

 **Though, I have a feeling that some of you more observant and mnemonic readers might already have at least an idea of just who exactly he is...**

 **Regardless, I thank you all very much for reading, of course! Do feel free to leave a nice and lengthy review detailing your thoughts over this particular chapter, from Nick and Judy's arrival at the Deciduous-District and their tour of the Precinct 7 head-quarters, to the mysterious reveal of the mysterious mammal! In the end, I always appreciate some nice and positive feedback, so any and all reviews for this latest chapter will be welcomed wholeheartedly!**

 **Lastly: Although this chapter may be rather short compared to some of the others, the next chapter is a whopping 12K+ words! Can't wait to release it!**

 **Anyhow, that's pretty much it for now, my friends. Again, thanks for reading, of course, and do stay tuned for chapter 72, comin' your way soon! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: You can epxect the coming chapters to have lots of world-building and fluff with Nick and Judy. Stay tuned!**


	69. The Council of Crime

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Mega quick author's note here, but I just have another quick music suggestion for basically this entire chapter, really: Perfect for a meeting scene like this!**

 **Fawful's Evil Plan - Music**

 **Yeah, that's it! Should give you the results I'm referring to! Do take it as you will, of course. Now, without any further ado, let's jump into this, shall we?**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"Paranoia has a sharper taste if the danger is real." - Pat Conray

* * *

9:35 P.M

Knowledge is power.

There is simply no denying the concept of such. Through informative assimilation, one can gain an unprecedented advantage over another. Through knowledge, power can be obtained. Perhaps none knew this better than Grygorri Ratsputin himself: His work in extortion, threats, and blackmail over the years had taught him that knowledge, of all things, was perhaps the most valuable. Throughout his life, he had acquired a near-bottomless treasure trove of information on the city's most prominent and powerful figureheads, from public officials to ruthless crime-lords.

But now, the rat's rather expansive collection was in the hands of the ZPD, whom were very ecstatic at not only finally being able to rid the city of the blight that the rat had subjugated them to all those years, but also because of the information that they salvaged from his personal estate. Upon discovering Ratsputin's hidden vault, the ZPD officials at the scene immediately took to tagging, documenting, and assimilating the evidence into their very own archive. Thousands upon thousands of different items, objects, and ideas: It would take them entire months on end to sort through it all. Despite that, the payout was undoubtedly worth it: Criminals big and small would be brought to justice!

However, not _everyone_ was so happy...

Although the ZPD had acquired a brand new trove of evidence to use against their enemies, and were quite pleased because of it, said enemies were anything but: Throughout the city of Zootopia, from Outback-Island to the Nocturnal-District, the various crime-lords of the city were all in varying states of panic and paranoia, understandably so, since their entire livelihoods were on the line now that the rat's private collection had at long last been finally exposed to the world. As long as the evidence was in the paws of the ZPD, _nobody_ in the criminal underworld was safe, not even the bat lord Vladzotz Fangpyre, all the way down in the plumbless depths of the Nocturnal-District.

Due to his position of power over the likes of Tundra-Town, the arctic shrew Cristoforo Biggit, better known by his criminal alias of Mr. Big, was the very first to recognize the potential, yet imminent threat of the ZPD and their brand new batch of toys. With his range of influence being closest to the rat's personal estate, it was only a matter of time before his men started returning to him with reports detailing the likes of the ZPD's involvement in the rat's death and arrest.

Mr. Big, being a longtime friend of the old rat, was quite taken back upon hearing word of his death: The two rodents had been chess buddies for the longest of times, and had established a near weekly assignation over a simple game of chess, where the two would chat idly all the while tossing weathered chess-pieces around a black and white board. Over all the many years that the two of them had played against one another, Mr. Big had only ever won a single time. To this day, he still wasn't sure whether it had been purposeful on the rat's behalf or not, but regardless, it was certainly a surprise to him, at least.

Regardless, Ratsputin was now dead at last. Mr. Big himself figured that it would have happened sooner or later, given his age, but he never could have imagined that he would go out by his own hand; Driving his very own sword through his chest and ultimately ending his life. Must've been a very painful way to go. But in the end, Mr. Big could not dwell on the hopes and dreams of the past: There was work to do, and if he and his criminal associates were to survive the coming months as the ZPD pieced together the likes of their brand new evidence collection, then he would have to tread extra carefully, and take even more precautions.

And so, the arctic shrew called forth a meeting between himself and the very largest of criminal figureheads in the city, including all of the remaining crime-lords. Unfortunately, that meant that Shahaz 'The Stinger' Pholmok would have been unable to attend, due to his current imprisonment at the hands of Mr. Big's grandchild's godmother, Judy Hopps. Regardless, he still sent letters to all of the others, including the likes of his old friend-turned rival, Vladzotz Fangpyre, down in the Nocturnal-District: It was apparent to the old arctic shrew that every last bit of help would be needed, and that all of the remaining crime-lords would have to work together if they were to overcome this predicament.

The titular arctic shrew had not met with the bat lord fact-to-face in nearly half a decade, at this point: The bubbling guilt over the deaths of Vladzotz's old family had simply been too much, and Mr. Big found himself unable to face the bat lord, especially since he did not know that it was _he_ who had originally ordered Castle Fangpyre to be burned down, making him, albeit indirectly, responsible for the deaths of his family, including the likes of his two children, one barely being more than a few weeks old at the time.

Nonetheless, Mr. Big _had_ heard rumors... Rumors that Vladzotz himself had moved on with his life, and found love once again... If anything, that fact alone gave the arctic shrew some shred of hope: Hope that if his nocturnal-counterpart ever managed to place him as the cause behind his old family's death, that the bat lord would perhaps show mercy.

Meanwhile, the bat lord himself, however, had nothing on his mind but what lay ahead. Together, he and his mate, Lucy Sang, marched down the long hall-way that led to their designated conference room, where the two of them intended on partaking in the criminalistic meeting so as to reach a fitting conclusion towards the imminent threat of the ZPD itself. They both knew of the stakes that accompanied this particular meeting: Both respective vampire bats had only everything to gain from making an appearance, and so, when the male offered up the chance to that of his beloved mate, she was quite eager to accompany him, immediately making haste with their twin plans to show up there.

Now, at long last, the time was upon them. Both bats knew that all of the remaining crime lords, excluding that of poor Shahaz Pholmok, would be there to represent their respective lines of criminalistic business outings. Unfortunately for Lucy herself, that meant that Al Catpone was to be there as well, whom she had made an enemy of in the past over an unfortunate string of events that ended up with the female vampire bat having acquired a rather sizable portion of the jungle cat crime-lord's treasured drug profits.

Recognized the threat of such a reunion, Lucy's dear mate, Vladzotz Fangpyre, took to briefing her over the many risks, and explaining to her not to push any sensitive buttons;

"Don't forget that Alphonse Catpone will be there, my dear." The male bat stated as the two approached the end of the hall. "He'll more than likely bring up your theft, so-"

"So try not to drag on the topic, I get it, Vladdy, don't worry!" Lucy reassured him, interjecting his previous statement with her own. "We've been over this before. It'll be fine!"

"I certainly hope so... Knowing you, I have a sinking feeling that things might take a rather counterproductive turn..." Vlad mumbled, his tone more teasing than anything else.

"What, you sayin' I'm not productive? Remember the time we finished briefin' with those Bugga-Burger representatives, and _still_ had time to do a quickie? Now _that's_ productive!"

Vladzotz chuckled along with his mate, the twin chortling of the two vampire bats filling the silence of the rather luxuriously decorated hall-way. Soon enough, Vlad stated aloud;

"While on the topic, my dear, I must warn you to be careful with the wanton displays of affection in public, since no one here knows of our relationship with one another yet."

" _Hmph_!" The female bat stifled. "You're no fun... Hell, if I had it _my_ way with you over all of this, I wouldn't mind going at it on the chandelier down in the hotel lobby!"

At that, Lucy swung her waist over and hip-checked Vladzotz, causing him to slightly stumble as her shapely pelvis softly collided with his own. The bat lord smiled and snorted rather humorously through his nostrils, tightening his bat-shaped bowtie and recomposing himself as he continued speaking aloud to his mate, whom listened with polite intent.

"As fun as that sounds, we'll have to save it for another time, my dear." Vlad exclaimed, pointing towards the door some ten feet in front of them.

"Like I said, you're-no-fun!" The female bat teased, emphasizing each word by tapping her mate upon the shoulder with one of her clawed fingertips. She then cooed out loud;

"Ever the gentlemammal, aren't you, Vladdy-Daddy?"

The male bat slightly seized up, coughed, and then cleared his throat rather irritably upon hearing his mate refer to him as such a title. He grumbled aloud;

"Never call me that again."

" _Aw_ , but I think it's so _cute_ , though! So _fitting_ , too..." Lucy mused, narrowing her eyes as she moistened her lips.

"Okay, do I have to bring up the affection thing again?" Vladzotz threatened, to which Lucy shrugged innocently.

"No no, don't mind me... Just getting it all out of my system, as they say..."

Vladzotz stifled a slight chuckle, but as he refocused his gaze down the space in front of him, his single, blood-red eye locked onto the likes of a tall wooden door, just mere feet in front of them both. From inside, the rather sensitive ears of the two respective vampire bats could detect a great and very diverse range of voices, noises, and other sounds.

"I guess this is the place." Vladzotz hypothesized, gesturing to the towering oak door in front of them both.

"Alright, let's do this!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly, her emerald-colored eyes widened in a rather fervid sense anticipation.

From there, the two vampire bats pushed against the comparatively large door together, effectively causing it to swing open and reveal the interior of the conference room to their waiting and anxious eyes. The room was quite spacious, with wide swathes of empty floor in the very middle of the space, and a few small tables piled high with food shoved over into the sides of the room, where a few stacks of padded chairs flanked in towering columns. Milling around the empty space, mingling, arm-wrestling, and playing various card games, dozens of different mammals of varying sizes filled the room, with criminals of all shapes and sizes intent on participating in the meeting. Mobsters from the Rainforest-Outfit, the Tundra-Town mafia, and a number of others were all present.

At the far back of the room, a large, semi-circular rotunda overlooked the city of Zootopia, with the floor-to-ceiling windows displaying the city canopy in all its colorful night-time glory. Sitting at the table, which to them both was quite well-proportioned, two large predatory mammals, a jaguar and a polar-bear, sat talking quietly to themselves. Vladzotz recognized the latter as Kozlov, Mr. Big's personal body-guard and second in command of the Tundra-Town mafia. Looking even closer, the bat lord could see the arctic-shrew in question as he sat within his tiny little chair, all the while boxed in between Kozlov's meaty white paws. As for the jaguar, it didn't take a genius to deduce whom exactly _he_ was;

"There's Al Catpone..." Vlad warned, pointing towards the large jungle cat crime-lord. "Just follow my lead, and try not to make yourself too much of a visual target in his eyes..."

Unlike the last time that they had converged, in which the jaguar had been wearing earthen colors, this time, Vlad noticed that Catpone wore all black, save for his hat.

"So that's the big guy himself, huh? Yeah, I think I recognize the face... What's his gig again?" The female vampire bat asked curiously.

"Alphonse has nearly _fifty percent_ of the drug market under _his_ control... It's quite remarkable, I admit, but not something that he takes very lightly..."

"If he has so much power in the drug market, then why is he so damn upset over me swiping a few thousand dollars? Must be butter and egg money for him..." Lucy grumbled.

Vladzotz exhaled heavily through his nostrils before bothering to respond;

"Like I said, Alphonse takes his drug trade _very_ seriously... Why wouldn't he? He alone may control nearly half of the drug market, but that's just about all that he does, really: His range of income is practically exclusive to that particular field. He has nothing to fall back on! In the end, it makes sense that he would be so distraught over such a loss."

"Eh, I guess so... _Ooh_ , looks like they have some punch over there at the beverage table!" Lucy suddenly exclaimed with glee. "Gonna have to go and try some later on, no?"

"Agreed." Vlad added.

Together, the two vampire bats approached the table on the far side of the room, their rather small forms squeezing around through the thick of the crowd, which mostly parted for them, save for a few dull stragglers and whatnot. As the crowd parted for the two bats as they strolled towards the table, more attention started growing upon them both, as the many pairs of eyes around the room begun to stare them down, some with distaste, others with approval, and the rest with either respect or fear, with little gray between.

Some hidden faces amongst the crowd uttered varying words of thought, with Vladzotz's sensitive ears detecting a choice few ranging from _Sleep_ to _Chocolate Fountain_.

"And there he is!"

Al's rather booming voice rang out from the other side of the room as he stood from his seat and raised his arms up, smiling all the while;

"Vladzotz, you made it, bo! I've been waiting all-"

The rather jovial yellow-spotted jaguar trailed off as his eyes locked onto the drastically smaller form of Lucy Sang, whom stood right beside Vladzotz himself, simply smiling at the crime lord of the Rainforest-District as his expression turned stony cold, and his thick, meaty fists clenched tightly into rigid balls, his anger seemingly rising by the second.

Suddenly, Catpone's sharp teeth sliced clean through his cigar, cutting the stick of tobacco in half, with one portion falling onto the surface of the table, while the other was near instantaneously spat out to the jaguar's left. Al raised his paw and smashed a clenched fist against the table, crushing the smoldering cigar half beneath his meaty fist and causing the table to rattle from the force of his exertion, effectively deafening the entire room.

" _YOU_!" Al roared, jabbing his pointer finger towards Lucy, fumes of black smoke billowing from his fanged maw as he heaved frustrated breaths.

The female bat swiftly eyed him up and down, her left eyebrow raised as she deftly uttered her coming words;

"Sorry, and you are...?"

Al Catpone stifled an incredibly low, primal-sounding growl, the silence of the room only amplifying his already sinister snarling.

"Pretentious little _twist_... You _DARE_ show your face here! I should kill you where you stand!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, _mister_ muscle-head!" Lucy crooned teasingly. "You tryin' to scare me? _Please_. I don't even know who you are!"

"Don't you play the victim here! You know who I am!" The irate jaguar shouted back angrily, his claws digging into the smooth wooden surface of the table.

"And that would be...?"

"Alphonse Catpone! Learn it like you love it!"

Lucy laughed aloud, her chortles only broken when she finally spoke out, her talons planted firmly on the sides of her hips;

"Sorry sweetie, doesn't ring a bell... I only remember things I find important, anyways..."

The jaguar growled lowly, his yellow-ish fangs clenched together as tight as his thick meaty fists: It was quite clear that he was _very_ angry.

"I would've thought you'd remember how you pinched my drug profits back then! Thas' _my_ expertise! You owe me either ten grand in compensation, or your _head_!"

As Al Catpone finalized that last statement, he rather forcefully jabbed a switch-blade into the wooden surface of the table, planting the tiny dagger the exact moment that he spat his last word. Lucy herself didn't seem very phased at his hissing threats, though her large ears did twitch in dismay as the jaguar brought the blade down onto the table.

"Oh, just get over it, you big kitten." Lucy rebuked with a distasteful scoff. "I didn't bother coming here just to waste my time on mammals like _you_."

Throughout their verbal smack-down, the surrounding crowd of onlooking mammals had gradually begun to rile up in anticipation, with choking laughs of amusement, and lowly snarls of disapproval resonated amongst the irritated masses. Vladzotz himself could tell that tension was clouting in the air around them all, but in the end, he didn't blame a single one of them: They were all anxious, agitated, and scared. For a good reason, too: As long as the ZPD had Ratsputin's archive, none of them were safe. Not a single one.

"Kitten?!" The jaguar continued with a snarl. "I am the _crime-lord_ of the Rainforest-District! Who are _you_ to challenge _my_ authority?!"

"This ain't the rainforest, sweetheart... Here, you're just another ally cat with a stick up his ass."

Vladzotz clenched his jaws together, his large fangs grinding against one another as anger began to build within his being. Here, Lucy was openly defying his one and only request: To stay humble, quiet, and at ease. She was purposefully stoking the flames for her own personal amusement, forgetting that the meeting was potentially a matter of life and death for every mammal in the entire room, herself included. He couldn't blame her though: Past her teasing and outspoken facade, there was a being just looking for something to hold on to. She, along with everyone else, was under a great deal of stress, and for that, Vladzotz thoroughly understood her plight for attention from the crowd.

"I'll see you dead, _vermin_!" Al roared, pulling his knife from the table and beginning to make his way towards Lucy, whom reached for the little hidden knife on her left ankle.

However, Vlad was also angry at Al Catpone: His friend, business partner, and financial associate. Yet at the same time, he had allowed himself to fall utterly short of his usual peaceful and pacified attitude, instead favoring petty insults and useless, unproductive squabbling, amounting to nothing but lost potential and soured attitudes. But, past all of that, nothing drew Vlad's anger to more heights than the fact that Catpone was so blatantly accusing his mate of such absurd prospects, that by no means belonged in their current situation. Little did Al Catpone himself, or anyone else seem to realize or even know, Vladzotz cared deeply for Lucy, and it was time that a line was drawn into the sand.

The bat lord quickly ran between Al and Lucy, positioning himself directly in front of his beloved mate. " _ENOUGH_!" He roared, spreading his wings and dividing the two mammals.

Near milliseconds after shouting aloud to the whole of the room, Vlad found himself listening to nothingness: Silence had completely enveloped the crowd, with the attention now turned solely to himself. Straightening himself out, yet keeping his leathery wings spread wide for intimidation, the bat lord angrily snarled his coming few words out loud;

" _How far_ have we fallen to have resulted to such _ridiculous_ antics?!" He loudly asked of the crowd. "The lack of delicacy makes my stomach _churn_ with absolute _disgust_!"

Vladzotz beat down his powerful wings, leaping slightly into the air before flapping over to the nearby tabletop, where everyone would be able to easily see and hear him.

"You _all_ should know better, especially now, with our livelihoods on the line! You would think that such a catalyst would draw us closer, but instead, I am disappointed to see that it only seems to have accomplished the exact opposite. Today, we are gathered for progress and efficiency, not for petty debating and name-calling! There are _far_ more important things at stake here than whatever absurd grievances you burden within your hearts! If only for this evening, set aside your grudges and disagreements, for the sake of order and development! This is _no_ begging cry... This is a _demand_! You all may be under great pressure, but it is _no excuse_ to banter and mill about like mere little children!"

The bat lord spread his leathery wings once more, making sure to display and show off all of the painful wounds on his arms and body as he growled aloud;

"I know that I did not go through **_hell and back_** just to see my criminal empire crumble because of one slimy little rodent's suicide! **_Compose yourselves_**!"

At that, Vladzotz folded up his wings, and took in the sight of his speech's effects: All around, the crowd of mammals was murmuring amongst themselves in agreement, many shuffling in discomfort as the truth dawned on them, and humiliation grew from it within their beings. Al Catpone himself refused to meet eyes with the bat lord, perhaps out of realization that he had been in the wrong to so blatantly initiate the previous verbal feud. Yet, Vladzotz cared not for any of them, and so, he turned his attention to the one soul that he truly did: Some ten feet away, Lucy Sang stood with her arms drooping at her sides, staring right back at Vladzotz, her expression laced with humility and deep thought.

Sulking over with a sigh, the female bat then promptly made her way up to the table, flapping atop one of the seats and joining Vladzotz, all the while making sure to stay as far away from the fuming jaguar as possible. Touching down on the comparatively large seat of the chair, Lucy sheepishly smiled at her mate, whom rather sternly stared her down.

"You shouldn't have fanned those flames, Lucy... You of all people should know what's at stake here..." Vladzotz chided, his pitch very low and brooding.

"He started it and you know it." She stated with a slight smile, of which Vladzotz himself added on to with his own minuscule grin. "I'm sorry about that."

"I can tell that your words are genuine, so I accept your apology, my dear. But in the end, it does not matter, for there is important work to do, yes?"

"Mister Fangpyre!" A rather booming male voice called out, catching the attention of the two respective vampire bats.

Both Vlad and Lucy turned towards the source, being Al Catpone himself, whom had reseated himself upon his side of the table, on the opposing end of the two vampire bats. It took a moment for the bat lord to realize that while he and Lucy had been converging, the crowd had simmered down and prepared itself to begin the very likes of the meeting. Hushing themselves properly, Vlad and his mate, along with the rest of the room, fixated their attention upon the towering jungle cat, whom snorted aloud through his nostrils.

"Vladzotz is right. As much as it pains me to admit it, it's high time that we set aside our differences and-"

 _Knock knock knock!_

The jungle cat trailed off as a slew of knocks pierced the air, interrupting his previous statement. Turning towards the source of the noises, the mass of the crowd locked their gaze upon the nearby door to the connecting hall-way as it swung open, revealing a whole new slew of guests, with some half-dozen or so medium-sized mammals, with the largest exception being a rather bulky-looking male kangaroo positioned at the back of the posse. What caught the attention of most of the present crowd wasn't just the new mammal's sudden introduction, but just how strange many of them looked: Including the kangaroo, four other beings set foot inside the room, all eyes locked onto each of them.

There was a medium-sized, sand-colored canine with black ears, eyes, and lips, easily identifiable as a dingo. Standing next to it, a smaller, portly looking rodent creature known as a wombat stood trying to make himself seem intimidating amongst his considerably taller friends. Beside that, a peculiar mound of fur, with a beaver's tail and a wide duck's beak, twirled a small razor around in its fingers, the webs of which had apparently been sliced, perhaps due to the creature's blade: A platypus, without so much as a single doubt.

However, it was undoubtedly the mammal at the very front of the group that drew the most attention from the onlooking crowd, despite being the smallest amongst his accompaniment. It was easily identifiable as a male, due to it's considerably bulky frame, but at the same time, the mammal was short and rather squat, with a little bit of a hunchback, even. The leading creature was dressed in a brown-ish orange safari-suit and slacks, with splashes of colors similar to that of a setting sun. Beneath the various articles of clothing, jet-black fur, save for a single brightly contrasting stripe of white that could be seen peeking out from beneath his collar, sprouted from the mammal's body.

Despite being the smallest in the group, the lead mammal looked ominously more deadly, like an explosive device that might go off at any second. No one there could blame themselves for thinking that way, for of all the marsupials and mammals in existence itself, none were more infamous for their hair-trigger temper than the tasmanian devils.

"G'day, everyone." The tasmanian-devil called out to the crowd. "Sorry I'm late to this pozzy... The bloody speed-boat was havin' some engine problems."

Upon hearing his peculiar-sounding voice, Lucy Sang's rather sensitive ears twitched as they registered his chords: His tone was surprisingly deep for his size, and although the little creature had a particularly distinct Outbacker accent, there was an underlying, almost exotic flair to it, as if his spicy words and tone were fueled by some sort of lineage.

"Iluka Rombahe..." Mr. Big muttered aloud, his voice filling the silence of the room. "You bless us with your presence... I was afraid that you weren't going to show up!"

The tasmanian devil smiled wide, his pink lips pulling back to reveal a set of sturdy white teeth. He then voiced his response;

"The Outback may be a far off place, but that didn't stop me from haulin' tail here to the Big Smoke as soon as I got your letter... I ain't riskin' _nothin_ ' to Precinct Five!"

"Well, as happy as we are that you could make it..." Al Catpone added irritably. "You should probably find a seat here at the table... We're just about to start the meeting."

"Ace then, lads!" Iluka exclaimed, his tawny-colored eyes wide and bright with anticipation.

Shortly followed by his accompanying henchmen, the tasmanian devil soon found himself a seat at the table, positioning himself directly between Mr. Big and the two vampire bats, whom the female of which was now staring the new mammal down with a sense of curiosity and even slight suspicion. Now that he was far closer, Lucy was able to make out the little details of Iluka's person: The coarse-looking, spiky black fur on the back of his head and neck was braided with strands of multi-colored wooden beads, each and every individual one painted over with meticulous design and thought. Tied into the fur upon his nape, several feathers jutted out from the back of his head, all braided into his hair along with the various strands of smooth wooden beads. Around his neck, a wiry black bolo-tie was centered with a bronze medallion, hanging just below his exposed throat.

Alongside that, the female bat also noticed that the tasmanian devil's rather thick claws were carved with traditional marsupial line-art, the kind that only the descendants of the ancient tribes on Outback-Island could acquire: Smooth dotted lines wrapped around his many claws, each one whittled with intricate precision and delicacy. Farther up the length of his arms, wrapped around his thick biceps, archaic cultural cloths clung to his suit: Staring down the patterns in the fabric itself, Lucy could see more marsupial line-art, alongside what looked to be some ancient weave designs of various animals and other objects, including the sun, moon, and a few little white dots for stars around the edges.

It was quite clear to Lucy that Iluka himself was quite the culturally attuned sort of mammal... She wondered if he had marsupial tribe blood in him.

Staring around the room, the female bat eyed over the four crime-lords, including her Vladdy: She couldn't even imagine the great power and influence they all must have had.

"Hey Vladdy..." The female bat started, nudging at her mate's shoulder. "So, you have your loans, espionage, and extortion, and Al has his drugs... What's the tazzy's gig?"

The bat lord pursed his lips, thinking over his female counterpart's previous question before stating aloud, his coming words rather soft so as not to disturb the ongoing meeting;

"Iluka's work is rather... _Unique_ , least to say. His seat of power over Outback-Island gives him some special advantages that the rest of us crime-lords don't have."

"How so?" Lucy inquired curiously.

"Drugs, for one thing: Outback-Island isn't a part of the mainland, and because of that, certain plants grow exclusive to the island, including drugs, like pituri, and cannabis, both of which can only be found there, deep in the Outback desert. Al Catpone may control nearly half of the entire drug trade in Zootopia, but Iluka has Outback-Island squared off."

"So what, he just does drug-related business too, like spots over there?" The female bat whispered lowly while pointing to Al, to which Vladzotz shook his head from side to side.

"Not quite, my dear. Alongside his region-specific drug market, Iluka also collects artifacts, mostly old relics leftover from the ancient marsupial tribes that once ruled the Outback before it was colonized. They left behind vast swathes of land deep in the Outback, and within, entire truckloads of rare items and artifacts ripe for the taking. A single artifact could sell for many thousands of dollars, being a very rare and unique material: They are only found on Outback-Island, after all. Iluka's made big money in the crime business over the years by acquiring these near-priceless artifacts, usually through theft, and selling them to his own accord on the black market, always to the highest bidder."

"Highest bidder?" Lucy blinked a single time. "Oh, right... Museums, or anyone just wanting to buy one, huh?"

Vladzotz nodded his head in confirmation, voicing his next words even softer, as he noticed Mr. Big giving him the stink eye for not paying attention to the conversation;

"Despite being a crooked treasure hunter, he's considered a renowned archaeologist by almost all of the museums in the city. Iluka is a direct descendant of some old marsupial tribe chief, you see, and he takes his ancestry very seriously: He doesn't even see himself as stealing the artifacts, but instead as reacquiring them, as if they are his birthright."

"Mister Fangpyre, Miss Sang..." Mr. Big called out loudly, startling both bats. "If you would _please_ stop _whispering_ , we might be able to concentrate on the matter at hand, here!"

"Second that, bo." Al Catpone added lowly. "We need all ears fo' this."

Al glanced down at the smoldering ruin of his cigar, growling lowly before turning slightly to his right. "Butt me!" He ordered to the likes of a nearby ocelot, whom frantically patted down his torso, eventually pulling out a brand new cigar before handing it to his boss. Placing the thick tobacco stick between his rather sharp-looking teeth, Al Catpone lighted it with a shiny silver lighter that he pulled from his pocket. The jaguar inhaled a deep breath through his maw, his eyes closed in shut in leisure. He then exhaled through his nostrils, the thick stream of smog clouting the clean air around his large head and vine-wrapped fedora. With a lowly grumble, Al initiated the meeting with five simple words;

"So then... Shall we begin?"

The crowd of mammals shuffled around in anticipation, and a few brief chuckles echoed around the near-silent room. A great and rather powerful sense of tension filled the air around them: Each and every individual mammal in the room knew the stakes, and what was in store for them all if they didn't reach some sort of solution to their problem. Knowing that Mr. Big himself was the one who called for the meeting in the first place, nearly all the eyes in the room were on him and him alone, waiting with baited breath for him to do something. The arctic shrew sighed broodingly before leaning forward in his tiny chair, readjusting his weight as he addressed the crowd, and the entirety of the room;

"My dear brothers and sisters in arms, today, we are gathered here not for trivial squabbling, but for progress. As you know, the ZPD has recently acquired a large surge of new intelligence, all gathered from the personal extortion archive of Grygorri Ratsputin, may he rest in peace... I cannot even begin to fathom, much less explain, just how disastrous this could be for us all..."

Mr. Big let that last statement sink in for a few brief seconds. He soon cleared his throat with an audible little grunt before resuming;

"Exploiting this new intelligence to their advantage, they have already begun to make arrests as early as yesterday morning. It is only a matter of time until they turn their attention towards _us_. To maintain our respective businesses and financial ties, we need to establish a fit solution, and soon... Because the stakes, have _never been higher_..."

"A solution, then." Iluka Rombahe added, effectively earning the attention of the crowd. "Does anyone have any ace ideas?"

"We must destroy this archive... Keep us all safe from ZPD." Kozlov suggested.

" _Obviously_!" A small female margay standing beside Al Catpone piped up in a considerably squeaky voice. "The question is _how_... How _do_ we destroy all of the evidence?"

Silence enveloped the room. It was clear that the ideas were running a little bit short, least to say. Soon enough, Al Catpone gestured to the margay while grumbling aloud;

"Margaret is right: The evidence needs to be _completely_ destroyed, since stealing it back would be impossible."

"Agreed." Vladzotz interjected. "We need to cut our losses and focus on minimizing damage, for now. Best way to do that would be to eliminate what the officials have on us all."

"I'm sensin' a lotta agreement, but no solutions!" The female margay hissed once again.

Another moment of uncomfortable silence, of which was only broken when the bat lord growled through clenched teeth before voicing his thoughts;

"Fire. We'll burn it... _All of it_. It's the only way to ensure that every last bit of evidence is completely destroyed."

Upon hearing Vladzotz bring up the idea of arson, Mr. Big glanced away and looked down in discomfort, one of his tiny paws scratching at the back of his neck all the while. The bat lord took note of the sudden gesture, and although he viewed as peculiar, if not a bit suspicious, he didn't dwell on it for very long at all. Meanwhile, the tasmanian-devil crime-lord chuckled as he drummed his carved talons upon the smooth wooden surface of the table, the slight pitter-pattering of each point of contact causing the sensitive ears of the vampire bats to twitch in minor annoyance.

"Alrighty then, arson it is." Iluka finalized with a single nod of his large head. "But how can we _possibly_ hope to torch it all? The archive is in the very _heart_ of Precinct One!"

"That's a good question, my friend..." Mr. Big stated glumly.

"But one that you don't have an answer to, I take it?"

The arctic shrew raised his little paw up to rebuke, but ultimately trailed off in disappointment, causing the tasmanian-devil nearby to snort through his nostrils in amusement.

"As I thought..." He mused almost tauntingly.

"Kozlov isn't seeing _you_ offering any either." The polar-bear behind Mr. Big grumbled lowly.

"Look who's talkin'!"

"Hold your tongues, the both of you! Save we have them _cut out_!" Vladzotz yelled from across the table. "Bickering won't resolve _anything_!"

Sighing, the bat lord then leaned back atop the far too-large seat, offing some of his weight upon the very back of the chair. Looking around the thick of the crowd, the varying expressions of those present was all Vlad needed to see to know that alongside a slight degree of tension, disappointment was in the air as well: People were here expecting answers to their problems, yet instead, no one could go more than a few minutes without bantering and throwing insults in a useless attempt to offload stress, fear, and anxiety.

The bat lord glanced to his mate, standing atop the very same chair that he was. He eyed her small, limber body shape, and took note of the bodysuit that clung tightly to her lithe frame: Perfect for sneaking in and out without a single ruffle of sound. Yes, the male bat recalled all too well how he and his female counterpart had first met, over a year ago, at this point in time, with the latter of the two breaking into the former's home and ultimately leading him on a wild goose-chase throughout the depths of the Nocturnal-District. Vladzotz narrowed his single, blood-red eye in deep thought, a new idea suddenly presenting itself, causing him to perk up and address the room with fervid confidence;

"I believe I might have a potential solution, actually."

"Do enlighten us, Mister Fangpyre." The arctic-shrew crime-lord proclaimed, readjusting his weight in his tiny little chair all the while.

The bat lord licked at his lips in anticipation, shifting his weight on his two clawed feet before leaping up onto the tabletop, where he voiced his thoughts out loud;

"I propose, like we discussed, an arson attempt: As mentioned earlier, burning all of the evidence would be the absolute best way to ensure our overall safety and security."

"Quit the earbashing and get to the point, Fangpyre!" Iluka growled, clearly rather impatient.

Meanwhile, Vladzotz himself scoffed at the tasmanian-devil's remark before continuing his explanation, all the while spreading his wings and gesturing towards his mate;

"My great friend and associate, Lucy Sang, is quite experienced in the, _ah_... Surreptitious arts, least to say: She is a highly seasoned sleuth, sneak, and swipe, without a doubt."

"Aw, you flatter me, Vladdy!" The female bat claimed bashfully, with her male counterpart taking note of what looked like a slight blush upon her face.

Clearing his throat audibly, he continued;

"As I was saying, I propose that we have Lucy enter the ZPD Head-Quarters, Precinct One, where she will set fire to the archive, destroying all of the evidence that the officials have on us. I reckon that using the air-ducts within the building itself, she'll easily be able to slip in unannounced, move about in secret, and flee without a single trace to leave."

After finalizing his previous statement, the bat lord analyzed the expressions of the various mammals around the room as his idea sunk in, and started to click to them all.

"That is good idea!" One nearby polar-bear stated from behind Kozlov.

"Yeah, I could see that working!" A lupine member of the Rainforest-Outfit proclaimed with glee.

"Don't see why not." The grizzled platypus beside Iluka muttered lowly.

For a brief moment, the bat lord reasoned that he had won over the council with his idea, that was, until Al Catpone slammed his fist onto the table in seeming disagreement.

"Nuh-uh, _no way_!" The jungle-cat crime-lord announced. "I ain't puttin' my faith in that _twist_ , and I sure as hell ain't trustin' her with what the ZPD has on me!"

"And why is that?" Mr. Big questioned curiously.

"For all I know, she'll burn everything 'cept what they got on the Rainforest-Outfit, leavin' me an' my boys out to dry!"

"Oh, by all means, give me some ideas." Lucy mused, baring her fangs in a smile, effectively causing Al Catpone to grit his jaw in frustration.

"You see what I'm talkin' about?!" He shouted angrily.

" _Bite me_!" The female bat spat back.

"Hold on now, I think that this is the ace idea that we've been lookin' for!" Iluka Rombahe spoke out in the two vampire bat's defense.

" _Thank you_!" Lucy exclaimed in relief.

"I second that. It's a good concept." Mr. Big added in that droning voice of his. "But to be fair, we need to ensure that we're all on the same side, here."

Vladzotz nodded his head in agreement as he uttered his coming words;

"Yes, that's right. Lucy, my dear, we need you to promise us that you will perform according to _everyone's_ best wishes, regardless of favor nor judgement. Can you do this?"

"Hmm." The female bat mused, crossing her arms as she pursed her lips. "Fine then. I'll comply. For _you_ , Vladdy, I'll do what needs to be done."

The bat lord smiled wide, his razor sharp fangs displayed from behind his lips as he straightened himself out and stated aloud to the crowd;

"Excellent! Once this meeting of ours is properly dealt with, Lucy and I will immediately begin making preparations for the mission, and all that comes after."

"Now how can we trust you both, especially _her_ , with a mission this crucial? _"_ Catpone jabbed a talon tip at Lucy _._ "How can we know if you're even capable of handlin' it?"

Upon hearing the jungle cat's latest accusation, Lucy Sang rolled her eyes in annoyance before leaning forward and retorting against Catpone's comment;

"Hey now, Vladdy and I have a business partnership, _Al_ , so we're used to working together. We get our fair share of work done. We're a very productive pair, actually..."

A sultry smile grew upon her face as she continued her previous statement;

"Just yesterday, in fact, after _hours_ of planning and preparing for _this_ pity-party, Vladdy and I still had the energy to stay up and make sweet, delicious muffins _all night long_."

At that comment, the general audience in the room visibly seized up, stiffening like planks of wood. Within mere moments, however, snickering laughter broke out amongst the crowd, with some few mammals wheezing in fervid chortling. Comments such as "I knew it!", "Called it!" and "Told you so!" were thrown around, only heightening the crowd's reverberating laughs and consistent snickers. Meanwhile, Vlad himself curiously glanced around the room, his large ears perked in seeming wonder. He then turned to his mate.

"What are you talking about?" Vlad whispered to Lucy, confusion lacing his expression. "We've never made muffins before... The safehouse doesn't even _have_ an oven..."

Another slew of chuckles echoed around the room, save for Al Catpone, whom was too busy growling broodingly to himself, and Mr. Big, whom voiced his very own thoughts;

"I don't get it..."

More laughing ensued. All the while, Kozlov leaned down and whispered lowly to his employer through cupped fingers, his response effectively causing the arctic-shrew's rather bushy eyebrows to raise, and for his blue-colored irises to stand out against the whites of his eyes, both of which were seen so little. " _Oh_..." He muttered beneath his breath.

Across the table, the tasmanian-devil crime-lord nonchalantly kicked his clawed feet up onto the table, chuckling all the while.

"Oi mate, pass the liquor, will ya?" Iluka requested, waggling one of his whittled claws towards the rum bottle on the far side of the table. "I'm as dry as Big's sense of humor."

Growling lowly beneath his breath, Kozlov reached out with one of his meaty paws before sliding the bottle over to Iluka, whom managed to intercept the item before it slid directly off of the table and onto the floor. Smiling, the tasmanian-devil then brought the opening of the glass to his lips, drinking deep from its contents before exhaling with a hefty sigh of indulgent relief. Coughing uncomfortably a single time, he then set the bottle back down onto the surface of the table and voiced his thoughts with a small grin;

"You know, all jokes aside, I think we should get back on topic, no?"

"Agreed." Al grumbled, furrowing his thick brow in frustration.

"Good on that, then... Should bring us to our next topic, yes?"

"Which would be?" Mr. Big inquired.

"Is it not obvious? Sheesh, I'm surrounded by the biggest drongos in the city... What needs to be done to prepare the bat sheila for the mission, of course!"

"Bat sheila?" Lucy repeated with a raised eyebrow and her paws planted upon her hips. "Never been called _that one_ before."

"Drongo?" Kozlov mumbled in confusion.

Iluka snickered. "Case in point!" He said with a smile, ultimately causing Vladzotz to snarl out loud;

"Enough of this farce! Your ridiculous vernacular has no place here, Iluka. Just say what needs to be said!"

"Sooks, the lot of you..." The tasmanian-devil grumbled. "Fine then." He spread his paws and calmly stated; "What needs to be done to prepare Miss Sang for her mission?"

"That's what I'm hoping we could cover now, though if need be, Lucy and I will resolve the matter on our own time." The bat lord claimed. Snorting, Al Catpone spoke aloud;

"Right then... So if we're gon' have the archive torched, she'll need to have somethin' wit' her to ignite a strong flame, preferably somethin' more effective than a lighter."

" _Grenade_!" Kozlov bellowed, causing some members amongst the crowd to audibly murmur in seeming approval.

"That could work." Mr. Big added. "It would have to be one strong enough to start a fire, though... Perhaps an incendiary?"

"Might take more than one, ya know..." Iluka muttered broodingly.

"Look how small she is, you think she'd be able to carry any more than three at a time, huh?" The jaguar crime-lord spat back.

" _Molotov_!" Kozlov called out once again, his rather booming voice startling Mr. Big in his tiny chair.

"No, that's barmy... Trying to balance one of those things without leakin' it everywhere would be impossible." The tasmanian-devil claimed. "Besides, if she drops it, she dies."

"Well aren't _you_ just a shiny ray of glow-worm bioluminescence!" Vladzotz hissed, clearly not wanting to imagine the thought of his best friend, his lover, being burned alive.

" _Semtex_!"

"SHUT UP!" The crowd shouted unanimously.

* * *

11:20 P.M

Business is as business is.

For the hours proceeding the council's decision to use Lucy Sang as their arsonist, the attendees of the meeting spent their remaining time together plotting out the finer, more intricate details of their overall plan. Soon enough, however, the meeting itself was adjourned, and those that stayed behind simply chose to mingle and relax, some few enjoying themselves at the beverage table, sampling the variety of diverse foods and drinks that were presented, ranging from deep bowls of dressing-drenched salad to fried bugs.

The female bat herself couldn't deny that she was rather excited about the coming mission, and the potential fun that it held. To be a part of something so big, so important, and so risky was a feeling that she lived for. Besides, she was already more than willing to partake in such an endeavor if only to assist the likes of her dear mate, Vladzotz.

Lucy was about to head over and speak with him, but as she stepped forward, she was held back by a strong tug on her left arm, someone gripping her rather lightly, but strong enough to restrict her movement. Swiveling her head over her shoulder, she locked eyes onto the larger body of the tasmanian-devil crime-lord, Iluka Rombahe, standing directly behind her with one of his meaty paws clenched around her forearm. Scowling, the female bat pulled against him, but her smaller body was no match against his weight.

"You better have a damn good reason for touching me, tazzy." She spat, baring her needle-like fangs in an expression of distrust and intentful hostility.

"Oh, I promise you, _I do_." Iluka claimed with a toothy, flickering smile. "Follow me."

Releasing his hold on Lucy's arm, the tasmanian-devil turned tail and slowly paced over to the corner of the room, but not before beckoning Lucy forward with one of his whittled claws, urging her to follow. With her wrist free from the crime-lord's grip, the female bat frowned and rubbed tenderly at the spot that he had been holding her, all the while approaching him from the behind, watching him with a great sense of suspicion and distrust, as if he might suddenly try jump up and spook her, or something similar to that.

Once the two mammals reached the very corner of the room, Iluka turned around and faced the female bat before saying aloud;

"Listen and listen closely, bat, I don't have much time left here in the Sahara: I have business to attend to in the Deciduous-District, so let's make this quick, yes?"

"Alright, I'm listening... Spit it out, then, tazzy." Lucy insisted rather impatiently as she crossed her arms across her chest in a gesture of distrust.

The tasmanian-devil crime-lord smiled wide, his pink lips pulling back and revealing a set of formidable chompers.

"Beaut! 'Kay then, I'm askin' you to do a job for me... Not a very big one, but very important to me nonetheless. When you go and sneak into the ZPD archive on your little mission, I simply request that you retrieve a single item from the rat's pillaged stash for me: A sword, disguised as an old cane. Ratsputin used it as a walking stick, but it has some deadly potential. You can burn everything else, though: I care not for what is destroyed, so long as the saber is safely recovered. So, does that suit your fancy?"

As Iluka spoke, Lucy noticed how he positioned his meaty paws on the sides of his belt, causing the folds of his safari-suit to slightly pull back like curtains, and ultimately reveal what looked to be a colorful painted boomerang, and a single, curled whip fastened to the side of his waistline. She thought of his choice of weapons as rather peculiar, but the female bat didn't dwell on the thought for very long, for as the tasmanian-devil concluded his previous statement, Lucy realized that he was still expecting an answer from her.

"You'd want me to risk the _entire_ mission just to bring you back some overgrown cane-shank?" She questioned with raised eyebrows. "Seems kinda silly to me."

"I would. It's one of the prerogatives of being an inner-district crime-lord! I can be as petty and absurd as I want to! Besides, I have good faith in you, bat."

"Keep your absurdness to yourself, tazzy. Why would I want to risk the mission _and_ waste my time trying to swipe that thing? I mean, what's in it for _me_ , anyways?"

"Ah, I'm glad that you asked." Iluka claimed with a wide grin. "I'm a very resourceful sort of mammal, you know... I practically own the archaeological world."

"Get to the point." Lucy hissed quickly, causing her devilish counterpart to snarl beneath his breath.

"The point is, I can acquire some rather expensive and valuable artifacts for you, in repayment for your efforts... Gemstones, coins, tablets, clo-"

"Thanks, but no thanks." The female bat interrupted. "I'm not interested in any dusty old knick-knacks."

"Are you sure? I have quite a diverse selection of-"

"I said _no_ , tazzy." She repeated, this time more sternly so that he got the message.

"Fine. What about plain cash?" Iluka offered as he spread his palms in a gesture of compliance, his tone slightly buzzing with annoyance.

"That's more reasonable, but I don't come cheap, you know..."

Upon thinking back on her rather serious-sounding comment, the more playful side of the female bat's mind effectively caused her to spare a glance over toward Vladzotz.

 _Well, except for you,_ She thought to herself, biting at her lower lip all the while.

At the thought of her her mate, a sudden idea popped into her head, causing her large ears to perk upwards in realization, and her expression to briefly morph into that of surprise and fascination. Usually, she would have accepted the standard offer of money for a job like this, big or small, but when dealing with big-wigs like Iluka, Al, Vlad, or any of those other criminal figureheads, favors were the more accommodating and useful bargaining tool. Maybe she didn't know when, why, or even just what she would ask of the tasmanian-devil crime-lord when the time came, but having an ally as powerful and as influential as him would be quite a massive accomplishment for her likeness.

"So then, name your price, bat." The tasmanian-devil requested, clearly irritated by this point, all the while drumming his whittled claws rather impatiently against his belt.

"Actually, I changed my mind..." Lucy claimed with a slight shrug. "Money won't do, either!"

" _Crikey_ , lass! _What'll it take_?!" Iluka suddenly shrieked, his meaty fingers clenching tightly into rigid fists.

Although she had initially intended on teasing him even further, the tasmanian-devil's sudden outburst had momentarily fazed Lucy: In that brief second of anger, Iluka's ears and lips had suddenly flushed red with blood, turning them an almost dark-red color, and admittedly surprising the female bat. When he had practically shouted just moments earlier, his muscular jaws had opened to nearly an eighty degree angle, showing off teeth almost as large as Lucy's entire head, and a blood-red throat quivering with the force of his words. His outburst had attracted the attention of a number of other criminals throughout the room, but it only took a few seconds until the event was shrugged off.

Recomposing herself as Iluka heaved in panting breaths of frustration, Lucy made herself a mental note not to press this guy's buttons too much in the future, as it was clear that his temper lived up the stereotype of his overall species: She'd heard plenty of news stories about tazzy's completely mauling anyone that set them off a tad bit too much.

"Whoa there, easy does it, tazzy." She reassured him, spreading her wings in a gesture of peace. "Cash may be outta the picture, but I still think we can reach an agreement!"

Exhaling heavily one final time, Iluka straightened himself out before running his thick claws through the fur on his head, and stating aloud;

"You wish to negotiate? Good... Explain, then."

Lucy smiled slightly as she placed her paws upon her hips, all the while explaining her idea to the tasmanian-devil crime-lord with intentful words;

"Well, instead of money, I was thinking that you and I could exchange a favor, of sorts. I'll get the sword for you, and you, quite literally, will return the favor when I ask for it."

The tasmanian-devil rumbled lowly from within his throat, soon reaching up and stroking his chin with one of his paws, clearly thinking over the terms of the female bat's offer.

"Hrum... This favor of yours, what is it, precisely?" He asked, to which Lucy simply shrugged.

"Not sure. I don't know when I'll call it, or why, or even over what, really. Hell, for all I know, I might _never_ even call it... Time will tell."

"I am no fan of being left waiting in the dark... But I accept your offer: We have a deal."

Reaching out with one of his paws, Iluka offered up the likes of a formal hand-shake, to which Lucy accepted, leaning forward and gripping her paw against his.

"If you succeed in your mission, you are to notify me immediately." Iluka ordered calmly. "You can ask Vladzotz for further details."

"Alright, sounds good to me. Pleasure doing business with you, tazzy."

"One last thing, I might add: It is of the utmost importance that you _do not scratch_ the blade... Understood?" The tasmanian-devil stated.

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya."

Meanwhile, on the complete and opposite side of the room, Al Catpone approached his friend Vladzotz, whom was casually leaning against a nearby wall, silently eyeing the fervid commotion around the room. The jaguar's comparatively hulking frame vastly dwarfed that of the male vampire bat's, but if it bothered him, he certainly didn't seem to show it.

"Can I help you?" Vlad muttered lowly, sneering distastefully at the comparatively towering jaguar, whom visibly frowned upon detecting the bat lord's previous statement.

"Aw, don't be like that, bo. Cheer up!"

The crime-lord of the Rainforest-District grinned wide and held up his new cigar in a gesture of approval, hoping for his batty friend to display at least _some_ shred of pleasantry. Despite the jovial mindset of his associate, Vladzotz simply continued to glare at him, his single red eye narrowed in hostility and disapproval, every bit of which was directed toward the jaguar standing beside him. Sensing that his attempt at peace had failed miserably, Al Catpone sighed and then visibly straightened himself out before uttering aloud;

"Look, bo, I'm sorry that I got in a lander earlier... I was just... Well, I was just angry. Wouldn't _you_ be angry too if you met a sleazy perp that stole from you face-to-face, huh?"

"I suppose I would, but that doesn't excuse it: You're reckless accusations nearly dissolved the meeting!" Vlad growled, jabbing a crooked finger at the jungle cat crime-lord.

Al Catpone furrowed his brow and pursed his lips before bringing a paw to his face and stroking roughly at his jawline, as if he were thinking something over. Meanwhile, Vladzotz continued to glare at him, awaiting his oncoming response. Although the bat lord had worded his previous statement as near-exclusive to that of the meeting itself serving as the factor at hand, personally, Vladzotz was more so ticked off at the fact that his jaguar associate had so degradingly thrown accusations at his mate, whom unbeknownst to those at the meeting, he cared for a great deal.

After a few more brief seconds of pondering, Al simply shrugged his sturdy shoulders and spoke out loud;

"Granted. In the end, I guess it won't hurt to fo'give her, though."

"Forgive her, you say?" Vlad mused in response.

"Yeah, forgive. Grudges ain't good for the soul, ya know?"

"No need to lecture _me_ about it."

"Heh heh... Right, I recall."

Silence enveloped the two respective crime-lords for roughly a minute, with neither individual uttering a single word. However, in due time, Catpone found himself asking aloud;

"Hm. I know this may seem rather up front, ya know, but I just gotta ask... Are you and that bat moll ova' there-" He pointed to Lucy. "-Somethin' special?"

Vladzotz bit back a curse.

"Something special?" He repeated carefully, as if the words left a bitter taste behind as they left his mouth.

"Ya know... You... You goin' out wit' her?" Al mused, his cocky expression effectively causing Vladzotz to mentally panic.

 _Guano-eating, flower-picking ally cat_... He cursed within his mind.

Growling beneath his breath, Vladzotz extended his bony wings before quickly flapping up to Catpone's eye-level, grumbling lowly to himself all the while, and hissing quietly;

"And just what exactly makes you flaunt such a preposterous assumption?!"

Throughout his developing relationship with Lucy Sang, both her and Vladzotz himself had done their very best to keep their intimate relationship a secret from prying eyes. However, it soon became clear that they could only visit one another, work together, and be seen in close proximity (All the while being of the same species) for so long before people started to get suspicious. Although he reasoned that Catpone had since deduced the two of them to be lovers, the bat lord still tried one last-ditch attempt to keep his precious secret from being exposed with his previous statement, only hoping that the jaguar wouldn't bring up anything that placed him in the figurative spot-light.

So much for that.

"The fact that she hinted at it with that comment about muffins." Al muttered, his breath, reeking of fava beans and avacado, causing Vlad's pink-ish nose to twitch in revulsion.

"I hate muffins..." Vlad grumbled broodingly, his large ears dipping slightly lower.

Al Catpone simply laughed aloud, his booming chortles causing the nearby bat's ears to twitch in discomfort.

"They aren't my favorite either, bo..." The jaguar claimed before a wily grin parted his lips. "But the question's still hangin'."

Well, seemed like the cat was out of the bag, at that point.

Vladzotz sighed in defeat, his single red eye closing shut. " _Yes_... Lucy is... She is my mate." He finally managed through clenched teeth.

Upon hearing Vlad's concluding statement, Al Catpone breathed in a wheezy breath before bursting out with a loud and deep belly-laugh, his frame shaking so much that the bat lord had to disengage from the jaguar's general area, immediately fluttering down and landing hard on the floor, standing up on his two clawed feet. Meanwhile, through choking chuckles, Al Catpone had managed to breath in and relax, soon letting out a heavy sigh of relief as he wiped away at one of his forest-green eyes with his meaty index finger.

"Gettin' dizzy with a dame now, are ya? My man!" He chuckled lowly. "Don't surprise me all _that_ much, though, considerin' how you both smell..."

" _What_?" Vladzotz muttered, clearly curious, if not slightly confused.

"Yeah, I can tell that you's been barneymugging with her, givin' the fact that you smell like 'er, and she smells like you, bo."

"Is it that noticeable?" The bat lord asked, his ears dipping slightly in embarrassment.

"It is to any schlep with a decent sense o' smell, I'll tell ya that much."

Vladzotz grumbled in disappointment. He had personally been hoping that his scent wouldn't be too noticeable to the others at the meeting, but even _he_ couldn't deny that as of late, his overall smell had begun to take on a distinct addition with Lucy's very own. It didn't surprise him though, really: He and Lucy mated with one another quite frequently, and as such, both respective vampire bats had chemically claimed their counterpart, with their pheromones mixing together, effectively identifying them as mates.

Meanwhile, Al Catpone had craned his neck around, soon locking on the far smaller form of Lucy as she apparently chatted with Iluka Rombahe, Outback-Island's most prolific and prominent criminal figurehead. The jaguar chuckled lowly to himself before reaching down to Vlad's comparatively tiny form and lightly patting the bat lord on the top of his scruffy black head.

"Don't be ashamed! You struck a real looker, bo, I gotta say! I'm proud o' ya."

Vladzotz simply glared distastefully at his larger associate, whom cleared his throat audibly upon locking eyes with him. The vampire bat's single red eye was narrowed in seeming aversion, and he then opened his fanged maw, no doubt prepared to retort back to the jaguar, but he soon trailed off upon hearing a string of words that caused both mammals to seize up.

"I can hear you two from here!"

Slowly turning towards the feminine sounding voice, both the jaguar and male vampire bat simply smiled nervously upon locking sight with Lucy Sang, whom stood across the room, waggling her clawed fingertips at the two of them. Vlad felt his face flush in embarrassment, but soon warm up with a slight blush as he witnessed his mate wink at him before turning back to Iluka, but still keeping one of her large ears swiveled in their general direction, no doubt just in case her very own likeness was brought up once again.

Rubbing at the back of his neck, Al chuckled nervously before turning his attention back down to Vlad, standing down near his ankles. The jaguar smiled, his expression almost that of pride or sympathy, and then kneeled down to Vlad's comparatively smaller height, where he uttered his coming few words firmly and with an underlying sense of passion.

"Hey now, bo, don't be lettin' anyone tell you that what you got ain't a good thing, 'cause it is. I can tell. You seem a whole lot happier, what with her in the picture now."

"I won't argue against that." Vlad agreed with a slight smile tugging at the edge of his muzzle.

"I'm happy for you... You've moved on... Found love once again..." Catpone secured his fedora with a slight jerking twist. "Don't let go of it."

Nodding in agreement, the bat lord watched as Al straightened himself out and stood up, his towering height making Vlad feel quite small in comparison.

"However, you best keep that moll of yours under control, bo... Business is business, and I won't be so forgivin' if she interferes with it again."

"Not to worry, my friend." Vladzotz claimed. "I'll make sure that she doesn't meddle in places that she shouldn't too often."

"Good." The jaguar finalized simply as he tilted his hat in a gesture of farewell. "Keep in touch then, bo... Keep in touch."

And at that, Al Catpone lumbered off and away from Vlad, his path of direction seemingly adjacent to that of the nearby food table. Vladzotz himself smiled, a low chuckle escaping his maw as he lightly shook his head from side to side, his mind at ease. Suddenly, he felt a slight tapping upon his right shoulder from the behind, causing the male bat to turn around in search of the perpetrator, but in the end, failing to see any sign of activity or presence. Frowning in disappointment, he readjusted his head to the front of him, only for his single red eye to widen in surprise as it focused in on the face of his mate, Lucy, standing just a mere few inches away from him.

Stumbling very slightly backwards in a slight sense of shock, Lucy only had just enough time to lean out and peck him on his leaf-shaped nose in a gesture of affection.

"Caught me off guard with that one, Sang." Vlad muttered as he recomposed himself, his nose twitching in lingering response to his mate's sudden smooch.

"What can I say?" She replied easily, spreading her wings. "You always gotta stay on guard!"

"Yes, of course, but do be careful with the public displays of affection, my dear... Many here still do not know of our relationship with one another."

"Oh come on, Vladdy, I can kiss you if I want to. Besides, if I heard your conversation with Spots correctly, I'd assume that the cat's already out of the bag, huh?"

Vladzotz winced: He had forgotten how Lucy had been listening in on his conversation with Al Catpone earlier.

"Fine then." The bat lord muttered. "You're right." He claimed. "But still, I'd prefer we kept all this under wraps as best we can."

"Spots might blab, but we'll find out soon enough, won't we?" The female said with a slight snicker.

"Indeed. Perhaps we should discuss it with him... Invite him over to the safehouse for dinner, sometime."

"Or _as_ dinner." Lucy added, her tongue tracing over her fangs as if imagining the jaguar's thick neck caught between her teeth.

The male bat laughed darkly before clearing his throat audibly. "So... Do you really think that you'll be able to handle the mission? The arson attempt?" He questioned his mate.

"Yeah, shouldn't be too bad." Lucy claimed rather nonchalantly. "It'll only be problematic trying to get that sword out safe..." She finalized with a brief glance towards Iluka.

"Sword? You mean Ratsputin's saber?" Vlad questioned, to which his female counterpart nodded in confirmation. "What on earth would you need _that_ for?"

"Not me..." The female bat corrected, jabbing a finger in the general direction of the tasmanian-devil that she had conversed with. "Illy Roomba, or whatever his name is."

" _Ah_ , Iluka Rombahe... Figures. That mammal goes after anything with so much as a shine to it. What does he want the blade for?"

"Beats me." Lucy muttered with a slight shrug. "He didn't say."

"Hmm... Knowing him, it's probably nothing more than some new knick-knack he's chasing after... Did he promise you anything for your efforts?"

"He offered cash, of course, but I turned it down. When you're working with big fishes like him, I've found that it's sometimes best to trade in favors instead of money."

Vladzotz smiled slyly at his mate. "Sounds like you know what you want." He stated with a toothy grin.

"You could say that, but honestly, I dunno. I guess we'll see, assuming I can manage to find and swipe that stupid sword."

"Might be difficult carrying that thing back through the ducts." The male bat added, to which his mate simply shrugged.

"Perhaps." Lucy muttered before grinning. "Not gonna stop me from trying, though!"

"Always a good mindset to have, I must say. Well, with the meeting now adjourned, I think it'd be best if we were to return to the safehouse soon, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, sure, why not? I'd rather hang out with _you_ than any of _these_ dumb lackeys, anyways." Lucy claimed, gesturing to the crowd of mobsters and other criminals.

The female bat then licked at her lips.

"Besides... It certainly wouldn't hurt to teach you a thing or two about muffin making." The female bat mused, running a finger down Vlad's arm.

"What kind of muffin?" Vlad asked, his brow raised in seeming confusion and curiosity.

Lucy giggled sweetly, if not a tad bit mischievously.

"Don't worry about it..." She cooed soothingly. "You'll find out as soon as we get back to the safehouse, sweetie."

From there, the female bat wrapped her arm around Vlad's back, and in turn, the male positioned his own opposing wing upon the side of Lucy's hip. Together, they both casually strolled out of the large conference room, down the connecting hall-way, and out of sight and mind. All the while, the stocky form of a tasmanian-devil closely watched them from a nearby distance, eyeing the two vampire bats as they promptly vacated the premises. Iluka Rombahe snorted through his thick nostrils in amusement.

 _Bloody harpy better keep her end of the deal._ He thought to himself. _If that sword gets torched along will all the other evidence, she'll see just what makes us tazzy's so devilish_

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I certainly hope that you enjoyed this latest chapter, as always. Do feel free to leave a review explaining your thoughts, if you'd like, and to favorite and/or follow the story as well: Every single one counts, and I believe it would be a stupendous achievement for us all if we were to reach the next big milestone!**

 **That being said, I'd _absolutely_ _love_ to know what you guys think of Iluka Rombahe, _and_ all of the sangpyre stuff that we get in this latest chapter of ours!**

 **Alrighty, moving on then! A number of people have brought to my attention the idea of hypothesizing who would provide voices for the various characters that appear in this story, if only to provide readers with a better idea of what the varying characters sound like. I think it's a pretty neat idea, actually, and have taken the time to come up with a number of sources that I think would match quite well with their corresponding characters...**

 _ **Ivar Obdenberg: Nikolai Belinsky (CoD)**_

 _ **John Haddock: Captain Hector Barbossa (PotC)**_

 _ **Vladzotz Fangpyre: Christopher Lee / Jason Douglas**_

 _ **Lucy Sang: Juri Han (SF)**_

 _ **Al Catpone: Robert Costanzo**_

 _ **Shahaz 'The Stinger' Pholmok: Ron Perlman**_

 _ **Grygorri Ratsputin: Jeremy Irons**_

 _ **Iluka Rombahe: Jai Courtney**_

 **Anyhow, that's pretty much all I got for you lot as of now, really. Do be sure to stay tuned for the inevitable release of chapter 73, comin' your way soon! :D**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: A multitude of new fan-art pieces have just recently been uploaded onto my Tumblr account. Feel free to check them out, of course!**

 **PPS: I do have big plans coming, that's true, but I assure you, the coming chapters will be simple and sweet, with _lots_ of fluff to show for it! Nick and Judy will have plenty of time to themselves as they trounce about the Deciduous-District, undergoing all manner of adventures to behold and enjoy. Stay tuned!**


	70. Perseverance Under Pressure

"Perseverance is stubbornness with a purpose." - John Shipp

* * *

1:30 P.M

In all their years of work under the badge of the ZPD, neither Nick nor Judy could have ever dreamed of being sent to another precinct, especially under these conditions.

Punishment or not, the two tiny officers both knew that they would have to get used to this new environment of theirs, because according to Chief Bogo, they were supposed to stay there in temporary exile for a minimum of three weeks. It wasn't a terribly long amount of time, but it was more than enough for the both of them to sigh in begrudging disappointment and bitter longing at the mere thought of it, even.

Together, Nick and Judy had both worked very hard to make the world a better place throughout their years on the force. Precinct One was like a second home to them, perhaps even more cherished and revered than their very own apartment. Years of work, fun, and time spent under the roof of the ZPD Head-Quarters had cemented their combined reputations as that of Zootopia's finest, with their positions serving as an inspiration for others to follow and build upon. Judy herself couldn't have asked for anything more.

They had built a reputation based upon trust, respect for others, and an unyielding diligence to provide the same treatment to all mammals. The house that they had built their reputation upon had been strong, yet, all it had taken was one rat to show that the brick facade was just that, and that their entire careers were not built of stone, but of glass.

And Ratsputin had shattered it all with a blade straight through his chest.

The female bunny shook her head from side to side, clearing her mind of Ratsputin's harsh voice and hairy face: She hated thinking about him, especially since it was pretty much _his_ fault that they were here right now, in Precinct Seven, all the way out in the Deciduous-District, instead of where they belonged, at Precinct One, back in the city.

Now more than ever, it was clear to Judy herself that no matter how hard you worked for something, and that no matter how careful, nor respected you were, everything could be toppled over in the blink of an eye. Just yesterday, the two of them were proud officers of Precinct One, the very heart of the city itself, and now, they were dishonored exiles in an alien land, far from where they truly belonged.

At the moment, though, the female bunny reasoned that it would be best not to worry about the why's and the why not's, as her attention and focus would be needed for the tour ahead of them. Then and there, Nick and Judy's new and temporary superior, the grizzly bear, Chief Urzo, led them through the heart of Precinct Seven's head-quarters, showing them around the various hall-ways and branching rooms, including the likes of the weight room, the break room, and even their version of Precinct One's Bull-Pen, which Chief Urzo claimed the other officers referred to as 'The Bear's Den', where they all met for group briefings, meetings, and other important events.

Eventually, the grizzly bear chose to lead the two tiny officers to their new and temporary office, where he claimed they would be storing their work-related belongings, and performing the majority of whatever paperwork and other physical assignments he threw their way throughout their stay there in the deep woods of the Deciduous-District.

"Alright officers, this will be your workplace while you are here. All of your paperwork and other assignments will be posted just outside, if not inside. Do not forget."

The grizzly bear then gestured them to a smaller-sized door adorned with a sign reading "Officer Wilde's" on it, though the sign itself was slightly askew, with the hastily made plastic placard seeming to be taped onto the wooden door as if it had been placed there in a hurry. Touching the little sign gently with the very tip of his claw, Nick found his suspicions well grounded when the sign sagged slightly at his rather gentle touch, and nearly fell off of its hinges and onto the ground.

"We weren't exactly given very much time to prepare for your arrival, as you can see." Chief Urzo grunted before pulling the comparatively tiny door open.

Staring inside as the wooden door swung open and revealed its contents, the female bunny nearly felt her jaw drop at the sight before her.

In total, the small space in front of her looked no bigger than her very first apartment back in Savannah-Central: A cramped, messy room better off labeled as a large closet.

A small table had been set up on one side, with racks of cleaning supplies still sitting on the greasy shelves above it, alongside dirty rags stained with mysterious multi-colored blotches. Both Nick and Judy took a tentative step forward and into the cramped space of their new office, finding that it was only marginally smaller than Judy's first apartment upon arriving in the city of Zootopia years earlier. On the desk sat a single simple computer, with a flimsy-looking wooden chair positioned directly in front of it. Meanwhile, on the opposing corner, a faucet and large plaster sink was set into the floor, where a raggedy mop still sat dripping into the grated drainage pipe below it.

" _This_ is our new office?" Judy asked, staring in confusion at the janitor's closet-turned workspace.

"I see it comes with its own facilities, too!" Nick said as he nudged his partner, pointing towards the slimy shower pod in the very corner of the tiny room.

"You want something better, be better cops." The bear behind her grunted, causing the bunny to grit her teeth in discontent before whirling around and glaring at him.

"I won't be giving up _my_ officer's desks and areas for two cops that are only still on the force due to reasons that Chief Bogo wouldn't even _care_ to explain." Urzo finalized.

Judy glared up at the larger bear, just about to give him a piece of her mind when Nick's voice suddenly cut her off, effectively dissipating her previous train of thought;

"So, do you want to sit on my lap, or can I sit on yours?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Judy as he leaned down towards her. She pushed his head back as he chuckled.

"Maybe we'll just bring in a second seat..." She muttered, grinning at how Nick's ears twitched and then drooped down a little bit in seeming disappointment.

From the behind of them, a rumbling grunt pierced the air;

"Now I can see why Bogo dislikes you, Wilde." Urzo grumbled, staring down at the fox with a brooding glare that was almost as menacing as Bogo's. "You _are_ annoying."

"I'll have you know that I am Chief Bogo's _favorite_ officer, since he talks with me the most."

"Saying, _'Shut it Wilde'_ before each briefing doesn't really count as a conversation, Nick." Judy quipped with a grin.

The fox placed a paw upon his chest as if his heart was aching.

"I'll have you know that it is his way of saying I love you: He _adores_ me, Carrots. Perhaps not as much as a certain bunny I know, but he _is_ in the running behind Clawhauser."

Judy rolled her eyes and took one more glance around the cramped space before sighing. This _had_ been a quick transfer to a new precinct, so maybe Chief Urzo didn't have any space real available for them, even though they took up much less than most other officers usually did when it came to total mass, at the very least. The bear's old comments about them not being 'good officers' were brushed aside in her mind, for the moment.

They'd prove him wrong eventually: Of that, she was sure of.

Leaving their 'office' behind, the two police mammals then followed the larger grizzly bear through the meandering hallways, each lined with trees, shrubs and foliage, making it seem like they were walking through an indoor forest. It was quite different from the Precinct that they were so accustomed to, but if anything, Judy herself welcomed the new change: She was always up for a brand new challenge, whether it be taking down crooks or dealing with a temporary transfer. Ever the determined mammal she always was.

From there, the grizzly bear led the two tiny officers even deeper through Precinct Seven, eventually leading them both to the jail-house, which wasn't quite as large as Precinct One's, but was still rather formidable with its iron bars and blank white cells. Meanwhile, Nick himself glanced distastefully down the hallway, taking note of all the peeling paint.

"With how nice the main lobby was, I half expected the jail-house to have diamond encrusted bars." He mused, running a finger down one of the thick iron poles.

"Fox, if you don't shut your mouth right now, you'll be spending the night in one of the cells!" Urzo growled menacingly, to which Nick raised his paws up in a gesture of peace.

"Alright, alright! Sorry! Gees, you're no fun at all... Reminds me of a certain water buffalo I know and love..."

After the grizzly bear stifled a loud snarl of dominance, the fox henceforth refrained from speaking out for the remainder of the tour.

Once Chief Urzo had led the two smaller officers through the jail-house, he took them to the interrogation rooms, showed them around the forensics lab, and finally, led them back to his office, where the grizzly bear loomed at the entrance of the door, preventing them from entering the room. There, he finalized their tour with his concluding words;

"Now, you two are to go speak with the gear manager in the equipment room, the moose, Officer Mosley. He will give you your new uniforms and badges, along with whatever gear you'll be needing for your stay here in the woodlands. You'll also be getting a map of the Deciduous-District, of which I expect you to have completely memorized by ten o' clock tomorrow afternoon, when your first ticketing job will start. The woodlands are large, and the wilderness is very vast, so I strongly suggest you get some study time in sometime tonight, after you settle into your new apartment, of course. Hrmm. Shouldn't be a problem for Chief Bogo's finest though, I'm sure. Go on now, you're dismissed."

Nodding in respect and acknowledgement to her new superior, Judy whirled around and pulled Nick away along with her before he could protest, her clenched fist tightly gripping the side of his shirt with an iron hold. Soon letting go as her frustration left her, the female bunny continued distancing herself from Urzo's office, all the while listening in on her foxy mate's hurried footsteps from the behind of her, and eventually, his own rather sardonic vocal comments about the old grizzly bear's previous choice of words.

"You hear that, whiskers?" The fox asked, spreading his hands as if picturing the bear's choice of previous words on a plaque. "Chief Bogo's finest. Has a pretty good ring to it!"

Judy rolled her eyes: About as much as she expected from him.

"Let's just go find this Officer Mosley guy... I'd rather we just get this over and done with so that we can go check out our new apartment." She stated swiftly.

The fox himself just shrugged slightly as he followed her.

"Alright, works for me. Let's go find that moose, then." He muttered in agreement.

It took them nearly a full ten minutes worth of searching before they finally found the equipment room and depot, despite noticing it earlier on their tour with the chief. Upon entering the room, both the fox and the bunny alike took note of the benches flanking down the center of the hall, and the various lockers lined into the walls of the room itself.

On the far side of the space, another room full of storage shelves piled high with police gear other objects was blocked off by a large oval shaped desk, of which was positioned by a young male moose dressed in beige and green officer colors, with a small name plate on his chest that read 'Derick Mosley'. Recognizing the moose as the mammal that Chief Urzo had told them to speak with, the two smaller officers immediately made their way towards the comparatively large desk, swiftly approaching it before knocking to get the moose's attention. He looked down from his chair and snorted upon locking eyes with the forms of the two smaller mammals, whom both waved in a gesture of polite greetings.

"Hi! Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, here to collect our new gear!" The female bunny called out cheerfully, gesturing towards her partner.

Grunting in acknowledgement as if he was expecting them, yet not speaking any truly audible words, the moose nodded before rising from his chair and disappearing within the depths of the storage room behind the desk. After a few brief minutes of rummaging sounds and grumbles of annoyance, Officer Mosley eventually returned with his arms full of various articles of clothing and other items, including small yet billowing rain-jackets and simple yellow flash-lights.

The moose dropped the pile of clothing over the side of the desk and onto the floor beside them before sitting back down at his desk and proceeding to type away at his computer monitor as if neither Nick nor judy were ever there in the first place. Pursing her lips in disapproval, Judy sighed aloud before turning towards the pile of clothing and nearly gasping out loud. Growling huffily in frustration, she reached down and began digging through the messy pile, eventually retracting her paws and pulling out a single choice item.

"Bogo, you monster..." The female bunny snarled beneath her breath as she picked up the tiny orange-striped meter-maid vest. "Of _course_ he would."

" _Haha_! And here I was thinking we'd never have to see one of _these_ again." Nick interjected with a barking laugh before gesturing to the bright orange outfit.

"Sweet cheese and crackers, this is embarassing... I knew we'd be doing ticket work, but I never imagined he'd make us wear _these_..." Judy grumbled in distaste.

"Ah, don't worry, fluff. We've got plenty of other clothing to try out, after all." The fox reassured his mate, all the while gesturing to the pile of clothing before him.

Following his gaze, Judy pursed her lips at the sight of their new uniforms: Nearly identical to their standard blue ones from Precinct One, though the shirt was colored beige, and their pants a dark green, like that of the forest leaves above their heads. Nodding in seeming approval, as green was his personal favorite color, the fox then handed Judy her own uniform and other articles of clothing. As he did, she couldn't help but notice that there was no body-armor at all, including the likes of her favored chest-plate: It was clear that Bogo didn't intend for them to be doing any dangerous, or adventurous activities such as crime-fighting.

Nope. Instead, he only expected them to put tickets on parked cars, and sit in a car while watching the speed limit of a dull street. How exciting.

Still, Judy did think the uniforms were nice, at least. She wasn't very fond of ties, despite tying Nick's each day before work, though the fox did assure her that she'd look just fine in one. As she folded up their new clothes and put them into a brand new pile, her large and sensitive ears twitched in detection upon hearing Nick voice his thoughts aloud;

"Hey, at least we finally have matching outfits, right?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it, we've never had identical clothes, have we Nick?"

"Nope. Besides, I don't think I'd really be able to pull of that whole chest-armor look... At least as not as well as _you_ do, whiskers."

"We'll have to try that out sometime, I suppose..." Judy mumbled before trailing off in thought.

A loud and somewhat startling grunt pierced through the conversation, causing both the fox and bunny alike to turn towards the source, being the large moose officer, whom grumbled in seeming distaste before throwing them a large, papery map of the Deciduous-District, of which Nick reached out and caught rather flimsily with one of his paws.

"There's your map." The moose muttered flatly before turning around and digging some more through the pile of gear behind the counter.

Meanwhile, the lapin and vulpine immediately took to looking over the map, which when unfolded completely was nearly as large as the two of them combined. With Judy holding it from one end while Nick gripped the other, they held the wrinkled paper out in front of them, and quickly glanced over the district for a few brief moments. There was quite a lot to see, and although the fox himself was about to take a closer look, a small speckle of color near the bottom of the map managed to catch his attention.

"Oh look!" Nick stifled cheerfully. "There's our new apartment!" He stated, pointing towards the small string of colored boxes. "See, carrots?"

"Yeah, I see it, slick... We'll be going straight to our new apartment as soon as we're done here, you know."

"Figured as much. Once we get there, I guess it wouldn't hurt to break in the new bed, if you catch my drift, huh, fluff-butt?"

The female bunny snickered sweetly in amusement, but trailed off when the moose beside them groaned aloud;

"Please leave already."

* * *

2:03 P.M

Obeying the moose's wishes, it took them only mere seconds to grab their gear and vacate the premises, exiting the building and returning to their cruiser.

Taking all of their new gear with them, the two tiny officers promptly piled into their vehicle and broke open the map once again, taking note of their new and temporary apartment's location before plugging the corresponding coordinates into the GPS. Secretly, the female bunny hoped that they wouldn't have to use it too much, since she somewhat hoped to be able to have the entire district and its roads and routes memorized by the time they had to begin their new jobs tomorrow afternoon.

As their vehicle glided down the smooth asphalt road, neither of the two mammals took to talking with one another very much, with them both instead choosing peaceful silence, favoring a bit of sightseeing as they admired the bright and rather vivid colors of the forest around them. Eventually, though not without a bit of confusion due to their new environment, they finally managed to find their new and temporary apartment, which stood as a small neighborhood of beige-brick buildings amongst the army of tees.

They checked in, gathered their things, and entered what would be their new home for the next three weeks.

Inside the apartment, a comfy array of mostly wooden furniture and other cozy decorations was present, apparently sticking to the whole 'cabin in the woods' sort of theme. The whole place had a wafting and bland 'new hotel' kind of smell, about as much as either of them expected, though the air was hinted with a fresh scent of what smelt almost like mint, or lime. The entire apartment complex was sized for mammals of their approximate height, so just about everything was well proportioned to the two of them, thankfully.

On the smooth wooden surface of the small dining table in the far corner of the space, a tiny paper note was waiting to be read. The fox picked it up and quickly read it over;

 _Despite this being just one of your seemingly countless screw-ups, the list of which grows almost every other time Wilde opens his mouth, this particular punishment, albeit temporary, will go without any sort of defiance on your part whatsoever. Chief Urzo is your new boss. Treat him with your utmost respect, and do everything that he tells you to do, no questions asked. Any sort of insubordination will be immediately reported back to Precinct One, and will only further add to your time over there in the Deciduous-District._

 _Speaking of which, as I told you back at Head-Quarters, you can expect the base time of exile to be that of three weeks, which may be reduced or extended depending not only upon your own behavior, but also on the date of Jack Savage's trial, which nears closer with each passing day. As expected, your involvement in his personal investigation and corresponding arrest requires you to make an appearance. I will provide you with further_ _notification as more information is released about the event and its prior upkeeps._

 _That being said, let it not be thought that I'm not a gracious mammal. You two are without a doubt my best officers, and without you, the city would have surely fallen ill to whatever sickness that rat had planned. Although your methods of dealing with him were far less than appropriate, you both have my thanks for your time and effort._

 _Best of luck in the woodlands, officers. Try not to burn it down while you're there._

 _~Chief Thelonious Bogo_

"Aww, the Chief actually _does_ care!" The fox mused with a wily grin across his muzzle, shaking the note around before showing it to his wife, whom grunted in approval.

"Nice to have some sentiment, I admit, especially considering just how rotten this whole situation is." Judy muttered lowly to herself.

Upon concluding her previous statement, the female bunny's long and floppy ears drooped in seeming disappointment. Her mate took note of this, and set down his personal bag, promptly approaching her with the intention on helping her see the brighter side of the full picture, even despite their coming here being of a temporary dishonorable exile.

"You know Carrots, this might not be half bad, even." He started with an innocent shrug.

"What do you mean?" Judy asked curiously, long ears still lowered, though the fox did manage to catch a glimmer of hope in her amethyst-colored eyes, causing him to smile.

"I mean," Nick stated, waving his paw at the room. "We get this nice place, and this district is _almost_ as beautiful as you are. That counts for at least something in my book."

That particular part had earned a rather slight blush in Judy's ears and cheeks, effectively warming her skin. Nick himself grinned even wider as he continued aloud;

"And the best part is, we get to spend at least several weeks here away from mean old Chief Buffalo-Butt, _and_ won't have to deal with any of the paperwork from that whole mess with Ratsputin! This is a win-win! We can consider it as a sort of second honeymoon." His eyebrows waggled at the last comment, earning a snicker and grin from Judy.

Judy shook her head from side to side, though not without a smile of her own. "Always looking for a way out of the paperwork." She mumbled coyly as she crossed her arms.

"You know it," Came his fast reply, accompanied by a wink before he dialed down his smile, walking over to his wife and kneeling in front of her.

"Look, I know what you're thinking." He began slowly. "That this _isn't_ our home, and I'm with you on that, one hundred percent. _However..._ "

He tipped her chin up so she could see him better, before leaning forward and placing a tiny, delicate kiss upon the very tip of her twitching nose.

"I know a certain dumb bunny that has _also_ taught me how whenever we have challenges, we try to make the best of them, and rise to meet them."

"Sounds like a wise bunny..." Judy quipped before leaning forward to embrace the fox in a hug. "Thank you, Nick."

His arms slid easily around her smaller frame. "You're most welcome. Ah, such an emotional little..." He continued, but was promptly cut off with a statement from his mate;

"Don't say it, you slime-ball." She murmured flatly into his chest, and she could feel his chest shake from his laughter.

"Alrighty then, fine, I _won't_ say how beautiful you are."

"Jerk." Judy muttered, though gripped his shirt tighter while she inhaled a deep breath of her mate, his musk causing a slight and rather pleasurable thrill to climb up her spine.

 _Maybe this_ can _be our second honeymoon..._ Judy thought as she nuzzled closer to him.

"But I'm _your_ jerk." Nick vocalized almost teasingly. "In fact, said jerk also happened to notice that the bathtub over there could fit _two_ small-sized mammals. Interested?"

Judy's eyes met his own, and a smug smirk crossed her face. "Well, well, I had a feeling you'd want to get out of that homework assignment." She mused with crossed arms.

"I didn't say anything about skipping out on our homework." Nick grinned as he pulled the district map from his pocket and showed it to Judy. "These things are _waterproof_."

Judy eyed the map, then her fox, whom stood with a single eyebrow arching. "Waterproof you say? We might just have to test that out, then..."

It was at that point that fate itself had intervened, and a loud gurgle from Nick's stomach shattered the growing mood, piercing the silence of the air around them.

"Looks like dinner comes first." The bunny stated.

Nicks' eyes caught a slight and shining glimmer. "I take it that rabbit isn't an option, huh?" He asked with a mischievous sort of tone to his words.

Judy laughed.

"You'll get your rabbit meal, but only for dessert. I'll start prepping the bath while you hunt us down something to eat... _Figuratively_!" She yelled before Nick pounced on her.

"Fine, fine... Get out of here, you bore." He grumbled aloud.

The rabbit turned, flicking her small tail with a slight smile, knowing that Nick was probably watching her and had seen the rather subtle movement.

"Well, I'm going to go prepare for our study session then. Lemme know when you finish your little hunt." She finalized before walking off and vanishing into the washroom.

The fox watched her as she disappeared, leaving Nick all to himself in the small living room. Shaking his head in amusement, he then starting flicking through his phone, trying to see if their favorite restaurant that actually delivered would have a place nearby. Thankfully, it didn't take him very long at all to find one that was apparently just a few blocks away. Nick then promptly called the restaurant and ordered their favorites from pure memory alone, all the while listening in on the faucet in the bathtub as it turned on, filling the tub beneath it with water. As he clicked the mobile-device off upon concluding the brief call, he then saw his wife stick her head out from the behind of the bathroom door.

"So, what are we eating?" She questioned with ears perked in curiosity.

"I figured some take-out from the Little Kitaly nearby wouldn't hurt. Sound good?" Nick chimed, grinning wide as he saw Judy's face light up in anticipation.

"Great! I heard they have some wonderful pasta! Oh, and the tub should take about another few minutes or so to fill, so let's break out those maps while we wait, shall we?"

Nick gave a fake groan of discontent, effectively earning an eye roll from Judy as she walked over to him. Grabbing the folded district map from his paws before jumping onto the sofa, her violet-colored then took to scanning it over as she unfolded it section by section, quickly darting back and forth across its somewhat wrinkled surface, taking in as much as she could see. The fox cleared his throat before seating himself beside her, wrapping one of his arms around her shoulder and tugging slightly on the corner of the large map.

Eyeing over the brightly colored map, Nick took to taking note of all the various townships and other locations dotted throughout the valley. In the south-east, the largest, Beaverdam, connected to the longest and widest river in the district, of which flowed off in the direction of the nearby Polar-Strait. Other more tiny communities were spread around the district, most of which were made up of small villages of wood and brick, some even extending into the trees above them, connected with strings of wooden catwalks.

Alongside small neighborhoods, other little communities were spread out across the thick of the forest, with places such as Maple-Heights, Autumn-Avenue, Pine-Point, Cedar-Street, and Oak-Alley being among the more prominent of locations, especially the very first one; Maple-Heights stood as a large patch of multicolored trees, with various shades of red, orange, and even yellow making up the millions upon millions of leaves.

"Wow, this place really is diverse... Lots to see, that's for sure." Nick stated quietly. "Honestly makes me kinda excited for tomorrow's super mundane meter-maiding."

The bunny chuckled at her mate's sardonic comment.

"I'm sure it'll be a new experience, at least. Say though, does the map have any tourist spots we can visit here in our free time?"

"Hm. Yeah, it looks like it. Maple-Heights seems like a neat place to visit, but there's also some other places, like the hydro-electric facility over in Beaverdam. That place literally runs nearly the entire air-conditioning system in the walls that separate Tundra-Town from Sahara-Square. I wouldn't mind checking out that place, at the very least... You?"

"Sure! Sounds like fun! Maybe we'll be positioned in Beaverdam, tomorrow. I guess we'll find out." Judy mused.

The female bunny then cleared her throat before pointing to a small part of the map in the far corner. Following her gaze and gesture, the fox locked eyes onto a small little icon positioned near the base of the mountain range. His able eyes also noticed several other icons just like it spread throughout the district, each one colored in a bright light purple.

"Well would you look at that... The Painted Labyrinth." Nick mumbled, reading the description that matched with the icons on the map key. "A system of stone-age caves. Cool."

"Hold on now, why is it called that? The Painted Labyrinth?" Judy herself questioned out loud, causing Nick to go back and read over the description;

"The Painted Labyrinth is a system of caves and tunnels webbing beneath the forest floor for miles across the Deciduous-District. The location gets its name from the hundreds of different stone-age cave paintings spread throughout the cavern. The cave paintings are thousands of years old, predating even that of the ancient Elktic civilization that once resided in the Deciduous-District, making them the oldest works of art and display of mammalian culture in Zootopian history."

"Ooo, sounds neat! We should go and sight-see there sometime!" The bunny beamed with excitement. "I'm not the biggest fan of the underground, but it does seem worth it."

"Not the biggest fan of the underground? Ha... If I'm not mistaken, last time we took a trip below the surface, I was almost burned alive." Nick grumbled.

"Daw, don't be like that, slick. Besides, I saved you, didn't I?" Judy stated as she nuzzled against the fox's shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Fine then, wouldn't hurt to add that place to the list of areas to check out while we're here."

"Sounds like a plan."

" _Now_ can we get onto what I _know_ we both want to do?" The fox droned as he folded up the map and gestured to the nearby washroom, all the while grinning oh-so smugly.

"Alright, though I think I have an idea to make it a bit interesting, actually." Judy claimed in response.

With a single eyebrow arched, Nick asked aloud; "And what might the bunny have planned?" He questioned curiously.

Judy grinned slyly. "I'm thinking that we quiz each other on the streets, towns, and other major locations, and whoever gets the most correct answers..."

She then gently pulled down on Nick's tie while she spoke until their muzzles almost touched.

"Gets a _prize._ "

Nick let out a loud bark of laughter, grinning broadly all the while. "This, coming from the bunny who _still_ has to use the cruiser's GPS when in Tundra-Town? You're on, fluff!"

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I certainly hope that you all enjoyed this latest new chapter of ours. I know I sure did! We got a lot coming up here in the near-future, but I assure you, the coming chapters will be filled to the brim with plenty of fluff and other more simplistic bits before the higher plot begins to kick in. There's tons of brand new content and other stuff in store for you lot here soon enough, so do stay tuned for the coming chapters, and everything that follows along with them all, too!**

 **That being said, if you haven't already, do be sure to favorite and follow the story: I greatly appreciate each & every single one! They keep me going strong!**

 **Last but certainly not least, I'd like to extend a special thanks to my good friend Cimar, whom helped me greatly with the editing and creation of this chapter!**

 **Nothing left to say for now though, really. Again, thanks a whole lot for reading, everyone, and do be sure to stay tuned for the coming chapter, of course!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	71. Naturalization

"With enough time, you can get used to almost anything." - Katherine Applegate

* * *

10:00 A.M

The following morning was one that could be acutely described as hectic, in the very least.

The night had been spent in study and silent kisses until the bath water turned tepid, and while they had managed to get nearly all of the questions that they asked each other correct about the placements of various towns, cities, streets and hamlets, a sense of slight worry still followed them both as they arrived at the station the following morning.

Thankfully, Chief Urzo did _not_ seem to have a quiz ready for them, but instead ordered them to the Bear's Den to receive their assignments for the corresponding day.

Which, of virtually no surprise whatsoever, was parking duty.

Ah, how the mighty have fallen. Nick himself never could have guessed that he'd ever have to deal with parking duty again, though the thought had crossed his mind a few times before in the past, admittedly. He figured that his frequent clashing with Chief Bogo would have eventually landed him in the job, but thankfully, that had never happened until now. The fox smirked, thanking his lucky stars (And personal rabbit's foot) that he'd managed to make it this far without such menial and degrading punishment served.

Meanwhile, Judy herself was about as excited as she could be: More ticket and parking duty was probably the last thing she wanted to do when it came to police work. Hell, at this point, she almost looked back at all that dangerous and crazy work she'd undergone these past few months as downright preferable. At the very least, perhaps, she'd prefer something a bit more action-packed and exciting than simple ticket work. But still, it was better than whatever nightmarish paperwork Bogo must've been dealing with now.

As they left the precinct, they double checked their new gear in the trunk of their cruiser, making sure they were at least somewhat used and familiar to the new equipment that they would be needing to use. All the while, Judy huffed and grumbled her way through putting on her brightly-colored meter maid vest. To his credit, Nick himself didn't complain at all whatsoever, though Judy could tell that the only thing he really liked about this assignment was that they were, at the very least, still partners through it all.

That thought made the female bunny smile even past her brooding feeling of disappointment.

Judy had taken his advice to heart before falling asleep the previous night; Realizing that even though they were being punished for what they had done in regards to dealing with the rat, that it could have been a whole lot worse. They'd been temporarily docked a rank, true, but they _were_ still partners _and_ were still on the force, both being blessings that she counted on grateful paws. If anything, that fact alone would serve as the driving force behind her sense of motivation and determination for the following few weeks.

"So, whose morning should we ruin today, Carrots?" Nick grinned as Judy pulled the cruiser out of the parking lot, driving onto the road and taking to the streets.

The question actually left the rabbit wondering herself.

"Nick, did any of the maps we studied last night actually _show_ where the parking meters in town are located?"

A twitch of his bushy orange tail was the only answer that she needed.

"Oh, for the love of..." Judy trailed off before practically slamming the brakes on the vehicle. "Hand me the radio, dumb fox."

* * *

11:29 A.M

 _Only a hundred tickets between us by noon..._ Judy thought with sadness as she printed out her 101st ticket of the day.

With a slight sigh, the female bunny placed it onto the windshield of a decently sized family car, according to the tiny deer-shaped family decals on the back, what must have been some sort of Cervidae. It had taken them nearly half an hour to find, from what they learned from radioing the precinct, one of the only three areas where parking meters could be found in the entire district: Beaverdam, Maple-Heights, and The Underbrush, all three of which housed the forest district's tallest buildings and widest parking spaces.

To make matters worse, Nick and Judy's first slew of ticketing was located in The Underbrush, a section of the Deciduous-District that was heavily populated by deer, apparently.

Many species may have evolved past their primitive, savage ways, however, instincts were still catching up thousands of years later. Judy herself was well aware. As soon as their cruiser pulled up onto the side of the street, dozens of white-tailed deer made mad dashes towards their vehicles, each one over-filling the meters with coins before going back to whatever business they were attending to mere moments earlier, as if nothing had happened at all. Apparently, they were quite used to dealing with parking tickets.

After spending nearly an hour in that specific area, the two tiny officers had only managed to place two tickets a piece. They were quite eager to move on, least to say.

The second area had been much like the first, though they had managed at least an additional 30 tickets between them both thanks to stumbling across a community meeting, seemingly about correct hibernation practices for the local bear population, which allowed the bunny and fox to dish out plenty of fines for the various vehicles parked close by.

Soon enough, that part of the area was behind them, and now, Nick and Judy were concluding their first section of ticketing for the day, of which would be followed by some routine patrols of a nearby public park, before finally setting out towards Maple-Heights for some additional neighborhood patrolling. Both mammals were quite excited to be able to explore the colorful hills of the aforementioned township, as it was already one of their own personally planned tourist destinations that they intended on visiting sometime during their time there in the dense woods of the Deciduous-District.

Judy herself shook her head from side to side, bringing her attention back to the present: The bunny wanted to focus on the task directly in front of her, for starters. She heard the whirling of Nick's ticket machine a few cars ahead, watching as he gleefully placed the ticket on the window. It wasn't until she walked past that she saw the reason for it, as the car's back window was adorned with a large bumper sticker of a circled fox face with a line through it. The owner of the vehicle clearly wasn't a fan of the vulpine species.

"Nick, you missed one." Judy called out quickly, hoping to take his attention away from the car, if only to keep him from purposefully putting more tickets on it than necessary.

The fox turned slowly, one eyebrow rising in amusement as his mate pointed to a large car behind him all the while.

"Did I now?" He inquired curiously. "Looked fine to me."

"Take a closer look. They're parked over a foot away from the curb, and are also over the lines, as this is a large mammal car parked in a medium-sized parking spot. See?"

Bending down and analyzing the car's stature more closely, the fox then nodded to himself in seeming understanding as he spoke out loud;

"Ah, now I see it. Must not have noticed it early because I was too distracted by that stupid car sticker over there. How much would this one total to, huh, fluff-butt?"

"Two hundred dollar minimum fine, I believe."

Nick's smile widened as he walked back to the car, readying the ticket. "Ouch. Consider _this_ guy's day officially ruined."

* * *

11:45 A.M

Through paper tickets and metal cars, the titled 'Safest job on the force' still had its exciting moments.

Although the two tiny officers could safely say that they both missed the more thrilling side of being a police officer, they were quite alright with getting some easy work every once and a while, even in the form of paperwork, at times. Sometimes being able to sit down and accomplish something without being shot at was a nice change in pace, and just so happened to be one that both Nick and Judy managed to find great appreciation for. They both easily recognized the magnitude of their past missions, and although in comparison, their current work was novice and trivial, neither of them could deny the fact that at any moment, even the most simple of things can take a turn for the worse.

Or at the very least, an _unexpected_ turn.

After finishing their previous ticket section on the outskirts of The Underbrush, Nick and Judy then set out deeper into the forested depths of the Deciduous-District, soon finding themselves at a small wood and brick community near the base of one of the mountains that bordered the valley. This particular settlement wasn't quite as large as some of the others that the two tiny officers had seen thus far, this one consisting of just a single main street flanked by a few dilapidated brick buildings and wooden shacks strewn along the sidewalks.

It wasn't exactly the most savory sight on the eyes, least to say, and reminded Nick himself quite a lot of his old hometown, the rusty slums of the sub-district, Happy-Town, in Savannah-Central's poorest neighborhood. It was a pretty run-down and poverty-stricken area, much like The Docks, the most noticeable difference being the population of both respective areas; While The Docks housed various forms of marine mammals such as narwhals and seals, Happy-Town was home to nearly a 99% predator population. Now, the neighborhood stood as a sad reminder of Zootopia's bitter past, when predator and prey were still dealing with the worst of their differences and ideals, or lack thereof, in fact.

The fox shook his head from side to side: Despite growing up there with his family, he didn't like to think about it that much. There was some bad memories from that place. Even despite that factor, both his mom and his dad still lived there, although in separate homes, thanks to their divorce. Nick sighed, and instead took to focusing on the bright and beautiful trees around him rather than the grimy, disappointing buildings, as they were far more appealing to stare at than the rotten old shacks and crumbling parking lots.

Staring through the transparent cruiser window and up at the glittering forest canopy above his head, the fox smiled at the sight of the shining sun beams streaming through the holes in the blanket of leaves that separated the sky from the ground. Despite his cynical nature, he couldn't deny his appreciation for nature. The Deciduous-District just so happened to be full of it, even with the more run-down sections of the community having plenty of trees and other stunning natural sights to behold.

Eventually, their cruiser reached the end of the street, having dealt with all of the overdue ticket meters and offending parked cars, with one rodent-sized vehicle being parked in a spot sized for a fully grown adult grizzly bear! Who even does that? The fox shook his head around, chuckling lowly to himself all the while. With her length years twitching in detection, the nearby female bunny turned towards him with a quizzical look displayed upon her face, her expression that of confusion, and even a little bit of sympathy.

"What's so funny?" She asked curiously, to which the fox beside her lolled his head in seeming amusement.

"Oh, just thinkin' about today, really. Nothin' much." He mumbled before an idea suddenly popped into his head. "Say, carrots, when was the last time we went to my mom's?"

"You honestly don't remember the last time you went to you own mother's house?" The rabbit questioned with a slight smile of disbelief.

"Mind you, us foxes aren't as big on family ties as you rabbits are. We're kinda solitary creatures, ya know? Whatever, just answer the question, you."

Judy lightly tapped against her chin for a few seconds as she thought back. Eventually, she slowly stated out loud;

"Not too sure, honestly, but I _do_ know that it's been well over a year, at least. Sound about right?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Once all this is over, and we can go back home, we should pay her a visit."

"Ah, good idea, slick! Might be pretty fun, actually!" Judy responded joyfully, as always.

"Could be. Been a while since we last saw her, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to do some catching up. Not very courteous of me to not keep up to date with her, huh?"

"True, but I still think that you could have-"

" _Achoo_!"

A loud sneeze pierced the air, interrupting them and effectively earning the attention of both the rabbit and her husband as they turned towards the source of the sudden noise.

Nick and Judy turned to see a skunk, probably in his late college years, leaning against a wall just outside a nearby restaurant hidden in the trees. Glancing briefly towards the brick building itself, the female bunny herself noticed a rather broad wooden sign nailed to the wall directly behind where the skunk was standing so casually to himself: _No loitering_ , it requested in big, bold red words large enough for anyone to see. Clearly, the skunk reclining before it must not have had much appreciation for the simple request.

"Hey, looks like that guy's loitering, to me." Nick stated aloud, his mate nodding in agreement. "Should we go notify him?" He said as he promptly unbuckled his seat-belt.

"Of course we should!" The rabbit responded with haste, all the while opening her side of the vehicle and jumping out.

At the thought of the skunk himself, Judy took a moment to look him over from head to toe; Striped black fur coated his body, the lower half of which was wrapped in what looked like purposefully torn blue jeans. As for his upper body, the skunk brandished himself a baggy, sleeveless denim coat, of which was lined with dozens of tiny cuts and other gross looking stains. The skunk's dark green eyes looked almost impossibly bored and dull, so much so that he didn't even seem to notice the two officers until they were standing directly in front of him, having momentarily abandoned their vehicle so as to peacefully speak with the offender himself.

Up close, both Nick and Judy had a much better sense of not only what the skunk looked like, but of what he smelled like as well: As if looking and acting shady wasn't enough, it was clear that this guy had little to no consideration for the public nor those around him, as it was custom for most skunks to refrain from letting their stench become too noticeable, often brandishing themselves with heavy amounts of perfume and cologne, if only to mask the natural musk that emanated from their bodies.

"Afternoon, sir. Just wanted to take the time to point out the fact that you're currently loitering, so..." Nick began, trailing off in a hope that the skunk would get the message.

With a distasteful look gleaming in his eyes, the skunk eyed the two officers up and down rather slowly, a slight smirk tugging at the edge of his lips all the while. Clearing his throat, the striped mammal raised one of his paws and jabbed a finger towards the lapin and vulpine, voicing his thoughts out loud in a quick question that surprised them both.

"Hey, aren't you those two coppers down in Savannah that think they're all that and a bag o' chips?"

"Um, pardon?" The vulpine asked with a quizzically raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm talkin' to you two. What, ya too dumb to think I wouldn't recognize ya from the news and all that stink you created?"

"Stink? Look who's talkin'." Nick spat back bitterly before turning to his wife. "So, Carrots, should I deal with him, or do you want to have some fun on your own, huh?"

" _Ooo_ , I'm _trembling_ in my denim!" The skunk crooned sarcastically. "Still, at least it's better than a meter-maid vest."

"That's just cold." The fox grumbled.

"What's your problem, anyways?" Judy found herself asking with an undertone of frustration.

"Don't look at me, you're the ones who came over here." The skunk retorted.

Judy's ears twitched at the sudden reminder of why they were even talking with the rude mammal in the first place. Rapidly tapping her left foot in irritation, she spoke aloud;

"Oh right, that reminds me: You're still loitering, so one way or another, you're gonna have to vacate the premises, for the moment. Think you can do that, sir?"

"I'd rather not, see, this wall is just _so_ comfortable... You don't got a problem with that, do you?" The skunk growled with narrowed green eyes.

"It's only a problem if you make it one, buddy." Nick tried reasoning. "Just please step aside."

The skunk lowered his vision, seemingly thinking over the idea of simply moving away from the building. A few seconds later, he snarled lowly;

"Make me, then."

The female bunny sighed audibly, her paws placed firmly on the sides of her hips all the while.

"Fine."

Pursing her lips in discontent, Judy reached to her utility belt and pulled out her single pair of paw-cuffs.

"If you're not gonna be compliant, then we'll have to move you by force." She muttered, taking a step forward.

"Don't you touch me, bunny, or I'll spray you!"

That did it.

In the past, Judy and her partner, Nick, had arrested plenty of different people, loiterers included. It was standard that they had no right to touch the offender unless any sort of threat was applied, or if they were creating a bad scene, for the most part. Upon sensing the skunk's threat of spraying them, Judy's fighting instincts instantly kicked in: She then sprung forward rather quickly, ducking swiftly to the side of the skunk and positioning herself behind him before he himself even had a chance to blink a single time.

From there, she pushed against him, causing him to topple to the ground, despite not pushing against him very hard, even.

Once he was safely on the ground, the bunny lightly placed one of her feet on the stalk of the skunk's tail, holding it down so that if he were to spray, he would end up spraying himself in the process as well, ultimately discouraging the act in its entirety. She had learned that move during past police training when dealing with smaller-sized mammals.

"You're under arrest now, sir. You have the right to remain silent." She calmly told the offender.

"Atta' girl, whiskers!" Nick called out from a few feet away. "Nice work."

"Just another day on the job, huh?" Judy replied back with a proud grin.

"Hurry up, will ya?" The skunk requested as the bunny hauled him to his feet. "I got places to be!" He stated, slightly squirming against Judy's grip on his wrists from behind.

"Indeed you do: Jail."

"Well, that was a stinky situation, wasn't it?" Nick quipped with a coyish smile.

"Oh shut up." Both the rabbit and skunk said in unison.

* * *

12:06 P.M

Taking that rebellious skunk back to the nearby station was the most exciting thing to happen to the two tiny officers all day, thus far.

After dealing with the vile offender, both Nick and Judy quickly dropped a brief report in to their temporary boss, the grizzly bear, Chief Urzo, whom they intended on notifying of their recent arrest, alongside all of the other acts that they had accomplished earlier that day, including their ticket work, parking duty, and minor patrolling near the public park.

As it turned out, the skunk himself was a rather frequent visitor to the Precinct, though almost always in cuffs. It wasn't even his first time being brought in for loitering, in fact!

But now, it was in the past, where it belonged. Upon dropping off the skunk at the nearby Precinct, Nick and Judy promptly set out for their cruiser so as to continue with the remainder of their work, which consisted of a routine patrol at a local park just a few blocks away from the aforementioned building. It took them only a few mere moments to arrive, but apparently, the job wouldn't be as easy as they thought.

For starters, the park itself was massive, at a whopping five miles in total length from front to back. The two tiny officers were required to do one quick roundabout along the edge of the park in their cruiser before getting out and doing a quick little walk around the park, just to make sure if everything was up to standards, and to keep an eye out for any offenders, of course. The two of them both secretly hoped to come across more trouble, if only to stave off the encroaching boredom of their rather simple, but lengthy task.

Thankfully for them, they got exactly what they wanted.

Once they had driven around the perimeter of the park itself, the two tiny officers promptly disembarked from their vehicle so as to start their first patrol of the area. Not even some half a mile inward did they come across their second offender for the day. Judy herself was the first to notice, her sensitive ears being the very first of the two mammals to detect a loud snoring sound emanating from the behind of a nearby oak tree.

Curious, the female bunny, closely tailed by the fox, approached the base of the towering tree and reared the circumference of its base to come to sight with a dozing grizzly bear even larger than Chief Urzo, though this particular bear's body seemed to consist mostly of flab and fat, as he appeared far less physically fit than the rabbit and fox's temporary superior. The grizzly bear before them was dressed quite simply, with a plain red shirt that was a bit too small for him, and a big pair of cargo shorts wrapped around his waist.

"Looks like he's asleep." Nick said flatly, the sight before him clearly suggesting exactly that. "Pretty loud though, with all that snoring. Should we wake him up, fluff?"

The female bunny leaned a bit closer to the bear, her purple-colored eyes narrowing in suspicion as a sudden realization dawned on her. Nodding in confirmation, she stated;

"He's not asleep, slick. He's hibernating!"

"What?" The fox cried in surprise. "How do you know that?"

"Well, it's practically winter, and we saw that meeting about proper hibernation habits earlier, remember?" Judy retorted.

"Yeah, I recall. Hm. Now that you say it, he does look pretty into it... Maybe he really _is_ hibernating."

"Perhaps. If he is, then we need to wake him up."

"And why is that?" The fox questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Hibernating in a public place is against the law, remember? Same laws in the primary district apply way out here. Universal law."

"Okay, I see now. So what, you want to wake up a sleeping _grizzly bear_ from the middle of his season-long nap?! _I'm_ cranky enough waking up from a quick snooze. I wouldn't exactly bet that _he'd_ be pretty happy if he wakes up, you know... Probably best if we just leave him be, wouldn't you say? I'd rather not be his first breakfast since dozing out."

"Just help me out here, ya wuss." The bunny mumbled teasingly as she took a few steps closer towards the slumbering grizzly bear.

"Come on, up and at 'em!" Judy stated as she tapped on the bear's shoulder, though the sleeping mammal held no apparent reaction to her sudden advances.

"Gees, all you bunnies really _do_ have death wishes, don't you?" Nick grumbled as he approached his wife from behind. "Just your dumb bunny nature, I guess."

"Can it, scruffy." Judy grumbled, though not without a slight smile egging at the very edge of her lips.

After a few brief seconds of tapping (More like punching) rather aggressively on the dozing grizzly bear's shoulder, the female rabbit promptly noticed one of his eyes twitch a little bit before opening ever so slightly, the dark yellow-ish iris around his pupil just barely visible behind his thick eyelid. Pursing her lips in distaste, Judy then yelled into his ear;

" _SIR_! WAKE UP, PLEASE!"

The fox winced at the sheer volume of her voice, though at last, the grizzly bear himself finally held a visible response to their presence, with one of his dark yellow eyes opening nearly all the way, displaying his black pupil and the white of his upper eyeball. Smiling in satisfaction at her efforts, the bunny then took a step back and placed her paws on the side of her hips, eyeing the larger bear as he lazily slumped a bit forward, his tongue smacking against the roof of his mouth, all the while staring down at the officer before him.

"Yes?" He asked simply, his deep voice laced with a sleepy, dull undertone.

"Rise and shine, sir! I'm officer Judy Hopps, and this is my partner, Nick Wilde. We just so happened to notice you sleeping - Hibernating, in fact - right here in a public place."

"So? I was tired." The bear rumbled lowly, his eyelids already beginning to droop once again.

"Well, I'll have you know that hibernating in a public place is against the law, actually." Judy stated officially. "It not only poses a danger to yourself, but a disturbance to others."

"But t-the... The grass just looked _so_ soft..."

"I'm sorry sir, but it's just not appropriate. I'm going to have to ask you to leave the area."

"Urgh..." The grizzly grumbled. "Help me up."

Briefly looking towards and locking eyes with Judy, Nick nodded before stepping forward and gripping one of the bear's flabby arms, trying to help pull him to his feet. Despite his efforts, the bear barely seemed to move at all. Indeed, the fox might as well have been trying to lift a boulder, and at the rate he was going, he wasn't getting anywhere soon.

"Say, what's your name, pal?" The fox found himself asking as he tried again at lifting the bear's thick arm.

"Winnie..." The bear claimed before trailing off with a deep yawn. "Puverton." He concluded.

"Winnie Puverton, huh? Alright big guy, stand up, come on."

Nick's request didn't hold much traction on the bear's ears, apparently. Just mere seconds after the words left his mouth, the bear slumped over once again, and began snoring.

"Unbelievable. He fell asleep! Just right in front of me!" The fox grumbled. "Talk about rude."

The female bunny sighed audibly.

"Okay, how're we gonna deal with this guy?" She asked to no one in particular, though the fox beside her stroked his chin in seeming thought.

"Well, if we have a forklift, maybe we could-" Nick started, but was ultimately cut off when Judy's ears shot up towards the sky and she jumped up in excitement.

"I know!" The bunny claimed. "You wouldn't happen to have any honey, would you?" She asked with a sheepish smile across her muzzle.

"Course not. What exactly begs the question, might I ask?"

"Well, I remember a long time ago, back when I lived in Bunny-Burrow with my family, the largest resident mammal, who was a predator, I might add, in the area was this black bear that everyone called Robert 'Nodding Off' Norbeart, because he was almost always asleep in someone's backyard around these months. We used to always have trouble getting him to wake up and leave, that is, until one of my sisters actually came up with the idea of hovering a jar of honey under his nose, leading him off and away."

"Ah, I think I'm following you with this one... Good idea! Now, let's go get some honey, shall we?

* * *

12:31 P.M

Honey, as it turns out, works miracles.

Soon after purchasing a single jar of pure honey from the nearest convenience store, the fox and the bunny promptly returned to where they had first found Winnie, and sure enough, he was still sound asleep against the base of the big oak tree, his loud snores and deep, rumbling grumbles filling their ears and causing them to wince in apprehension.

Positioning the open jar just beneath the dozing grizzly bear's nose, it only took a few seconds before he began sniffing hungrily, his nose twitching in stimulation. In a moment, his eyes opened drowsily, and his black pupils locked onto the jar in front of him. With a dreamy expression on his face the whole way.

"Wow, that was honestly pretty impressive." The fox claimed, staring at the jar of honey in his hand with seeming awe. "Think something like that would work on Chief Urzo?"

"I'd rather not try to find out." The bunny replied back. "Still, I'm glad it worked on Winnie, though." She stated, thumbing off in the direction of the cruiser's occupied backseat.

"Sly bunny, as always." Nick said with a smile, all the while closing the door to the cruiser shut behind him after the bear had crawled inside and was safely secure.

"You know it." Judy agreed. "Now, let's get this guy back to the station."

The fox nodded in agreement, and was just about to start walking over towards the passenger seat when a sudden, timid voice pierced the air and caught his attention;

"Lost my nuts, lost my nuts, lost my nuts. All gone, none left... Gotta find 'em..."

Frowning in confusion, Nick looked over his shoulder and back towards the entrance of the park. Rummaging around through the healthy green grass right next to the gated entrance of the nearby park, a small, messy-looking male squirrel was frantically digging about in the soil, tossing up clumps of dirt behind him and grumbling about lost acorns.

"I don't think those are the only nuts he's lost, wouldn't you say, carrots?" The fox mused with a sly smile.

Rolling her violet colored eyes, the bunny then proceeded to walk over to the agitated squirrel, whom had his head buried in the ground, paws frantically clawing at the earth.

"Sir, I'll need you to cease and desist in the destruction of..."

She wasn't even able to get the rest of the sentence out before the squirrel turned on her, a surprising amount of anger flashing deep within his dark brown eyes.

"Everyone's always after my nuts! You can't have _my_ nuts!" He hissed incredibly fast in a squeaky voice. "They're _my_ nuts! _Mine_! Mine, I tell you!"

She took a step back, eyes widening as the smaller mammal lunged at her unexpectedly. She dove to the ground, avoiding his attack as he sailed over her. She heard an angry chattering and was up on her feet, her paw already withdrawing her taser, setting it to low voltage, when she heard a soft ' _thuft',_ and a groan.

The squirrel was wavering on his feet, one paw raised as he stumbled towards Judy, and a colorful tranquilizer dart sticking prominently out of his back.

"You'll... Never get my nuts. Only I... Can eat them... _Guh._.."

He then fell to the ground, a gurgling snore escaping from his bucktoothed maw as his body relaxed upon the grass.

Nick chuckled to himself. "Well, I can't say I've seen that before. I'd give him a C-plus for drama, and a D-minus on that lunge, sound about right, Fluff?"

"Eh, I'd say an F-minus for that lunge of his. It surprised me a bit, sure, but I saw it coming from a mile away!"

"Sure ya did. That's why I needed to save you with my tranquilizer." The fox teased as he blew a stream of air on the hole at the end of his gun. "You're welcome."

* * *

1:03 P.M

That last offender of theirs was certainly one of the more unique arrests that the fox and bunny had undertaken.

After detaining the nutty squirrel, they had learned from the ZPD's records that he was a diagnosed mental patient whom often made frequent escapes from the metal institute up in the mountains that bordered the Deciduous-District. Apparently, the squirrel, whom went by Runfield Scratton, almost always fled to that specific park upon escaping from his hospital, so it was just a fat chance of luck that Nick and Judy happened to come across him during one of his escapes, the latest one marking the 18th such successful attempt, and the 48th attempt in total.

Least to say, Runfield was quite the escape artist. Nick himself could respect that.

Once the squirrel, along with a still sleeping Winnie, had been safely and effectively dropped off at the Precinct Seven head-quarters, the two tiny officers immediately made their way back to the park where they were expected to continue with their simple routine patrol. After hauling in three different offenders throughout their shift, two of which were residing in that very park, neither of the two mammals were that surprised to come across yet another citizen of the vast Deciduous-District having some trouble with the law.

Some two miles into the woods of the park, where the trees grew so tall and so thick that you could barely see past them, a small field of open grass and shrubs suddenly was present, right smack in the middle of the forest. Out in the small meadow, which was probably no more than a few acres across in both length and width, various small-sized trees grew, mostly spruce, for that matter, but that wasn't what caught the attention of Judy, always so alert and ready to spot crime, big or small.

Gnawing heavily on the side of one of the nearby spruce trees, a small young beaver, probably no more than twelve years old or so, was completely oblivious to the twin officer's presence. Grinning in amusement, Nick playfully nudged his wife with his wrist before stepping forward and approaching the water mammal quietly, so as to catch him off guard.

"Sir, what are you doing?" The bunny inquired sternly, effectively earning the attention of the mammal in question.

The young beaver looked up from the tree for a moment, blinking several times as he stared at the female rabbit officer with a rather sheepish smile across his muzzle.

"Uhh... What now?" He stifled timidly.

"This is a public park," Judy began, pointing towards a nearby sign with a sigh. "You can't be gnawing on trees in a public area. It's against city regulations."

"It was just a little nibble though!" The mammal whimpered. "I barely even bit it!"

The beaver pointed towards the trunk of the tree, of which was peppered with large bite marks that completely contradicted his previous statement.

"Leaf it to a beaver to say that eating wood is tasty." Nick quipped, earning a confused look from the water mammal and a roll of the eyes from his partner, whom spoke aloud;

"I'm sorry, sir, but gnawing on a tree in a public area is destruction of public property."

The beaver's face dropped in disappointment.

"Are you serious? But... I-I just needed a quick chew. Honest! You know what I'm going through, don't you, rabbit?"

Nick looked quickly at Judy, whom was surprised for a moment, before she caught Nick's gaze.

"See, she knows what I mean!" The beaver stated, pointing towards Judy. "You have to keep these teeth under control, lest they grow too large, right?"

"Yeah, you're right... I remember back when I was your age, I had to always use some chew-stick at night to keep my teeth from growing too large... Hmm."

A groan came from the fox, who placed a paw over his eyes before turning to head back to the cruiser. "This one is all yours Fluff." He grumbled, knowing this could take time.

Judy scowled at him, though quickly turned back to the young beaver and voiced her thoughts;

"Look, I know what you're going through, I really do, but you just can't do it here in a public park, so I'm gonna have to cite you for it. I'm so sorry, but this is something that needs to be worked on and fixed. We both know that, don't we? You caused permanent damage to the tree, so you're lucky that you're only getting off with a single citation."

The beaver's head sunk even lower.

"Mom is going to slap me with her tail for doing this again, I bet." He mumbled.

Judy's long ears shot up. "What do you mean, _again_?" She asked cautiously.

The young mammal's paw raised as he pointed towards a small grove of new spruce trees on the far corner of the park, each and every single individual tree covered in large bite marks and tiny little claw scratches near the trunks. The female bunny nearly gasped in surprise, but quickly composed herself before turning back towards the young offender.

"It was only a few bites." The beaver mumbled timidly, head lowered while he eyed his webbed feet with seeming disinterest and guilt.

"Oh, sweet cheese and crackers." Judy grumbled, before reaching for her pawcuffs. "Sorry kid, but you're coming with us."

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I certainly hope that you enjoyed this latest chapter of ours, as always. As you've likely long since been able to tell, this particular chapter focused a whole lot on the two of them getting used to their new gear, environment, and temporary jobs, alongside meeting a number of other people and learning the ropes of the Deciduous-District. The coming chapter, however, will have a whole lot more exploring and scene description, as I intend on having it focus a whole lot on their patrol throughout the forest district. Should be a rather neat experience, and I truly hope that you all will join me for it when the time comes!**

 **Okay, now for some brief announcements! For starters, I would like to mention real quick that there is some more fan-art on my Tumblr account, so if you'd like to, do feel free to check it out and perhaps let me know whatcha think! Special thanks to the artists, of course. A splendid job on every level, for certain.**

 **Secondly, some of you have been asking about the likes of the next bonus chapter, and when it's going to arrive. I assure you, I haven't forgotten about it! In fact, I've already started development on it, and should be released here sometime soon enough. Though of course, with that concept about to be put behind us, we'll be in need of some more soon enough: Expect another poll to be put up on my account here soon enough, of which will list varying options for the _next_ bonus chapter, whenever that one may be. Regardless, things are in the works, so be ready for all kinds of new content comin' soon enough!**

 **Alongside that, I'd also quickly like to point out the fact that in some time, I plan on going back and revising/editing the first few chapters of the story, giving them a completely new overall so as to give them a higher form of quality, at least up to par with what I've wrought in the recent months. As I'm sure some of you have been able to tell, this story has gone on for a long time, and although all things must come to an end, I still have plenty of more content for you guys in the future, near and far. However, that certainly doesn't mean that improvements can't be made to already released chapters, amiright?**

 **So yeah, don't be surprised if a few chapters disappear, others combine, and the rest get some serious editorial overhaul. It's on its way, I assure you! :)**

 **That being said, I would like to say once again that I really do appreciate all forms of follows and/or favorites, alongside some nice reviews, of course. Each and every single individual one truly does helps me strive through the thick of things, so please, do feel free to add to the masses if you haven't yet already. I truly cannot put to words just how thankful I am for and towards all of you for your help and support over the months. You lot are all real troopers, alright.**

 **Anyhow, that's pretty much all that I got for you lot, at the moment. As always, do stay tuned for the next chapter, comin' your way soon! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: Once again, a special thanks to my friend Cimar for helping me develop this particular chapter.**


	72. Fresh Horizons and Surprises

"Life is full of surprises. Not all of these surprises are pleasant, so you need to be ready for what life brings you." - Anonymous

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"The moments of happiness that we enjoy almost always take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us." - Ashley Montagu

* * *

3:04 P.M

Time and time it again, Nick and Judy always seemed to defy all expectations and come out on top, surprising as it almost always was to them and those around them.

The other officers in the precinct were perplexed by how many times they had returned from that patrol, having yet another offender in cuffs each and every single time, always led by the paw straight to booking. From there, the two of them would head right back out and soon return once again a mere hour or two later with yet another mammal being brought in. The revolving door of suspects even brought some of the various officers of Precinct Seven to begin a betting pool to see which type of mammal they'd bring in next!

Despite catching the interests and earning the admiration of the other officers, Chief Urzo himself was far from cheerful in regards to their success out on the streets of the city.

Once the grizzled grizzly bear had sent the two tiny officers out on their first day of work, he was expecting them both to be nothing less than utterly humiliated, as per Chief Bogo's explicit orders, and judging by the solemn expressions and balled fists that accompanied the bunny and the fox as they left Precinct Seven, he considered his job well done. However, what he did not expect was for the two of them to be making multiple return trips back to the station throughout their ticket duty, each and every single time escorting a cuffed mammal all the while, ranging from tiny squirrels to putrid skunks and towering grizzly bears. They must've had quite the busy ticket job earlier, least to say.

All this, plus officers Nick and Judy's surprisingly high output of tickets to the residence of the Deciduous-District, effectively caused Chief Urzo to nearly drop his jaw in shock.

He'd heard from Chief Bogo himself that both Nick and Judy respectively were an amazing team, especially when working together under situations that required quick action and even quicker thinking, as the water-buffalo had oh-so officially claimed, with the two tiny officers having taken down full-fledged crime-lords and entire criminal syndicates.

Nevertheless, that supposed fact didn't quell his surprise as the two tiny officers pulled in offender after offender over the course of their assigned ticket work. By the end of their regional shift, both Nick and Judy had bagged a total of six different mammals, with the last two, a duo of timber wolves fighting for unknown reasons, being brought in just a mere twenty minutes after their fourth offender, a twelve year old beaver whom had apparently gnawed down a number of protected trees without permission in a nearby park.

Chief Urzo was nothing short of surprised at their success, if not a tad bit proud, or impressed, even: He hadn't expected them to find such amounts of success on their first day.

Yet despite that feeling, the grizzly bear chief of Precinct Seven still had a bone to pick with his newest recruits, especially the vulpine, whom had a rather annoying tendency for big words and fast phrases, both of which irritated Urzo to no end. Beside the fox's overall attitude and demeanor, neither of which the chief was very fond of, the grizzly bear was somewhat concerned that he hadn't gone hard enough on the two officers. This temporary displacement of theirs wasn't supposed to be a fun and games vacation: Chief Bogo himself ordered Urzo to be both stern and steadfast when dealing with the lapin and vulpine, especially the latter of the two, of which he soon reasoned just exactly why.

In the end, though, it was of no real matter nor concern to him or anyone else: Chief Tom Urzo still had plenty of time to beat down and break those two into submission yet!

Soon after their ticketing shift finally came to an end, along with their spree of apprehending various petty criminals and other minor offenders, the grizzly bear then promptly assigned the two tiny police officers to their next mundane task during their stay in the woods of the Deciduous-District: A simple, two hour patrol along the outskirts and into the depths of one of the forest district's more prominent locations, Maple-Heights, where hilly groves and hollows of various species of maple trees grew in near absurd numbers.

Eventually, Nick and Judy found themselves on the road once again, though thankfully, were not required by the precinct to wear those ridiculous meter-maid vests. Instead, the two tiny officers could finally brandish their new, and matching, uniforms of forest green and sandy beige, allowing them to blend in with the surrounding trees and earth surprisingly well, or at least, much better than any vivid shades of blue would, for that matter.

Having never exactly worn matching clothes before, the two tiny officers found it rather odd, at first, but soon adapted to the new change quite quickly, and discovered that they didn't look half bad in such dull colors, either, despite Nick himself preferring brighter hues and colors, such as orange, red, and yellow, all of which he often adorned himself with.

And now, after a long day of rather menial work, the two were finally able to sit down and enjoy themselves, if only for a moment, as their cruiser glided down the smooth, dark black asphalt streets of the Deciduous-District, occasionally passing somewhat slower cars and other vehicles, or even taking a brief pit stop on the side of the road to stretch their legs and to even admire the beautiful scenery around them.

Nick himself, having grown beneath an artistic father, found great appreciation from the varying colors that speckled across and around his vision. Deep down, he loved it there.

Meanwhile, his lapin counterpart, although still coming to terms with the overall weight and impact of their punishment, still managed to enjoy herself nearly as much as he did.

As Judy manned the steering wheel of the police cruiser, the rabbit and the fox both chatted idly about a multitude of subjects, exchanged various forms of teasing banter, and even took to verbally quizzing one another over the various sections and other areas of the Deciduous-District. In fact, for the first time since arriving, they decided not to use their GPS locator to help them navigate their way to Maple-Heights, as they had both studied their little map so much so that they didn't even recognize the need to use it at all.

After a few miles of this, the two soon decided to sit back and listen to the radio, burning through a few songs before tuning in to one of the ZNN's main broadcasting channels.

"- _With this latest bout of protests and public unrest centered around the controversial death of infamous media mogul, Grygorri Ratsputin, whom the ZPD have yet to release an official report on. The details surrounding the rat's passing have been cloaked in conspiracy as ZPD officers were spotted storming his private estate on the outskirts of Tundra-Town just the other night, yet still have yet to respond to public news outlets searching for answers, with the latest official confirmation being in a sudden spike of public arrests, of which are believed to be linked to the death of Grygorri Ratsputin himself. In other related news, known rabbit businessmammal Jack Savage is soon to be taking part in his trial, having been accused of financial fraudulence. Join us as Chief Thelonious Bogo of the ZPD gives us a preliminary public disclose after the break..."_

With a shake of the head and a discontented sigh of irritation, the female bunny then promptly reached forward, and with a flick of her wrist, turned off the nearby radio and disconnected from the channel, effectively filling the inside of the police cruiser in utter silence. Said silence reigned superior for a few brief moments, that is, until Nick asked;

"Hey, you alright?"

Judy pursed her lips and lightly blew some air out from her two quivering pink nostrils.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit... Irritated, that's all. But hey, at least the ZPD is managing some exciting work without us... While we're stuck here..."

The fox nodded his head in seeming understanding, recognizing his wife's sudden symptoms, and promptly choosing to aid her in soldiering through them with his fast talking;

"I mean, sure, it's great that they're actually bringing in some of the littler guys, it really is, but I reckon that we'll be seeing some of the bigger fishes gettin' reeled in here soon enough. Maybe they'll bring us back into the fray a bit earlier if they need help dealing with the bigger baddies, eh? If not, then this little _holiday_ -" He emphasized with finger quotations. "- Of ours still gives us plenty of time to relax and refresh anyways, so when Chief Buffalo-Butt comes callin', we'll be ready to take on whatever he throws our way."

The female bunny seemed to think over the fox's previous statement, for a moment. Her rather brooding expression trickled away gradually, and she soon stated out loud;

"I guess you have a good point. Besides, we have to let the _rest_ of the ZPD do _something_ now and again. Not very fair if _we're_ the ones doing all of the heavy lifting, now is it?"

Nick himself smiled at her renewed enthusiasm and rekindled sense of optimism.

"You got that right, Carrots. I don't want my tax dollars funding a bunch of slackers, you know, now that a certain bunny is making sure I actually _pay_ them, of course." He said.

"I still can't believe that you _actually_ thought I'd let you get away with that, at the time. Dumb fox." The rabbit mused, all the while a coyish grin playing at the edges of her lips.

"What can I say, whiskers? What can I say?" Nick responded with a slight shrug. "I personally see myself as quite persuasive, mind you."

"Persuasive, huh? You mean like that one time you tried to talk Manchas, a fully grown jaguar, into submission while he was _savage_?" Judy teased, to which her mate chuckled.

"Or perhaps how I attempted to woo our way out of Castle Fangpyre, down in the Nocturnal-District?" He added. " _That_ went about as well as I first expected it to."

"Good thing that potted plant was there to save us. You remember that?" The bunny questioned as she promptly halted their police cruiser by orders of a nearby stop-sign.

"Yeah, I remember. Who knew that ceramic and dirt could be so effective? Not _me_ , that's for sure." Nick claimed, thumbing his chest.

"That reminds me... Why did Vladzotz have a plant, anyways? He lived in the Nocturnal-District, so why would-" Judy began, but ultimately trailed off when the fox interjected.

"I'm pretty sure it was plastic, if I remember correctly, but hey, I don't judge! If I lived down in that stinking pit like Flappy-Bat, I'd want a little bit of green in my house too."

Nick and Judy both laughed aloud, their consistent chortles filling the inside of the car, ringing about in their ears and igniting a pleasant sense of nostalgia. Thinking back on old cases and missions long since passed, neither of the two tiny officers could safely say that they escaped such a thought without even the slightest bit of it. Nostalgia weighed heavy on their twin conscious, one part of it effectively causing them to think back on past memories with a mnemonic smile, and another with a feeling of saudade melancholy.

Both the lapin and the vulpine respectively were subject to it, though the former especially was the most vulnerable to such thoughts and feelings, as she herself was easily the most deterred and intimidated by the weight of their punishment and exile. Here she was, Judy Hopps, hero bunny cop of the ZPD and the city of Zootopia, albeit temporarily, banished in dishonor from her beloved home, and doomed to spend the next three-ish weeks or so of her life performing menial and degrading assignments under a new boss.

Through the thick of the storm, however, she had her partner, Nick, by her side. That, if anything was perhaps the only thing keeping her afloat in such sickening times.

Meanwhile, the fox himself was more than content with being given such an assignment, fresh as it was: Not only did it allow him plenty of bonding time with Judy herself, which was something that he always cherished, of course, but it also allowed the two of them to explore the beautiful woods of the Deciduous-District, meet new mammals, try new and exotic things, and get off and away from all the chaos of the big city, and whatever else came along with their jobs as enforcers of the law and order itself, for that fact.

In a way, Nick saw their little temporary exile as a sort of pseudo-vacation, for lack of better terms. He may have been a rather prolific cynic, but it was quite clear that his more carefree side and overall state of mind saw the lighter side of their whole situation, as small as it seemed to be in his mate's eyes. The fox truly hoped that she would see that soon, too, as the last thing he wanted was for Judy to be so put down about their current predicament, especially if she was like that for the entirety of their little banishment.

That was something he would sure as hell wouldn't let happen, no matter the cause.

As their vehicle continued down the winding asphalt roads that meandered through the thick of the forest, the two tiny police officers gradually began to notice that the leaves around them were changing in overall coloration; The healthy greens and light browns slowly faded away, eventually replaced with varying hues of red, orange, and even bright yellow. The shining rays of daylight that beamed through the openings in the forest canopy above their heads dappled amongst the forest floor, creating bright and vivid patterns of sunshine and shadow, all pairing surprisingly well with the warm colors of the fluttering leaves and the dull brown hues of the craggy tree trunks and skeletal tree branches.

Despite being the one behind the wheel, the female rabbit herself used up nearly every ounce of her own willpower not to get distracted by all of the pretty colors and beauteous sights around her. She only saw what was ahead of her, far and near, down the road and in front of the car; The asphalt road was smooth and well-proportioned, each corresponding side flanked by towering rows of autumn-gold trees and flurries of dead leaves whirling by their vehicle as they drove down the meandering road, some leaves even getting stuck on and the windshield of the cruiser itself, sticking to the sizable pane of glass, unable to escape due to the momentum of the car and the girth of the wind.

Farther down the road and off into the deeper depths of the rosy forest, Judy could see small gusts of multi-colored leaves whirling around on the flat of the road, crisp autumn air carrying the dead and dying foliage in elegant dances around the open space, pirouetting in swirls of warm and blurring colors of red, yellow, brown, orange, and even green.

Much like the minuscule whirlwinds of dead and dying foliage around the thick asphalt road, the trees still coated in living leaves were adorned with varying hues of scarlet and gold, and the swaying animation of their skeletal branches as the wind whirled by was accompanied by the slight swishing sound of the air itself, and the rustling of the leaves in the cool breeze.

Even though she only saw what was ahead of her, Judy herself was still quite blown away by the sheer beauty of the land that they were currently exploring.

"Oh wow, this place is _beautiful_!" She exclaimed. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"Yeah, quite a pretty sight. Makes me wonder if we'll come across any street-stands selling maple syrup... Now _that_ would be _really_ beautiful!" Nick himself stated cheerfully.

"If we find one, I'll be sure to stop so that we can get some, but don't forget that we have a job to do, Slick."

"Right, right, I haven't forgotten, don't you worry, fluff-butt. I'm lookin' forward to the next few hours of aimless driving as much anyone." The fox replied with a bark of a laugh.

"Only someone as boring as yourself could come up with such an accurate statement." Judy teased, to which Nick snorted through his nostrils before speaking out loud;

"I'm only as boring as you make me out to be, Carrots. Alrighty then, let's just finish up with this patrol so that we can go home soon, shall we?"

* * *

6:18 P.M

As it turns out, two hours of aimless driving isn't always the most boring thing, after all.

Soon after entering the golden and forested depths of Maple-Heights, the two tiny officers set out for a whole two hours worth of driving, roughly half of which was spent simply hiding themselves and their comparatively large behind a big bill-board advertising Snarlbucks, and calmly waiting for oncoming speeders to whirl by recklessly. During this time period, the actually managed to intercept one such offender, whom happened to be a sloth, of which was no surprise to Nick himself, who was quite honestly expecting it, even.

Throughout their journey in and around Maple-Heights, both Nick and Judy respectively took note of the ever sinking sun, each passing second seemingly causing the nearby star to drop even lower and lower to the horizon. This wasn't very surprising to them, of course, as it was roughly the start of the winter season, and the light of the day seemed to slip by much faster than normal, thanks to the annual winter solstice that marked the season's sudden and humble beginnings.

Though the season of winter was a time that many mammals despised, due to having to deal with excessive fur and hair outgrowths, sudden hibernation, and other seasonal evolutionary traits carried down and practiced from the days of old, when mammal walked on four legs and predatory donned a taste for the flesh of their prey counterparts, Nick Wilde himself, as a sentient being, loved the feeling of the cold season. He was a mammal, whom despite growing up and residing in the Savannah-Central and Sahara-Square areas for the majority of his adolescent and adult life, found great refuge and appreciation from even the simplest of crisp, cold and cool breezes. In short, he simply loved winter.

Meanwhile, as the sun crept closer and closer to the edge of the earth that was the horizon, the sweet colors of dusk soon emerged for all to see. The clear and shining blue sky from the afternoon and midday was gone at last, instead replaced by a gradually dulling atmosphere filled with a sweet mixture of both warm and cool colors, respectively; Berry red patches of sky beamed brightly through the thick, violet clouds above their heads, creating a swirling miasma of yellow, orange, red, and dark purple, all of which seemed to shift and to change as the sun sank ever deeper toward the other side of the planet, where it would soon disappear, enveloping the world in black pool of darkness and shadow.

Nick, above all else, found appreciation in the more violaceous colors, as they reminded him of his partner's amethyst-colored eyes. She leaned against his shoulder the whole time.

Savoring the entrancing sight while it lasted, the two tiny officers both watched the sun as it finally vanished beyond the peaks of the nearby mountains, the polished black hood of their comparatively large cruiser serving as a stable, if not a tad bit uncomfortable resting place as they both stared down dusk's final moments, and the sky darkened slightly.

Although the sun had since vanished, their world was still lit by the dullest of light emanating from the behind of the mountainous peaks where the sun was last seen, providing an ample amount of visage for both Nick and Judy respectively to see well enough, even despite the former having his very own evolutionary visual adaptation to see in shadow.

Soon enough, though, the two mammals were back on the road once again, the dulling remnants of dusk filling their world with a multitude of ever darkening colors.

However, after a decent amount of time driving through the shadowy maple woods, Nick himself suddenly perked up in attention, pointing towards the side of the road as he eyed down what looked to be some sort of nearby road-side stand, or something, like the kind that Judy herself used to work at for some time back when she had first resigned from the force after the climax of the Night-Howler case and conspiracy. Standing behind the stand, where he seemed to be packing up for the day in preparation for a return back home, a lanky, fox sized male animal was hunched over a few boxes positioned near the back of the stand. Judy couldn't tell what type of mammal he was from there.

After a quick debate, the two tiny officers promptly decided to pull over so as to take a look at what the mammal was selling, which to Nick's great delight, turned out to be bottles of maple syrup and other sweet and salty items such as trail mix and even some honey. Upon approaching the stand, Judy herself got a better look at the merchant, and quickly deduced him to be an aardvark, a rare species of pig-like mammals that were usually found in the Sahara-Square area. This one happened to be dressed in a stained red plaid shirt, and sported a pair of denim overalls, complete with a slightly battered trucker hat placed atop his hairy head.

"Hey there, buddy!" Nick began with an enthusiastic snap of his fingers. "I see your selling some maple syrup, there... Is it too much to ask for an officer's discou- _Ow_!"

The fox promptly trailed off as his lapin partner elbowed him just below the sternum, cutting off his rather rude and sudden statement before turning back to the aardvark.

"Don't mind him, he's just being dumb." She claimed, jabbing her thumb back while smiling sheepishly.

"You know you love it." Nick muttered from the behind of her.

The aardvark chuckled lowly, and fully turned to face them as he stepped forward and closer to the counter.

"So, I take it you'd like somethin' then? Anything suit your fancy, there?" He asked simply, his accent tinged with the sort of tone you found in rural places like this.

"Yeah, think we can get some of that syrup, huh?" The fox stated, to which the aardvark nodded his head before bagging a few bottles of the stuff.

"Say, how _do_ you make maple syrup like that, exactly?" Judy found herself asking the aardvark, whom simply chuckled before rather proudly stating aloud;

"Good question, Miss! Ya see, if ya drill a hole in the trunk of certain maple species, some clear, sticky sap will leak out, and you can collect it in a bucket. From there, you jus' gotta heat that darlin' up so that the water boils, and in due time, you get maple syrup! Pretty sweet an' sugary stuff, 'specially 'round Springtime here in the woods, I'll tell ya."

"Ooo, that's pretty neat! I actually didn't know that." The rabbit claimed with perked ears. "Do you do this all year round?"

"Ayup, and whenever the maple trees aren't makin' good syrup, I do pumpkins, squash, and other crops just on the outskirts of Maple-Heights. Tough work, but still fun."

The aardvark's calm reply settled upon Judy's long ears with a fervid sense of understanding and appreciation: Having grown up in a farming community herself, she was quite knowledgeable and surprisingly well-invested in such topics, even despite never wanting to be a farmer herself. Even she couldn't deny that she missed her family and old friends, and longed to be able to see them more, though the great distance between urban sprawl of the city of Zootopia and the rural farmlands of Bunny-Burrow was simply too great.

"So, what's you name, pal?" Nick questioned politely and with seemingly curious intentions.

"Terry! Terry Aferman." The aardvark replied cheerfully. "Sa' pleasure to meet ya both!"

For the next few minutes, the trio of mammals simply chatted about a variety of different topics, that was, until the female bunny finally realized that they were supposed to have reported back to the station nearly twenty minutes ago, and without any further hesitation dragged her partner back to the cruiser after bidding a prompt farewell to their new friend, but not without buying a few vials of maple syrup as well, for that matter. Soon enough, they were back to where they first started, on the road with high hopes.

Yet despite all that they had been through, and all that they could expect, they could still only wonder what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **First chapter of the new year! I certainly hope that you all had a wonderful final few hours of 2016, and I also hope that the next 8760-ish are just as great! Looking back upon the past year as a whole, some of us might see nothing but the more unsavory stuff. A lot of stuff has happened within the last twelve months or so, and unfortunately, not all of it was very good, least to say. However, that doesn't mean that the last year was without its higher points: The community here is fantastic, and getting to know new people and things has vastly expanded my own outlook on all manner of subjects. I've learned a lot.**

 **That's got to count for at least something, right?**

 **Regardless, ever since I released this story of ours, it has only grown and grown; Risen to a height I've never even imagined. It's been roughly ten months since I released the very first chapter of this story, and look where we are now: 2017. Rest assured, there's plenty of more content to come throughout the following few months, and I certainly hope that you all will be here with me to experience it as it arrives. Farewell 2016, and cheers to the brand new year!**

 **A special thanks to everyone that has supported this cause of mine. Thank you all so very much for giving me such a wonderful experience this year! :)**

 **There isn't very much left to say on my part, really. I know that this latest chapter of ours was a bit shorter than usual, but I really wanted the entirety of it to be its own stand-alone chapter, really. I apologize if it's shorter than your tastes, but fear not, for the coming chapters will all more than make up for it!**

 **As always, I hope that you all enjoyed this latest chapter, of course, and that you all will stick around with me for the coming chapters too, as a point of fact. Do feel free to favorite and/or follow this story if you haven't already (I would very much appreciate it), and to leave a nice review detailing your thoughts on all that has happened in this latest chapter of ours. I got tons of stuff planned for the future, so be sure to stay tuned for the next of When Instinct Falls!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	73. Expectations Yet Fulfilled

"When you learn to accept instead of expect, you'll have fewer disappointments." - Unknown

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"How can this garbage you gave me be the soup of the day when it was made yesterday, you twat?" - Gordon Ramsey

* * *

Several days passed as the fox and rabbit grew accustomed to their new routine. Wake up, realize again they weren't in their real home, a quick quip from Nick about it, followed by a flurry of activity while they prepared for the day, though in the end, each day was the same.

Parking Duty, time and time again.

"You have to give it to Urzo, he sure is imaginative in his assignments for us, Carrots."

Leave it to the fox of all mammals to demonstrate his potency with sarcasm.

"I absolutely _never_ would have guessed that he'd give us parking duty again, of all things, I mean, what are the odds of _that_?"

"I just wished he would trust us with something more useful than just parking duty." Judy grumbled lowly. "Isn't there anything else that happens in this district?"

"Careful what you wish for, whiskers..." Nick chided good-heartedly. "You just might get that wish."

The next few hours dolled on without any major incident. They caught a hare pick-pocketing a purse from a young doe who Judy chased down, helped an elderly raccoon cross the street who had escaped from the nearby assisted living facility, and held an impromptu lecture to two foxes about appropriate displays of affection when the two officers had found the vulpines chinning each other in the middle of the road. It wasn't a boring day, but it wasn't one that would be written down in their journals as exciting either.

It was then, after they had left the two vulpines with a verbal warning, that Nick spotted a rather beautiful brick building, its facade covered in paintings of the forest, while trees grew throughout the outside patio area. As they passed, Nick made a mental note of the name of the place as he turned his gaze towards Judy.

"You know Carrots, I think we should mix things up tonight."

The rabbit glanced at him, slowing to a halt at a stop light before giving him her full attention. "What do you mean?"

"I think…" he began, motioning with his paw for her to go when the light changed, "that we should do something different tonight. Let's go out to eat instead of dining in, what do you say?"

"Nick," Judy stated in a voice that she used when she was about to scold her husband. "Did we not just get a pay cut?"

"A _temporary_ pay cut." Nick replied in correction

"Alright, a temporary cut. That still means that we need to temporarily cut our expenses as well."

It was time for Nick to pull out his saved ace.

"Have you forgotten what day it is today?"

Nick grinned as he watched Judy's ears shoot straight up. "Sweet cheese and crackers!" she swore. "Don't tell me it's our anniversary!"

"Don't worry, I'll forgive you," Nick replied, patting Judy's shoulder. "But only after you agree to go out for dinner with me tonight."

Judy couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. "Sly fox."

"Forgetful bunny, aren't you?"

* * *

8:30 P.M

Nick parked their vehicle, quickly running around to the passenger side to open it for his bunny bride.

"Such a gentleman," Judy teased as she accepted his offered paw and slid out of the car with practiced ease. Together the two walked paw in paw towards the restaurant, making idle chat as they neared the front doors.

Judy heard the revving of the car's engine before Nick did. Her ears swiveled towards the sound a moment before her head followed.

"Nick!"

The fox turned at her shout, years spent living on the streets readying him for what he saw, his mind acting fast as he grabbed Judy and bolted behind a nearby newspaper stand. The car sped past them, a slight ' _thuthump_ ' sounding from its wheels at it hit the pothole at full speed, sending a wave of grimy water up and over the newspaper bin, the metal can saving them from the worst of the spray while Nick's suit jacket saved Judy herself entirely from getting doused.

"Nice suit, fox! Did ya steal it?" The white-tailed deer shouted from within the car as it sped off.

" _Ooo_!" Judy huffed angrily, straightening to her full height as she looked as if she were about to sprint after the driver.

"Judy…"

His voice halted her advance. Her shoulders relaxed as her frustration left her body at his subtle tone.

"We're here to have a nice dinner to relax, of which I don't recall chasing after a car, of which I know you'd probably catch, a part of that plan."

Judy sighed, giving the car one last look before she went back to her fox's side. "At least I got his license plate number," she stated with a smile. "I'll be watching for him on our next parking duty shift."

"Sly bunny," Nick replied, offering her his arm. "Shall we?"

Judy took the arm in her own and together they stepped over the biggest puddles on the sidewalk and made it to the entrance of the restaurant.

"Woodhollow?" Judy asked, looking up at the name of where they'd be eating dinner.

"Saw it on our patrol earlier today and thought it would be a good place to relax and unwind."

Judy marveled at the building, which was quite impressive by itself. The brick facade on the outside was covered in detailed murals of forest scenes, while a small stream of water bubbled out of a pipe in the wall where the pictured stream ended, allowing the water to flow into a mammal-made creek following the curved outside wall of the buildings. Shrubs and mossy rocks lined the stream as it tricked around the building and towards the outside eating area where mammals dined and laughed.

"I thought you might like this place."

Judy looked up at Nick with a warm smile, though he could tell she was worried about something.

"Nick... This place is nice and all but, can we really afford it?"

The fox paused, turned towards his bunny and smiled as he placed a paw cupping her cheek. "Anything is worth it for you on our anniversary."

Judy couldn't help but smile and lean into his paw, placing her own paw upon his. "Yes, but we also have to afford the day _after_ our anniversary too, Nick." She chided.

Laughing, Nick brought out his phone and showed it to Judy.

"Don't you worry your pretty little cottontail about it. I checked the prices on Yelp and this is actually cheaper than the takeout we've been ordering." He claimed, smiling wide.

Her smile said all he needed to hear as he led them inside, holding the door open for her. Both of their mouths nearly dropped open as the door closed behind them. If they had thought the outside of this place had been spectacular, then the inside was fit for a king.

The murals continued along the walls of the inside, but that wasn't what caught their eye. The building itself was built around a massive oak that filled the center of the building, the bar curving its way around the trunk of the giant of a tree. The roof of the building was high enough to where several of the lower branches of the tree could be seen, and from those branches hung lanterns and strings of lights that graced their way to and fro across the roof of the building.

Their gazing at the marvel before them was only interrupted by a slight 'ahem' from in front of them. Their eyes again drew down to a server standing at a podium in front of them.

"Can I help you?" He asked in an almost bored tone of voice.

"Wilde, party of two," Nick stated, holding up two fingers as he leaned on the podium. The deer merely glanced at the fox's elbow, before sighing and looking down at his list.

Briefly eyeing their new waiter up and down, both the fox and the bunny could tell that he was some kind of musk deer, with his short yet sharp fangs giving it away. Excluding the bone-white incisors, the deer himself was smaller than the average white-tail deer, and his snout was somewhat stouter and thicker, even. Other than that, he bared the same deer-ish look that one would expect from someone of his species, what with the thin arms, near-constantly swiveling ears, and light beige colored fur coating his tiny body.

"Nice suit, fox! Did ya steal it?" The white-tailed deer shouted from within the car.

Briefly eyeing their new waiter up and down, both the fox and the bunny could tell that he was some kind of musk deer, with his short yet sharp fangs giving it away. Excluding the bone-white incisors, the deer himself was smaller than the average white-tail deer, and his snout was somewhat stouter and thicker, even. Other than that, he bared the same deer-ish look that one would expect from someone of his species, what with the thin arms, near-constantly swiveling ears, and light beige colored fur coating his tiny body.

The deer, whom was roughly the same size as Nick himself, waggled one of his hoofs in a gesture for the lapin and vulpine to follow him towards their assigned table, which of no real surprise, was located in the section of the restaurant that was sized towards smaller mammals such as themselves. Nick and Judy's waiter led them to a cozy looking table that seemed to lay in the exact center of all the others around it, as if the two of them were to be acknowledged silently as the guests of honor throughout the entire room.

The waiter proceeded to pull out Judy's chair first before doing the same with Nick's, and from there, the couple seated themselves directly across from one another. The musk deer himself then pulled the two tiny black books from under his arm and laid them down in front of his guests. Two small little menus; One just for Judy, and one just for Nick.

"My name is Piers, and I will be your waiter here tonight." The musk deer claimed with a toothy smile. "Let's start off with some drinks, shall we? What can I get the two of you?"

He then pulled out a previously-hidden slip of paper and a stubby pencil out from under his right arm, holding the minuscule writing utensil between two of his hoofed fingers.

"Do you have any alcoholic drinks?" Judy questioned curiously. "Something not too heavy?"

The musk deer straightened his pose out formally and replied;

"Why, yes we do. We have a fine variety of imported wines. Would you care for a Chardonnay, or Pinot Noir? Our Zinfandel is quite nice as well."

Judy shrugged sheepishly, and Piers drew in a deep breath, clearly a tad bit irritated that she was rather unfamiliar with her alcoholic beverages.

"Pinot Noir is a dark red wine savored for its rather bold sense of flavor, while Zinfandel comes in red and blush colors and bears a wide variety of fruit-like tastes."

"Hmm... What about the other one? The shard whatever? What's that like?" The female lapin asked.

"Chardonnay is a white wine with nutty and sometimes tropical flavors." Piers replied flatly.

Judy stared down at her unopened menu, her face furrowed with concentration. After a short pause, she looked up at Piers and replied, "I'll have the Pinot Noir."

"Perfect." The musk deer muttered. "Would you like to try the Gevery-Chambertin variety, or the Nuits-Saint Georges?"

"I'll try, uh... The first one." She replied back, her tone clearly telling her confusion over the identification of the two different alcoholic drinks.

"Very well, ma'am." The waiter acknowledged with a rather polite nod.

He then used the too-short pencil to deftly write down Judy's particular choice of drink.

Meanwhile, Nick was thinking over the last few times that his mate obtained alcoholic beverages, including that one time where he was forced to undergo a rather peculiar drunken mating session with her because of her previous drinking. He would normally object to having Judy consume alcohol of any form, but tonight was their anniversary, after all, and if she wanted to indulge herself, why should he stop her? Nodding his head silently in contempt, the fox then leaned back in his chair as he awaited the waiter.

After jotting down her ordered beverage, the waiter then planted his gaze onto the male fox and asked aloud, "And for you, sir?"

Nick flashed a quick glance at Judy before answering, "I'll have the same as her. Thank you very much."

"You are most welcome. Your drinks will be out shortly, but for now, I'll give you some time to order..."

With that, Piers weaved his way through the tables and slipped past a polished swinging door situated at the back of the room, disappearing into the depths of the kitchen.

"Gosh, I still can't believe that we're actually eating out an one of Zootopia's finest restaurants! It's so exciting, isn't it?" Judy found herself piping out with glee.

"You got that right, fluff-butt. It is pretty hard to believe, but don't get your hopes up too high: We wouldn't want the fall from grace once you see the check to be too painful."

"Gees, I hope not."

After allowing the auditory moment to fade, the pair of mammals then picked up their two respective menus and began to browse through them casually. Not much interested either of them on the appetizer section; They both knew to save as much space as possible in their stomachs for the real food, of which was labeled as some of Zootopia's best.

Admittedly more than just once, Judy's violet-colored eyes strayed to the dessert section, but she continuously pulled them back so as to keep her mind on the main courses.

Meanwhile, Nick found his own pupils glued to the soup section and being unable to pull away, finally decided on a dish composed of fish meat, beans, a few insects, and spices.

His choice now made, Nick folded the menu and scooted it to the edge of the table, away from where he now rapidly drummed his many clawed fingers. He watched Judy's large, perked ears rock side to side as her head slowly swiveled back and forth across her menu, her twin eyes locked firmly onto the little black book as her mind deduced her choices.

After a full minute of simply watching the besotting dance of his wife's floppy ears, the fox blinked several times and cleared his throat quietly in an effort to earn her attention.

"I've already decided what I want, honey. What about you, hm?"

Judy froze and peered at him past the top of her little black book.

"I don't know whether to go with the Salted Greens or the Mango-and-Spice soup..." She muttered as she lowered the menu to the table and asked. "What do you think?"

"Carrots, asking a predator about a choice between two vegetarian dishes is like asking Chief Bogo whether he wants to go to a Gazelle concert: The answer might surprise you."

Judy sighed heavily and used her paws to fold the menu shut, though not without a slight smile tugging at the very corners of her lips.

"I guess I'll have the Salted Greens, then. What did you decide on, huh, handsome?"

Nick shifted his weight in his seat and replied easily, "A spicy soup of fish meat and beans. Tuna, to be specific. One of my favorite, actually. Oh, and there's also some bugs, too."

"That sounds pretty delicious, save for the bug parts." Judy claimed. "Only a predator like you could enjoy something as disgusting as that."

"Right you are, fluff-butt."

Nick momentarily lost himself in the delicate glow of her purple eyes, but a steadily approaching shape to the side of them made him lose his focus and be jarred back to reality.

Judy detected his abrupt shift of expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. The wine's on its way."

Judy affected a rather humorous gaze that lasted for a few moments, causing Nick to do the same, before she turned around and eyed their waiter as he approached the table.

Piers wheeled a small mammal-sized cart made of aluminum and deep mahogany wood up beside the larger table where the fox and the bunny calmly sat, the metal itself polished enough to show a distorted reflection of the room around it. A dark red bottle lay half-buried in an ice bath, and next to the silvery tub stood a pair of shot glasses.

The deer sat the two decorated glasses down next to Nick and Judy before moving on to the important phase of the ritual; The light plunk of the small, yet ornate wine bottle on the table as he the waiter set it down carefully, followed by the sound of his steady voice, of which quickly garnered the attention of the two mammals sitting quietly beside him.

"A choice bottle of Gevery-Chambertin Pinot Noir, just as you ordered. A most luxurious selection, if I do say so myself." He claimed with a cocked eyebrow and two shining fangs.

"It certainly looks like it." The fox added as he watched the musk-deer plunge one of his two fangs into the thick of the cork.

Piers used his aptly-shaped incisors to remove the cork with a satisfying pop – No doubt formed that way from removing countless corks over the length of his time as waiter. A rising column of bubbles threatened to spill down over the lip of the bottle, but Piers expertly filled the shot glasses just before that happened, and then set them on the table.

The deep red liquid rested gracefully in each of the tiny containers, topped by a thin froth. The enticing aroma of the chilled wine flowed out and saturated the air around Nick and Judy's nose, and the two of them couldn't resist taking a deep sniff. The alcoholic bite of the wine was strong, but a rich, ancient smell lingered calmly in its wafting wake.

"If it smells this luscious, then I can't wait to taste it." Judy stated softly, yet with an undertone of excitement.

"I'm sure that you will very much enjoy it, ma'am." Their waiter piped up. "Have you decided on a meal, as of yet?"

"Yes, actually! I'll have the Salted Greens."

Piers whipped out his order-taking supplies and scribbled down Judy's request in rather elegant looking cursive. He then turned to Nick without taking his gaze from his sheet.

"And what will you be having tonight, sir?"

"I'll take the spicy meat and bean soup, please. Thanks."

After jotting down the male's order, the waiter nodded sincerely and stated out loud;

"Very well, then. We are running slightly behind tonight, due to the amount of customers, so I do apologize duly in advance if your respective orders are somewhat delayed."

"No worries! Thanks again, Piers. You've been a very fine waiter so far." Judy responded warmly.

"And you both have been most exquisite guests, I would say. Do enjoy your drinks."

Once Piers had stowed his order sheet and pencil away, he bowed politely to the pair of mammals sitting in front of him before heading off towards the gleaming door once more.

Nick balanced himself carefully on his seat – Which possessed a carved opening for his bushy red tail – And gripped the surprisingly cold glass with his right paw.

Judy imitated him, and once the two crystal vessels were a few inches above the table, Judy declared with vigor in a voice that was admittedly a bit louder than she expected;

"A toast to the end of the beginning of a long and terrorizing new job, yet not without its fair share of enjoyment, I might add."

The fox smirked before chuckling aloud and raising his glass into the air, holding it just inches away from his wife's as he imitated her previous statement;

"A toast to a long and torturous temporary exile... May it only be as half as bad as Bogo intends it to!"

They both snickered as they brought the crystal containers together, creating a sharp clink, and then quickly downed the dose of wine that they carried. As they swallowed the colorful substance, a sudden rush of bold flavor drowned amongst their tongues and pounded against their throats, causing them both to shake their heads and shiver in their skin after setting the glasses down upon the tabletop with a slight and unison clink.

"Woo, that was some real energetic wine!" Nick exclaimed. "That deer really wasn't lying to us, that's for sure."

"No kidding... I probably shouldn't have too much, though... You know how I tend to get when I'm a bit tipsy... Hehe..." Judy muttered with a slight blush.

"Oh, believe me carrots, I know." The fox stated with a slight wiggle of his brow.

While the two mammals waited for their gourmet food to arrive, they both passed the time by engaging in idle chat, occasionally accompanied by a rare sip from their shot glasses, which they refilled themselves whenever they needed to. Their converging ranged from minor quips and jokes about the weather, to a full-blown discussion on their hopes for the remaining few weeks of their little temporary exile from Precinct One.

"I'd really like to explore The Painted Labyrinth sometime before we leave..." Judy mused. "It seems like a pretty cool place, don'cha think?"

"Yeah, it wouldn't hurt. That's that underground cave system, right?" The fox questioned with a raised russet brow.

"Yep!"

"Does sound neat, I admit, though what _I'm_ more interested in is why a cute little bunny like you would want to venture into a spooky underground cave system like that!"

The rabbit narrowed her eyes in disapproval, before picking up a nearby knife and rather casually twirling it around in her fingers.

"Yeah, and _I'm_ wondering how a fox pelt rug would feel beneath my feet..." She mused, doing her best menacing impression for the sake of the joke.

"Woah, little dark there, don't ya think, whiskers?" Nick quipped with a nervous grin. "Okay, okay, fine, I'll go easy on the 'c-word' that you just _can't_ get enough of."

"That's what I thought." The bunny replied easily, promptly setting the blade down upon the surface of the table.

As the two awaited the inevitable arrival of their respective meals, they both continued upon a multitude of various conversations, including a rant from Judy herself over Chief Urzo's attitude towards her, a serious discussion about the political upheaval caused by Ratsputin's death, and even a quick game of 'I Spy' with things around the restaurant.

Neither Nick nor Judy had the means to gauge the current time, save for their mobile devices, both of which were safely out of commission from their conversation, but as they eventually exhausted over their sixth random discussion, of which centered around the chances of running into a vacationing actor, they knew that their food was long overdue.

Unsure about how exactly to signal his waiter in a place festooned with pomp and luxury such as this, he merely searched visually until he found Piers, and then raised one of his russet colored paws into the air in the hopes of getting his attention. In under ten seconds, the musk deer was once again rooted at their table-side, ready to assist them.

"Do you need anything, sir?" He questioned politely.

"Yeah, uh, do you think that you could check up on our food? You see, it's been some time since we ordered, so..." The fox trailed off, hoping that he would get the message.

Thankfully, the musk deer seemed to understand Nick's request, and nodded in acknowledgement before calmly stating out loud;

"Of course, good sir. I do so apologize for the wait. I'll be back in a moment's notice."

After a quick and respectful sort of bow, the musk deer then journeyed back towards the kitchen end of the restaurant with a certain haste evident in his swaying steps.

Nick frowned and laid his arms out onto the table in disappointment. He drummed his clawed fingertips irritably against the tabletop before steeling his resolve and speaking.

"I'm sorry for the wait, whiskers. If I would have known-" He began glumly, but was promptly cut off by his lapin dinnermate.

"Don't worry, Nick. I'm just fine, really. Don't forget that we're not the only ones in here, though." She claimed, gesturing to the large crowd of mammals around them.

Nick gazed around quickly before turning back to his mate, but his expression was still a bit tight with negativity.

"Still, they all didn't get here at the same time that we did." He muttered. "This wait is really unnerving..."

While Nick was steaming on the other side of the table, Judy kept her gaze locked on the silver door. Roughly another minute after he had left them, Piers himself stepped out from the kitchen and ambled over to the pair of mammals, his two hoofed hands clasped together almost anxiously and his back-bone straightened out as he approached them.

"It should be out in another ten minutes or so." He claimed upon arriving at the side of the table. "Here are your napkins. Once again, I deeply apologize for the wait."

"Don't worry about it, Piers." The rabbit stated. "This place is so attractive, _and_ must pull in quite a few customers, huh? You seem filled pretty much to the max, right now."

"You are a keen observer, ma'am. That is part of the reason why we are backed up, actually."

"And what's the other?" Nick questioned with an undertone of annoyance laced beneath his very words.

"One of our cooks happened to cut himself with a particularly stubborn piece of cutlery." The musk-deer claimed.

"Aw, that's too bad! I hope he's alright." Judy added with a paw placed sympathetically upon her chest. "Thanks for the napkins, though. We'll call you again if we need you."

"Of course, ma'am..." Piers concluded before backing away and heading off towards a family of muskrats whom were calling for his attention from the other side of the room.

"Yeah, right..." The fox mumbled beneath his breath. "Stubborn cutlery my ass."

"What was that?" Judy found herself asking, despite hearing every word of it in reality, due to her rather sensitive ears.

Nick perked up somewhat, but then turned away before replying lowly, "Nothing... You probably heard someone else."

The bunny sighed and relaxed back in her chair after drinking another swig of the Pinot Noir.

After another burning twelve minute wait, Piers promptly reappeared with another gleaming cart, this time carrying two decently-sized bowls paired the appropriate silverware. The musk deer then wrapped a smooth cloth around his hands so that he could pick up the steaming bowls with ease, and serve the two mammals their long-awaited dinner.

"Salted Greens for you, ma'am..." He said as he placed the bowl in front of Judy. "And the Vegetable Soup for you, sir." He added after handing Nick his order.

"Ooo, this looks good!" Judy exclaimed with a wide smile. "Thanks!"

Although the rabbit nearly jumped up and down in her seat with glee, her vulpine counterpart stared his meal down with a suspicious look of disappointment.

"Did you say vegetable soup?" He asked flatly, still staring at the green-ish broth. "I didn't order a vegetable soup."

The waiter pursed his lips in consideration, briefly examining the bowl before swallowing hard and picking it back up again, all the while spouting;

"My, I am so very sorry, sir! I believe your order must have been mixed up with someone else's... If you will, I'll be right back! So sorry!"

Piers dashed off, soup in hand, back to kitchen, vanishing behind the shifting metal doors and out of sight. Nick irritably tapped his clawed fingertips against the tabletop while he waited, all the while trying not to eye Judy's own meal hungrily as his was finalized. In another minute's time, Piers bursted out from the doors once more, and promptly speed-walked over to another part of the restaurant, briefly converging with a raccoon family before swapping one of their sides with Nick's, and approaching the fox's table at last.

"My apologies, good sir." Piers muttered quickly as he placed the new bowl down onto the table, directly in front of Nick, who looked down upon it with satisfaction.

"This looks more like it... Thanks." He stated.

"Enjoy your meals..." The musk deer finalized politely before departing back towards the nearby kitchen door.

Once Piers was a fair distance away from their table, Nick himself whispered to his mate in an irritated tone, "It's about time!"

Judy grabbed her fork and held it just above her food while saying, "Please calm down, Nick. For me?"

Nick relaxed visibly, his muscles unlocking and his body slumping slightly.

"I'm sorry, carrots. It's just... I expected more from this place..."

"Nick, I promise, I'm fine. I really am. Don't let these things get to you, right? Like Piers said, let's just enjoy the meal, shall we?"

"Alrighty, fluff-butt." Relented Nick before adding, "For you. I just hope that this food is worth the wait."

Nodding in content, Judy then turned her attention down towards her meal before skewering a tiny slab of carrot and popping it into her toothy mouth, all the while reveling in the sweet watery taste before swallowing and diving in for yet another. Meanwhile, Nick himself buried the tines of his fork into a juice-coated chunk of meat, bringing it to his waiting maw before munching on it delightedly and promptly following it up with a firm side of steamed grasshopper, the body of which crunched lout loud between his teeth.

"Isn't this... Food... Delicious?" Judy asked in between rather hearty chews.

Normally, she would have upheld more decent manners, but the Pinot Noir from earlier had cast a slight hex over her overall judgment.

"You got that right. I guess it's safe to say that the longer the wait is, the better the end product, eh?"

"That's a good point, slick." Judy claimed before swallowing another mouthful of food. "Keep that in mind the next time we have a long waiting time at a restaurant."

Nick and Judy resumed their intake of the gourmet nourishment, but something went wrong.

As the fox swallowed his fourth bite, a hot sensation crawled from his stomach and all the way up his throat before resting on his tongue. The spices of the food had broken through the numbing effect of the wine and were now beginning to unleash their flaming hot fury upon the sensitive nerve endings buried within the thick of his tongue.

"Are you okay there, Nick? Is something wrong?"

Indeed, his eyes had widened and started to water slightly. He cleared his throat audibly and swallowed a quick sip of wine to combat the fiery flavor raging within his mouth. Admittedly, he knew what he was getting in to when he explicitly ordered a food item with added spices, but he honestly hadn't expected it to be quite this hot. The fox himself didn't exactly consider large quantities of spice to be his favorite thing, though he did love a good tang to his meal. This, however, was a bit more than he had expected from it.

" _Hoo_ , this is pretty hot. I'm fine though, don't worry. I can take it." He panted, moistening his lips. "I guess it earns its name, huh?"

From across the table, his wife just nodded and acknowledged his previous statement with a slight grunt, since her mouth was currently full of salad parts and other greens.

Nick then treated himself to another sip of wine, and from there, the two tiny mammals silently indulged themselves in the luxury of their respective meals. Occasionally, one of them would clear their throats and bring up a minor topic for conversation that would quickly simmer down to silence once more. Eventually, however, they both finally finished their dishes, and were properly satisfied, yet still craving for more. The fox took it upon himself to ask his beloved partner as to her own desires for another round of ordering.

"I think we should have dessert, wouldn't you agree? If the fine food and drink is anything to go by, the dessert must be absolutely heavenly."

"Sounds like a pretty good prediction to me, slick. Still, why don't we let our food settle first before piling some sugar on top of it, huh?"

"Whatever works." The fox claimed. "I'm in no rush... Not anymore, at least." He chuckled.

Nick and Judy then dissolved the recent silence that had accompanied their twin meals with a drawn-out and lively sort of chat, keeping the topics more relevant to their future.

"So, what do you think the new boss'll put us up to these next few weeks, huh? More exciting ticket work, perhaps?" The fox quipped coyly.

"Gosh, I hope not... But I know better... Of course there'll be more of that. I honestly just hope that we get the chance to do some more exciting stuff, at least." Judy replied.

"Like what?"

"Well, not necessarily anything huge, like undercover, or taking down crime syndicates, for example... But just something with more meat than parking duty, so to speak."

"Ah, I see... Understandable."

The mammals laid off the wine while conversing, for half of the bottle had been emptied so far, and the haze dulling their minds was very much detectable. Their faces were locked in somewhat dreamy expressions, their usually firm and steady twin voices were now slightly slurred, and their current movements were lacking in complete control.

They spent a good thirty minutes quietly flirting and chatting with one another, and as if to close said chat off, filled both of their glasses and prepared to drink one last shot of wine each. Judy paused and waited for Nick to empty his glass before moving her own towards her lips. As the fox leaned back, his bushy tail lowered to the floor, with the fur sprawled out somewhat. His tail casually swished from side to side, delicately grazing against the tiled floor beneath their feet with each and every back and forth movement.

An approaching waitress, a female otter, no doubt somewhat bored with the monotony of her delivery routine, wasn't paying attention, and effectively wheeled the food-topped cart directly over the fox's russet tail, causing the vulpine to grit his jaw in pain and for his emerald-colored eyed to widen in sudden surprise as a painful jolt shot up his tail.

" _Ouch_!" He hissed before craning his neck around to the otter at fault. "Hey, my tail is a _part_ of me, you know!"

The waitress froze at the sound of the outburst and abandoned her cart, walking steadily towards the source.

"I am incredibly sorry, sir! I-It's been a very long day! I know that's not an excuse, but-but please forgive me..."

The soup incident was nothing compared to this.

Still, she wasn't much better off than he was. The female bunny pursed her lips in disappointment, and gave the waitress a hard stink-eye to express her frustration.

 _Now this isn't good. Here I was thinking that all of the waiters here were as skilled and careful as Piers! It seems this one has some homework to do_... She thought to herself.

After listening to a few more hasty apologies, Nick himself shooed the waiter away before slumping back in his chair with an audible sigh. Judy couldn't help but notice that his long and bushy tail, of which was still twitching rather irritably from the previous incident, was now curled up against the legs of his chair, hidden beneath the seat and nearly out of sight, or at the very least, now out of the way of any oncoming food carts and clumsy waiters.

A few of the nearby customers were murmuring about the waitress' folly, and the complete necessity of Nick and Judy's reactions. Others were whispering that they themselves would have simply fled the place if the same had happened to them. Those varying snippets of simple conversation were pressing heavily on Judy's mind at the current moment.

Judy crossed her arms upon her chest and then promptly asked her mate with a serious tone;

"Do you want to just leave already, Nick? That waitress should have been paying attention... Talk about incompetent..."

Although Nick himself had been the one whom was irritated earlier, he himself was surprisingly calm despite having his very own tail just run over by a food cart.

"I would gladly leave with you, it's just that... Well, I was thinking that maybe we could still salvage the night and enjoy the remaining hours that we have left, no? Now, I know you're not too pleased with this place, and believe me, so am I, but we can still have our dessert and then leave, right? A little sugar to sweeten the sourness of our evening..."

Judy huffed audibly and replied, "Fine. But after dessert, we are out of here. Mixing up our orders was one thing, but running over that gorgeous tail of yours? That's another."

Nick nodded strongly in return.

"No kidding." He muttered in agreement. "But right now, all we can do is keep on livin', eh? No sense in spending it moping, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, you're right. You have a good point, as always." The bunny stated.

"Well, I do go by sly fox for a reason, you know."

The rabbit simply rolled her eyes in response before changing the subject once more;

"How about we get Piers's attention now and order our dessert?"

"I'll take care of that." Nick reassured her. "I just hope that he doesn't slip up and direct yet another disaster in our direction."

Judy sat back in her chair while Nick raised one of his arms and waved down the nearby waiter.

"Does it still hurt?" Asked Judy softly as she waited calmly, one of her fingers waggling in the direction of Nick's tail, which was still curled up beneath the table.

"Only slightly. It's nothing, really." The fox claimed in easy and swift response. "Don't worry about it."

Judy raised her brow, somewhat unconvinced at his previous statement, but unwilling to argue his answer nonetheless.

With his appendage still raised, Nick looked around at the seemingly perfect restaurant.

 _What could be next?_ He remarked mentally.

An airborne plate of food that just happens to fly in their direction? Explosion in the kitchen that caves the roof in? Ivar and Captain Unicorn showing up and wrecking the place?

As outlandish and improbable as these occurrences seemed, he would put nothing past the hand of fate itself, which had already once intervened, unfortunately for the two of them. The fox himself could only hope that nothing else would tarnish their already stained evening. Instead, he focused intently on his mate as they both waited for dessert.

"So..." Judy started, breaking the rather uneasy silence. "Do you have anything planned for us after this, ah, lovely dinner?"

"It's a surprise, fluff-face."

Judy pressed him further.

"What kind of surprise?" She asked playfully.

"You'll just have to wait and see, honey."

Judy smiled, even though she knew she was going nowhere with her staunch mate.

"Ya sure you don't want to just tell me right now?" She pressed.

"Nah, I'm sure you can wait." The fox retorted.

After their short eternity of waiting for their attendant to appear, Piers finally showed up beside them.

"Sorry sir, ma'am, some of our guests' orders were mixed up. Now, how may I assist you both tonight?"

"We'd like to order some dessert." Judy claimed calmly. "What do you have here?"

"Very well, then. We have Chocolate Lace Cheesecake, Carrot Cake, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Brownie Delight, and many others. Uh, would you like me to bring you a menu?"

Nick piped up from his side of the table;

"No, that's fine. No menu needed. I'll just have the cheesecake. Uh, without the chocolate."

The musk deer promptly whipped out his secretive paper slip and pencil and quickly copied down Nick's reply, including his request for a subtraction of the added chocolate.

"And for you, ma'am?" He asked upon jotting down the fox's order.

"I'll have the carrot-cake." Judy replied easily, as if she had said the statement at least a million times in the past.

"Perfect." Piers claimed with a smile. "The wait for the desserts should not be that long. For the moment, though, would you like me to remove your bowls and utensils?"

"Go right ahead, sir." The bunny merrily conceded.

Nodding in acknowledgement, the musk deer then bent down and began plucking the couple's dinnerware off of their tabletop, stacking each plate before clattering the shiny silverware directly atop of them. As soon as he had vanished – With the bowls and silverware stacked precariously between his arms – Nick turned to his wife and asked aloud;

"Have you ever tried cheesecake before, whiskers?"

"Oh come on, Nick..." Teased Judy. "Of course I have!"

"Ah, but I've heard that the cheesecake here is quite literally to die for. At least, that's what Clawhauser said in the review he left on the restaurant's website..."

From beneath the table, the fox raised up his left arm and showed Judy his phone, of which displayed a tiny webpage dotted with pictures of the restaurant and its food.

"I'll hold you to that, handsome." The bunny stated as she concluded reading Clawhauser's apparent review. "You do know that means I'll be stealing some of yours, right?"

Nick found himself chuckling in response to his mate's previous statement.

"Yeah, yeah, I kinda expected it. Besides, I don't mind, as long as you don't take too much, of course. You do already have your own dessert, after all."

Someone beside them cleared their throat somewhat audibly, effectively earning the attention of the two bantering mammals. They both turned their heads to see their musk deer waiter standing beside them once more, his hoofed hands clasped together in an almost anxious sort of fashion. Nick was amazed that he didn't notice the waiter earlier.

"Hey, Piers. Uh, back so soon?" Nick mumbled a tad bit sheepishly.

"I have some bad news." The waiter claimed sadly.

"Oh really?" Grumbled Nick. "What is it now?"

The waiter frowned and replied sullenly, "It seems that we are all out of Chocolate Lace Cheesecake. We do have plenty of the other choices, though, if you are interested."

"I've lost my appetite." The fox muttered flatly.

"Oh... Okay then, well, the carrot-cake is still in high quantity, so your order will be arriving soon enough, ma'am. I deeply apologize for the inconvenience." The musk deer said.

Once again, Piers bowed in a gesture of respect and apology before turning tail and returning to the kitchen.

Nick sighed for what he felt must've been the millionth time that night.

* * *

9:47 P.M

"What's so funny, huh carrots?" Nick grumbled.

Judy continued giggling, "Because, you dumb fox; You planned all of this out just to make me happy, yet you forget that the only thing that I _really_ need to be happy is _you_."

She leaned over and traced his cheek with her fingers before placing a kiss upon it.

"Oh, _I_ make you happy, huh?" Nick replied, his mouth widening into a coyish smirk.

Judy nodded, "Mhm." She muttered in acknowledgment.

Nick pulled Judy closer to his side, all the while allowing his bushy tail to wrap around her legs.

"Well, I can think of a few things that this fox can do to make you even happier tonight. I still haven't forgotten about that aforementioned surprise of yours. Interested?"

The rabbit rolled her eyes before playfully elbowing him in the very center of his sternum.

"Sultry little fox, now aren't you?" Judy quipped as she leaned into his grasp.

"You know it, sweetheart."

Upon concluding his previous comment, the fox gave a reassuring squeeze to his wife's shoulder, content with the current atmosphere and mood, though not without a slight spring of excitement in his steps as he led his beloved wife back to their new and temporary home, intent on settling in for the evening, yet accompanied by high hopes for tomorrow.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Okay, for starters, I just want to apologize for the recent string of rather hectic story updates. As you would know from the last author's note(s), I was trying to revise and edit some of my older chapters, and I accidentally screwed some things up. I wasn't thinking, and things got out of hand. I'm so sorry for any shred of confusion that has arisen from this incident, and I certainly hope that you can forgive me for my mistakes. Regardless, things should be back to normal now.**

 **Anyhow, that being said, I certainly do hope that you enjoyed what this latest chapter of ours had to offer, of course! I know that it took a bit longer than usual to be released, of which I apologize for, but I do still hope that you lot found enjoyment from it nevertheless. Alongside that, if you haven't already, do feel free to favorite/follow this story of ours: Each and every single one only helps me realize the motivation needed to continue this story. I appreciate that very fact.**

 **Reviews are also greatly appreciated, of course, and since the chapters got shifted around a bit due to my screw-up with the updates and whatnot, I would be most grateful if more reviews were received so that I could chart out the layout of this little problem of ours. Hard to explain, but I'm sure you get the flat idea.**

 **Regardless, I do thank you all for your time and consideration! That's all I have to say for now, so do stay tuned for the next chapter, comin' your way soon!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: Yes, I'd say the events in this particular chapter take place about two-three days after the events of the last story chapter.**

 **PPS: A special thanks to my friend Cimar for helping me out with his particular chapter.**


	74. Branching Out

"Roads branch out, and often you cannot resist the temptation to desert your own chosen path to explore them." - Mark Twain

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"The hand that gives is the hand that gets." - Celtic proverb

* * *

11: 47 A.M

"So, do you think that we'll ever do anything even just a tad bit more exciting than mammal watching here, Whiskers?" Nick mused lazily.

Judy shook her head before taking another bite of her lettuce wrap. Ever since their mass of arrests their first day, which seemed like so long ago by this point, Chief Urzo himself had assigned them to patrol a ten by ten block area where the last recorded arrest was nearly five years prior, and had been of a porcupine who'd popped several tires with his quills by accident, and was quickly released. Least to say, it was clear that their grizzly superior intended on jading Nick and Judy through sheer boredom, of all things.

"I don't think he's planning on giving us anything more than traffic patrols." The rabbit sighed, wishing that they could be doing virtually anything else than such.

"More sitting, less doing. Still better than paperwork though... Least we have a front row seat, eh? " Nick added with a gesture to the windshield, to which Judy snickered slightly.

But still, at the very least, they did have eachother. If anything, that was something that the both of them counted on and cherished greatly.

The two tiny mammals soon fell into a amicable silence as they chewed their food, each peacefully eating the lunch that they had bought at a local outdoor market. Being closer to the outskirts of the city, as well as a place where younger mammals went for the local start up businesses, many 'organic' stores and stalls had popped up in the Deciduous District. Both the fox and rabbit respectively thought the food was a tad bit on the pricey side, but the taste reminded Judy of home as she bit down into her wrap once again.

Meanwhile, Nick himself was munching on an identical food item, as Judy had managed to convince him into trying the vegetable wrap, if only to add more greens to his diet, as she oh-so formally chided unto him. The fox didn't mind, as he considered himself an omnivorous creature due to the influence of modern life, what with everything being processed and canned, it was almost impossible to go by without snacking on something outside of his original, primal diet, of which consisted primarily of rabbit meat.

At the thought of such delicacies, Nick glanced over to his wife and smirked. "I wish you'd look at me like you're looking at that wrap right now."

Judy stopped chewing long enough to give him a quick glare, though one tainted by the tiniest of smiles. Silence again fell upon them as they observed the various mammals walking about through the streets in front of them, each one just living another day of their respective lives in the forest district. Nick himself watched as several young, hipster looking beavers were walking down the sidewalk, holding onto expensive Snarlbucks coffee cups, each one dressed in torn up jeans and paint stained red plaid button-ups.

The fox sighed as he finished off the very last bite of his own veggie wrap. "You know, Carrots, I think we should have went to that place for our _real_ anniversary dinner."

"A food cart?" Judy asked flatly.

"Why not?" Nick replied with ease, licking his fingers of the tangy sauce that had dripped onto them. "Certainly better service than that restaurant we went to the other night."

Just as Judy was about to reply, their nearby cruiser radio crackled to life.

"Officers Wilde, Hopps... Respond." The gruff voice of Chief Urzo himself was heard breaking through the device, his tone sounding almost anxious.

The bunny quickly grabbed the radio, all the while with Nick giving her a slightly pouty look at not being able to greet the Chief personally and with the latest batch of teasing nicknames that he had made up just for him. Elbowing the fox to dissuade him from hissing something into the intercom, Judy pushed down on the little button and responded;

"Officer Hopps here, Chief. Over."

After releasing her hold on the tiny plastic button, a relieved and static-sounding sigh sounded over the radio.

"I'm glad that it's _you_ answering and not your irksome fox again." The grizzly bear grumbled in seeming relief.

"Love you too, Brother Bear!" Nick chimed in just as Judy pressed down on the respond button, ensuring that the other end of the line heard his comment.

Judy shook her head and rolled her eyes at the fox's previous statement, though she did find the nickname somewhat humorous herself, admittedly.

"Shut it, Wilde!" Urzo growled. "Now, as much as I'd hate to take you away from your little patrol, we've run into a slight situation that several of _my_ officers need advice on."

Both sets of ears perked up quickly at that news. "What do you need from us, Chief?" The rabbit asked curiously, to which the grizzly bear on the other end promptly explained;

"There's been a case of grand larceny at a historical museum here in the Deciduous-District, an old Elktic ruin known as Castle Lochlan. I've just recently been informed by dispatch that the investigators there are in need of more officers to help observe and mark the crime scene. They're short on hands, you see, so I want the two of you to go there only to assist and _observe_ the situation, and _not_ to interrupt _my_ officers in their duties! If I find out that you're doing anything but, you will be put right back on parking duty! Understood?"

"Certainly, Chief," Judy replied cheerily. "We're on our way."

The Chief grunted in acknowledgement, and then the radio went dead. As soon as Judy placed the device back upon the dashboard, she threw her fists into the air in excitement.

" _Yes_!" She shouted exultantly. "We have a case! A _real_ one!"

Nick couldn't help but chuckle at her excitement. "Not exactly a _case_ , mind you... Seems more like a simple task than anything else, to me. Not that I'm complaining, though."

Judy's exuberance stilled briefly, but was no less hampered overall. Meanwhile, Nick reached down under his passenger seat for the map that they had stowed there earlier.

"Now, seeing as Chief Prickly Bear didn't give us any directions..." He muttered as he unfolded the map. "Let's see if we can find out where this place even is, shall we?"

* * *

11:59 A.M

Thankfully, it didn't take them very long to find the location that they were looking for.

After a few confusing wrong turns, courtesy of Nick confusing Oak Alley with Acorn Alley, the two tiny officers eventually managed to locate and pull in to the parking lot of the museum, which was located at the base of a rocky hillside dotted with boulders and bristling pine trees. Stepping out of the car, the fox took it upon himself to drop a comment;

"Look at this place, will ya?" He stated simply.

The parking lot at the base of the hill wasn't very big, but it was plenty large enough to accommodate for at least half a dozen police cruisers of varying sizes, each one no doubt there to assist in the investigation and study of the crime scene. A few police officers milled around the parking lot, some talking on phones, others talking quietly to one another. There was an almost somber sense of atmosphere surrounding them, as if something much more sinister than a simple burglary had taken place on these grounds.

At the thought of the castle itself, Nick turned his attention towards the towering sight before him.

Centered upon the very top of a grassy, sizable hill dotted with cliff-like rocks, a large and looming fortress of vine and stone dominated the surrounding land below it. Castle Lochlan stood as a ruinous monument to a bygone age of mystery and uncertainty, before the city of Zootopia had erected its gleaming skyscrapers, and when the residence of the Deciduous-District at the time, the Elktic people, owed their very lives to their feudal system of castles and law, which brought order and stability to a land of chaos and fear.

Nick himself recalled learning about the Elktic culture back in his high school years. Apparently, like the rabbits in Bunny-Burrow and the marsupials on Outback-Island, the Elktic people had developed a small, but strong civilization within a secluded area, all the while most other mammal species were still running around naked and eating each other. Though they weren't the only mammalian civilization to develop at the time period, of course, they were among the most advanced, with their stone buildings and complex cultural practices. Their civilization was comprised almost entirely of elk and other members of that particular mammal genus, such as deer, pudu, and even moose.

The castle itself was a reflection of the Elktic culture's sophistication and might in such a hectic and dark time period: Towering walls of stone rose up many dozens of feet into the air. Though having no doubt protected the ancient ruin's long forgotten residence in times of fear and danger, the old walls were now little more than crumbling rows of gray brick entangled in thick vines and ivy. Despite their once formidable might, the walls of the castle were no match to the test of time, and the indomitable will of nature itself.

A sizable museum of wood and stone was built into the side of the castle ruins, a modern piece of architecture jutting out from an ancient one. Nick personally thought that it ruined the majesty and grandeur of the ancient castle itself, as if it were some sort of cancerous growth feeding from the dominance of the ruins themselves. Regardless, he didn't think of it for very long, as he knew that there was work to do: Besides, after doing almost nothing but parking duty and simple neighborhood patrols for the past few days, with the most exciting thing from it being the occasional detainee, he was admittedly rather excited to sink his teeth into something even the slightest bit more intriguing.

Side by side, the two tiny officers ascended the cobblestone path at the edge of the parking lot that led up to the very top of the hill, where the castle itself was situated. The trail was a bit rocky and uneven, but given time, both Nick and Judy managed to reach the center of the scene. Despite the unfamiliar setting and characters, they both knew precisely what to do, as they had trained and dealt with situations much like this one many times before, and so, they set out to begin their next adventure in the forest district.

Sensing that the first thing they needed to do was to check in with the scene manager, whom was no doubt overseeing the many different officers in the area, the rabbit and the fox asked around, eventually finding their superior to be that of a hardy looking old timber wolf, seemingly well into his late fifties, who stood at the entrance to the castle courtyard with a large clipboard and pen in hand. His eyes were covered with a pair dark shades, and his expression was that of apparent boredom, or perhaps even doubt. Like all of the other officers in the Deciduous-District, his attire consisted of a standard ZPD issued beige button up police shirt, and a pair of trousers colored the shade of shadowy green foliage, the ankles of which were stained with mud. Approaching him alongside her partner, Judy raised up her right paw and called out in an effort to earn his attention;

"Hey there! Officers Hopps and Wilde, reporting for duty!" She exclaimed cheerily.

The timber wolf slowly glanced up from his clipboard with pursed lips, his shades slipping down his snout slightly to reveal a pair of bored looking gray colored eyes.

"Bogo's little prizes, hm?" He muttered lowly. "What brings you here, precisely? Aren't you supposed to be doing parking duty, and stuff like that?"

Lowering her brow in disapproval, Judy calmly replied;

"Chief Urzo himself personally requested that we make an appearance to be of assistance to the investigation of the crime scene."

"Hope you don't have a problem with that." Nick added, to which Judy lightly stamped upon his foot, causing the fox to grunt in surprise before quickly recomposing himself.

The wolf himself didn't look to impressed, but he simply shrugged before flipping through a few pages clipped to his board, eventually scribbling down something as he stated;

"Alright you two, just follow me, and I'll give ya the run down on just what exactly happened here last night..."

"Gotcha." Judy claimed without a single shred of hesitation.

Nodding in approval, the timber wolf waggled one of his claws, beckoning the two smaller officers to follow him as he turned around and entered the courtyard of the castle. Keeping up just a few short feet behind him, both Nick and Judy were in awe at the size and might of the castle ruins, with each of them gazing around the length of the grassy courtyard, eyeing over the stony walls of the past and the wooden building of the present; The entrance to the museum itself was tucked away in the corner of the open space.

"Welcome to Castle Lochlan, officers..." Their wolfish guide stated with a hint of formality. "These ruins are one of many different historical sites here in the Deciduous-District."

"So there are more like it?" Judy inquired.

"Affirmative. The Elktics left behind dozens of temples, castles, and villages, but Castle Lochlan has always been considered the greatest one of them all."

"I can see why... This place is pretty magnificent..." Nick mumbled, staring up at the massive stone walls. Meanwhile, the wolf officer, nodded his head as he continued;

"Magnificent as it may be, there are plenty of mammals who care more about what the castle contains: Ancient artifacts left over from the time of the Elktics, including cloth, idols, statues, weapons, artwork, and even armor. Stuff like that. The ruins themselves don't have much in them, and are used more as a sightseeing thing than anything else, as all the artifacts are stored in the actual museum. Last night, the museum was robbed. The perpetrators took just about everything that they could get their dirty paws on."

The wolf officer led the vulpine and the lapin towards the museum entrance, opening the door for them before stepping inside the wooden and concrete building himself.

"Any idea what the time of the heist was?" The rabbit questioned, to which the wolf pursed his lips.

"Not quite sure of the exact events, just yet." He said. "The security cameras were killed between one and two in the morning, so we suspect a time frame within those hours."

Leading Nick and Judy down the length of a dusty hall, the trio of mammals soon found themselves inside of a decently sized wood room with large, glassy windows on the walls, overlooking the cliffside of the castle and nearly everything below it. The room may have once been beautiful, but it was now nearly torn to pieces from the late night intrusion.

Eyeing over the inside of the dilapidated room, Judy noticed several wooden tables that were topped with glass boxes had been smashed open, shattering bits and pieces of the transparent material all across the floor. Inside the glassy wreckage, soft looking velvet stands that must've once held up and displayed ancient artifacts were now bare and exposed, their centerpieces having been taken. The entire room was like this, with glass display cases destroyed, wooden crates torn apart, and judging by the clean spots on the walls that were surrounded by coats of dust, the officers reasoned that even the paintings and other decorations that must have once hung from the walls had also been stolen.

"The analysts concluded that the robbers were very experienced, but in a bit of a rush, judging by the mess that they left behind." The wolf officer explained.

"Just how much was lost?" Judy found herself asking out loud. "What are the costs of the damages?"

"A few officers are talking with the manager of the museum as we speak. It's estimated to be anywhere from ten, to sixty thousand. Things like what was stolen are complex."

"That's _it_?" The fox blurted out, clearly bewildered. "Why would the robbers risk breaking into this place just for a few thousand dollars?"

"Our investigators are trying to figure that out right now. It does seem strange, but I'm sure we'll figure it out soon enough." The wolf stated.

"Okay, okay... Time will tell, eh? Always does." Nick's ears suddenly perked up. "Say though, that reminds me... When was the scene of the crime first reported, exactly?"

"It wasn't until ten in the morning, when the museum was first scheduled to open, that the manager arrived to unlock the gates. It was her that first discovered the crime."

"Wait just a minute, now." The fox interrupted, making a time out symbol with his forearms. "How did nobody even know this happened until the manager arrived hours later?"

"Yeah, wouldn't this place have security, or something? Like a night watchguard?" Judy added.

The wolf officer sighed longingly, as if the answer to that particular question made him weary and somber. Without answering, he made way towards the door, soon exiting the museum with Nick and Judy following shortly behind, both still expecting some sort of answer from him. They followed him as he continued walking away from the castle courtyard, leading the two smaller officers down a rocky path that opened up into an expansive and grassy field at the base of the hillside, where a number of other hills stretched out into the distance, some lined with trails of gravel and stone inlaid into the muddy ground. Eventually, though not without another sad sigh, the lupine responded;

"That's what we need your help for, officers. You see... There _was_ a security guard watching over the museum at the time of the robbery..."

" _Oh_..." Judy murmured, her ears lowering in darkening realization.

"His name was Corran Dagda... Security guard here at the ruins during the graveyard shift. Forty years old with a wife and three kids..."

The wolf officer momentarily trailed off before swallowing hard, removing his sunglasses, and continuing with his explanation;

"Death by blunt force trauma to the head. It's a damn shame."

Judy visibly cringed upon detecting the words ' _blunt force trauma_ '. She was always the type of mammal whom got a little bit queasy around blood and other bodily injuries, but in the end, it was just another part of the job. She didn't recall Chief Urzo mentioning anything about a murder during his little radio call to them earlier, but to Judy herself, it mattered not: There was work to be done. The rabbit swallowed hard and steeled her resolve, prepared to deal with whatever came her way for the sake of the greater good.

"Okay, tell us about the injury..." She stated calmly, to which the wolf officer nodded before beginning his explanation;

"He was killed by a single blow to the back of the head from a blunt instrument which then _magically_ disappeared along with the killer." He hissed swiftly in seeming frustration.

"Wait, so there's no evidence of an attack?" Nick questioned curiously.

The wolf sighed, pursed his lips, and shook his head slightly. "You'll just have to see it for yourselves, officers." He finalized as they reached the very top of the small grassy hill.

Following the pointed hand of the wolf officer, the lapin and vulpine took in the sight of an expansive grassy field bordered with towering oak and pine trees. In the middle of the small plain, a tiny stream gurgled along peacefully, standing out in contrast to the chaotic mess that was the crime scene at its shallow banks: A multitude of various officers, forensic scientists, and a few civilian mammals watching from a distance were all centered around a small rectangular space of yellow police tape and shiny forensic instruments.

Behind them, Judy detected the sound of the wolf officer as he trudged away, the weight of his steps spawning sickening slurping noises to emanate from the mud beneath him.

Steeling her resolve, the rabbit straightened out her back and nodded her head in a sense of determination before marching forward towards the crime scene, her foxy partner in pursuit a few feet back, though he appeared to be having trouble with the soupy mud due to his increased weight, all the while Judy herself strided along without any problems. As they approached the very center of the crime scene, both mammals noticed that the terrain beneath their feet had changed somewhat, with the muddy banks of the creek suddenly sprouting groves of large craggy stones and other rocks that hurt their toes as they stepped upon them. The clouds above their heads were gray and ever darkening...

Soon enough, they both reached the highest hub of activity in the area, where forensics officers clad in white lab coats were milling about the scene of the crime. The head honcho himself appeared to be a portly looking raccoon police officer, whom was currently chatting with a pair of comparatively towering black bears. The coon was the only officer in the area wearing a hat, of which was wide brimmed and colored the hue of freshly unearthed dirt, the bowl pinned with various badges and other little metal trinkets.

"Excuse me!" Nick called out easily upon noticing the raccoon wrapping up his conversation with the bear pair. Turning around, the coon's smile grew wide as he replied;

"Ah, if it isn't officers Wilde and Hopps! I recall how you two brought in five different offenders the other day, all in just a few hours! That was quite impressive."

"So you noticed that, huh?" Judy asked sheepishly, visibly a bit flattered.

"Brings a tear to my eye." Nick claimed jokingly, miming his paw over his eyelid as if he were wiping away a teardrop.

"Well, any good work is worth noticing, I say." The striped mammal finalized. "If you're here to help, then I only hope that you two can keep up your streak of progress."

"Hope we don't disappoint." The fox added with a half-lidded grin.

"I'm sure you won't, given your reputation. Anyhow, the victim's body was carted out a few minutes ago, so you just barely missed 'em. Right now, we're cleaning up what's left and documenting everything that we can find, though, there ain't much... I've been on the force here for nearly a decade, and I've never seen anything quite like this before."

"Do tell." The vulpine acknowledged, to which the raccoon pursed his lips and began his explanation;

"No weapon was found at the scene, and there are no signs of a scuffle, or even any footprints in the mud, 'cept his own. The victim was struck a single time in the back of the head, likely killing him near instantaneously, before he fell to the ground. No tracks, no weapon, no DNA, no nothing! It's like the perp that did this just vanished into thin air!"

"No footprints, huh?" Nick repeated curiously. "What if it was a winged mammal?"

"You mean like a bat? Impossible. No bat is strong enough to take down a fully grown deer with brute force. This was likely done by a very strong individual." The coon claimed.

"Medium to large sized mammal, got it." The fox concluded. "Wait a minute. This place is pretty rocky. What if he just hit his head on some stones after tripping, or something?"

Squinting his beady black eyes in seeming distaste, the raccoon officer muttered quickly;

"Negative. The injury to the back of the victim's head is quite clear... He was hit with something lightweight, but powerful. Fast, too. Definitely didn't bonk his head on a rock."

"Gosh, just look at all this mud." Judy mumbled, eyeing the riverbank. "How could anyone have struck and killed this poor deer without even leaving any tracks? It's impossible!"

"It _is_ impossible." The raccoon officer agreed firmly. "Both forensics _and_ scene marking are completely baffled: They've viewed over every scenario, but nothin' seems to add up."

"What do you mean?" The rabbit asked, to which the coon grumbled in seeming annoyance;

"Nobody knows why the night guard even left the castle to come all the way down here, much less how he was actually _killed_. This whole crime scene reeks of suspicion."

"Is it alright if we take a look around?" Nick requested calmly. "Maybe we can find something."

"Be my guest. I hope you do find somethin'." The raccoon mumbled before turning his back to the two officers, clearly not wanting any further conversation with either of them.

Nodding in acknowledgement, Judy turned around and grabbed Nick by the wrist, pulling him a few meters away from the scene before releasing her hold on his forearm.

"Okay Nick, we're gonna need to keep quiet about this... I don't think anyone else here knows about Chief Urzo not wanting us to help them investigate like this..."

"My, my, are you suggesting ignoring a direct order from a superior officer?" Nick teased. "Quite unlike you, carrots, if I do say so myself."

"Oh can it, you... We've been sitting on our tails all week, and now we have an opportunity to do something really fun! Something actually important! We can't just-"

"Hey now, no need to give me the full lecture, whiskers. I understand." The fox interrupted with a coyish smile across his muzzle. "Shall we get to work, then?"

"Right!" Judy exclaimed excitedly.

From there, the two tiny officers set about what they arguably did best: Police work.

Deciding first to cover more ground by splitting up, Judy took to asking around the crime scene, questioning various police officers and forensic scientists in an effort to learn all that she could about the situation, though she did do her best to refrain from looking too out of place or prominent, if only to keep someone from reporting them to Chief Urzo, whom would no doubt be considerably upset if he managed to find out just what exactly the two of them were up to. Judy had no intention on being stopped anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Nick himself silently milled about the outskirts of the crime scene, observing all that he could; Sights, sounds, and even smells. He reasoned that a rainstorm was imminent, one that would undoubtedly level out and wash away the grimy mud, and any pieces of undiscovered evidence along with it. The fox knew that his time was limited, so he worked quickly and as best as he could to try and weed out anything of interest, though in the end, his efforts were for nothing, as he concluded his search as empty handed as when he had begun it. Judging by the current state of the clouds above him, he deduced the coming rainstorm to arrive within the next few minutes, at least.

However, as he made his way back towards the nearby castle after putting a considerable amount of distance between it and himself, Nick noticed something peculiar: In the distance, some forty feet away, the grassy plain morphed into the edge of a thick pine forest, but one specific part of the underbrush looked as if it had been cut away with some sort of large blade, as pieces of plant material were strewn across the ground, the stems of which were cut clean and precise.

The fox was just about to approach the clearing when he felt someone tug upon the back of his shirt. Turning around, he looked down upon the smaller form of Judy.

"Everything alright there, fluff?" He asked curiously, having taken note of her anxious expression, complete with drooped ears and pursed lips.

Without answering, the rabbit simply pointed towards the nearby parking lot, where Nick locked eyes with the towering form of Chief Urzo, arms crossed and face chiseled in a biting look of contempt. Neither of the two mammals spoke as they made their way towards the grizzly bear, promptly halting upon reaching his foot. The bear snarled aloud;

"You two are too curious for your own good. From now on, you'll be doing nothing but parking duty and janitor's work until your release from my custody."

"Sir, we-" Judy tried to pipe out, but was promptly cut off by the grizzly bear, whom growled lowly, effectively causing the rabbit to quietly trail off in submission.

"I'll make sure that Chief Bogo hears about this come tomorrow. Finish up the rest of your patrol, and then report back to my office in the station... We'll talk there..."

At that, the bear snorted in disapproval as he turned around and lumbered off, his hulking form slumped over in seeming disappointment.

Nick sighed audibly before stealing a glance at the smaller sized rabbit standing beside him. She didn't look very pleased, least to say; Her expression was a mix of frustration and disappointment, and her body language mimicked it to the point, what with one of her feet thumping rapidly against the ground beneath her. Never a better time to cheer her up.

"Well, carrots..." The fox began flatly. "At least we got to do some _real_ police work for a few hours, eh? Better than nothing."

Judy sighed, her tedious exhale accompanied by the slight rolling of her violacious eyes.

"Back to parking duty and patrolling, then." She muttered, to which her husband nodded a single time in seeming agreement.

"It won't be all that bad." Nick claimed in an attempt to reassure the rabbit. "I mean, we've got eachother, right?"

"Right."

"Don't you forget that, now."

" _Kind_ of hard to forget about it, what with your constant quipping." Judy teased, her spirits slightly lifted.

"Hey, my quipping personality and I are a package deal." The fox retorted with a coyish grin. "Besides, you know you love it..."

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't, I suppose."

"That's more like it!"

"Okay, enough of that, you." The bunny chided as she lightly elbowed her partner in the side of his rib-cage. "Let's just get back to work, shall we?"

Nick nodded sympathetically, his expression adorned with the likes of a pair of half-lidded emerald colored eyes and a wily sort of smirk.

"Indeed we shall." He stated calmly.

With one arm squeezing his smaller partner's shoulder reassuringly, the fox then led the rabbit back to the cruiser, where the two of them promptly set out for the roads of the Deciduous-District, intent on completing the remainder of their assigned patrol. Nick himself personally manned the wheel of the vehicle, allowing for his lapin counterpart to take a break from the driving, most of which had been admittedly done by her. She gladly settled down in the passenger's seat, and stared out of the tinted window calmly.

Neither of the two mammals said a single word for quite some time, though neither thought of it as unsettling nor awkward in the slightest bit.

Yet still, as the fox steadily controlled the wheel of the comparatively sizable police cruiser, guiding it down the windy and foliage-cloaked roads of the forest district, with his two emerald-colored eyes focused firmly on the sights ahead of him, he failed to notice the pained expression and solemn aura of his wife, whom continued to gaze out of the window without a single sound to be heard, staring blankly at nothing in particular with strained and watery purple eyes, her conscious wrapped in pure and boding uncertainty.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Okay, for starters, I just want to take the time to apologize for the amount of time that it took for this chapter to reach the public. My motivation has dropped drastically, of which was coupled with a multitudinous series of unfortunate events that I will not get in to at the current moment, effectively biting a huge chunk out of my overall resolve to continue this story. I know that this certainly isn't the longest chapter, but I'm certain that the coming ones will more than make up for it. I have plenty planned out! For now though, I deeply apologize for the** **inconvenience.**

 **Anyhow, onto some more uplifting news: I have just recently begun progress on not one, but _two_ brand new stories, both of which are canon to WIF, in fact! I figured that I'd want to announce them both sooner or later, so I just decided that now could be the proper time, really. So yeah, two new stories coming soon enough (Assuming that plans and other things don't get shifted around and whatnot), one of which is a collaboration, I might add. The other actually takes place in the far past, and follows along in the footsteps of Abel Thylarc, the discoverer and colonizer of Outback-Island, as he sets with a crew out aboard his ship, The Endeavor, to seek new lands for the early Zootopian government to work with. It'll be a very 17th-18th century themed story, so do expect that!**

 **I'm not sure when either story will be released for the public, but I do assure you that I intend on keeping you all up to date on its progress, of course. :)**

 **Yes, with all this new news about regular story updates for When Instinct Falls, and brand new stories to boot, I do assure you that through the thick of it all, the next bonus chapter is still in development, but on its way regardless, I promise! In fact, I intend to release it as the next chapter update to this story of ours when its finished, so expect that to arrive here sooner or later. I truly cannot wait to reveal it to you all when the time comes!**

 **Lastly, I'd just like to quickly take the time to issue a gravitating thanks to the many different followers and readers of this story of ours! We've just recently reached another brand new milestone, and I couldn't be prouder of you lot. It's truly because of you that this story of ours can grow, expand, and evolve over time, with your dedication and interest serving as the very driving factors behind my overall motivation and resolve! I truly cannot thank you all enough, and I certainly hope to see you all with me for the coming updates, and more!**

 **That being said, all favorites, follows, and reviews are greatly appreciated. I cannot emphasize enough just how thankful I am to those who take the time to invest their interest and dedication into this story of ours. If you haven't already, do feel free to favorite and/or follow, as they are truly one of the many things that helps me keep this work afloat. Thank you all so very much for your time and consideration.**

 **That's pretty much all that I have to say to you lot, as of now. As always, I certainly hope that you enjoyed the latest chapter, and do stay tuned for the next!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Cheers!**


	75. Digging Deeper

"If you fail to find your cause, you are searching among branches for what appears in roots. " - Rumi

* * *

2:08 P.M

"You okay there, Carrots?"

Nick asked as he glanced over to his partner, whom had uttered practically nothing over the past hour; A relatively unnatural occurrence for the usually cheery and active rabbit.

"I'm fine..." She mumbled just a bit too quickly for Nick's tastes. The fox pursed his lips, thinking over his wife's previous statement with calm, and careful recollection.

Still staring out and leaning against the window of the cruiser, the bunny sighed almost longingly as her eyes traced along the paths of the various cars that sped along the road in front of them. Their vehicle, with them both hidden inside of it, was parked behind a large billboard on the highway that bordered the mountains of the Deciduous-District, quite close to the border of the forest itself. On the dashboard, a radar gun, which was promptly directed towards the nearby street, flickered methodically and beeped every few seconds, with the digital screen lighting up in detection as individual vehicles passed by its range. It was a quiet and peaceful atmosphere, but laced with hanging tension.

"Well, judging by those droopy propellers of yours," Nick started, pointing to her ears. "I'd say you're not really lettin' on all that much."

Judy sighed heavily once again. "I'm just thinking about the last few hours, that's all... Thinking about that stupid case, too..." She claimed, still refusing to meet Nick's eyes.

"You mean the case that we aren't supposed to think about?" The fox quipped with a slight smile, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Yeah..." The bunny grumbled. " _That_ one. I mean, first Chief Urzo _asks_ us for our help, but then he goes out of his way to make sure that we _don't_ help while we're there!"

"I guess it is kinda counterproductive, now that you mention it-" Nick added, but Judy was on a roll;

"He should have just let us finish our patrol in peace instead of baiting us with some real police work! That overgrown teddy bear has some nerve playing u _s_ as the bad guys!"

She finished with a loud and frustrated huff, folding her arms against her chest as she leaned into the back of her seat.

Upon the conclusion of Judy's rant, Nick leaned back in his own seat, only for his emerald colored eyes to be drawn to the flicker of the speedometer on the nearby radar gun. He lifted his gaze just as an unmarked white van passed by going roughly five miles per hour over the limit. Nick just barely managed to make out the form of a rather fuzzy looking mammal, a koala, behind the somewhat tinted windows before the vehicle passed out of sight behind a row of thick pine trees, and disappeared as it continued down the road.

The fox narrowed his eyes in both contemplation, and a growing sense of suspicion.

"You know, I've been thinking about it too..." He muttered aloud.

Out of the very corner of his eye, he saw Judy's heard turn and face his own, an expression of curiosity marking her facial features.

"You have?" The rabbit questioned.

"Yeah, I have."

"How so?"

Nick pursed his lips and exhaled through his nose as he took a brief moment to let his thoughts settle down and form themselves into coherent words.

"Well..." He started, putting his paw to his chin, scratching it softly as if deep in thought. "For starters, doesn't the whole robbery just seem a bit.. Odd, to you?"

Judy momentarily thought about her husband's previous statement, and just how it fit into her own current train of thought and overall mindset.

"It does seem kinda fishy, now that you mention it... Like, why would the perps go through so much time and effort just to steal a few thousand dollars worth of items?"

"Exactly. And why would they even bother killing that security guard in the first place, especially when he was so far away from the scene of the robbery?" The bunny added.

"Spot on, smalls. So, that brings up the question of what do we do next, right? Well, I was thinking that after we finish this assignment of ours, we could go through Precinct Seven's criminal archives to see if we can find any other cases of museum thefts across both the district, and the city, that might have the same M.O as our group here does."

His russet-colored ears twitched upon detecting his wife utter an excited squeal.

"That's great thinking, Slick!" Judy exclaimed as her fist playfully connected with his shoulder. "We still have several hours left in our shift, though, so we best get comfy."

"Sounds like a plan, Whiskers." Nick stated proudly, grinning wide with a half-lidded smile, though not above rubbing his aching shoulder.

As he reached forward to pull the speedometer down from the windshield so that he could check up on it, a rhino-sized vehicle zoomed past the cruiser with an audible _woosh_ sound, flashing across the length of the windshield in a blur of gray and blue. Nick swiftly examined the digital screen on the radar device, and concluded that the aforementioned automobile was going nearly twenty five miles per hour over the posted limit. The fox and bunny both looked at each other and grinned in unison.

" _After_ , we catch that guy!" Judy stated as she flipped the switch for the police lights and sirens.

Meanwhile, Nick himself flipped open his new pair of sunglasses as he pulled the cruiser out onto the highway, and the thrilling chase began.

* * *

4:30 P.M

Precinct Seven's Archives were rather musty compared to the rest of the rooms and corridors in the expansive building. The constant battle against the humidity in the room left it closed off and sealed from the rest of the building deep down in the depths of the basement, making the air smell of old files, paper, and dust. After they had finished their scheduled patrol, they quickly made way back to the nearby Precinct, where they ventured within the very heart of the building, all the while hoping that Chief Urzo himself had forgotten about his request to speak with the two of them upon the conclusion of their assignments. Nick and Judy both made mental notes to take their findings to him later.

Until then, there was work to be done.

The two tiny mammals had found themselves a smaller-sized seat that comfortably fit both of them, before positioning it in front of a medium sized computer and beginning their search. It was a tedious endeavor at first; Searching through decades worth of cases involving search terms such as 'museum', 'robbery', and 'forest', as well as any and all unsolved murders due to blunt force trauma that had ever been documented in the entire history of the Deciduous-District itself. Just another day on the job, as it were.

It was laborious, time consuming, and so far; Worthless.

After nearly an hour of searching and wracking their minds for any idea that could help them in their investigation, they both were very close to reaching the limits of their ability to look at a buzzing computer screen for hours on end. Most of the time they had lost had been spent scrolling through page after page of data, but no matter how far they searched, it seemed like their efforts were in nothing but vain. So far, they had found very little evidence of interest, as it turned out that the Deciduous-District itself was a rather sleepy place compared to the other districts: Crime was relatively lacking, and what little there was seemed to stem around petty offences and other quite minor events.

With what they had uncovered thus far, it seemed that the Deciduous-District was not the most action packed place in the city: It was no wonder that Bogo had sent them here, of all places. For entire years on end, the most mysterious and enticing case in the forest district appeared to be the likes of an unsolved homicide about a decade past, where a brown bear named Yogi was found dead out in the middle of the wilderness with a blow to the back of his head that was clearly from a nearby blood-stained stone. The only piece of compelling evidence from that case had been an empty picnic basket found at the scene of the crime, and even that wasn't enough to go on for an investigation.

"We have to be missing something..." Judy groaned, tenderly rubbing her temples as she glanced back up at the hazy screen. "We've searched through everything!"

"Hold on now, we've tried murders, robberies, museums, and so on..." Nick listed off, counting the named searches on his padded fingers. "But this one case... Hmm."

Nick suddenly hopped off of the chair and began to pace around the floor of the room, his bushy tail swishing behind him all the while. The fox's agitation was shown through the bristled fur on his head, and sharp sweeps that his body made. To him, pacing was a good way to let off minor amounts of steam and tension, alongside clearing the mind and allowing for more thoughtful thinking. Meanwhile, Judy went back to type in yet again another search term into the computer when she heard a slight " _Ooohh_..." From behind.

"Do you have something, Nick?" She asked, turning around only to lock on to the likes of her husband as he drummed his fingers against his forehead.

"I might..." He steadily replied. "Though it may be a long shot, and a bit of an odd request, at that."

"I'll take anything at this point." Judy grumbled in response. "Spill it, slick."

"Spill, eh?" Nick repeated with a sly, coyish grin plastered across his muzzle. "Reminds me of that other night..."

"Oh hush, you." Judy chided, though not without a delicate smile egging at the edges of her lips.

The fox cleared his throat audibly before approaching the back of the chair, which he leaned over, and pointed toward the screen in front of them both before stating firmly;

"Alright Whiskers, try a combination search of robberies... And marsupials..."

Judy turned to look at him, her eyebrow raised in seeming confusion.

"Marsupials?" She inquired.

Nick rolled his wrist in a _go on_ sort of gesture. "Just do it, fluff!" He adjured.

Shrugging, Judy did as she was told, and typed her husband's request into the search terms, clicked on the search icon, and patiently waited for the results to come in.

"So, why marsupials, exactly?" The bunny asked again, still wondering as to what may have caused Nick to pursue this route of investigation. "It seems a bit weird."

"Well, I told ya that it's an odd request, you dumb bunny." Nick retorted teasingly.

"This is about as far away from Outback-Island as you can get, save for the Tri-Burrows, and still be in the city of Zootopia. What makes you think marsupials are a part of this?"

"Because I've seen a few of them around here." The fox started, though trailed off quickly before correcting himself. "Scratch that, I've seen a _lot_ of them around here."

"So?"

"Marsupials are rare enough to find in the mainland, so having them appear all the way out here in the Deciduous-District, a completely different climate and about as far from their home turf as they can get, as you mentioned earlier, is a bit strange, don't you think? Doesn't that make you even the slightest bit skeptical, Whiskers? Anything at all?"

"You know, I do recall seeing some marsupials in... Strange, places. Like that wombat we brought in just yesterday for loitering." Judy mumbled in realization.

"Or that echidna we saw roaming the streets _way_ past curfew," Nick added. "The one with all the weird stuff braided in its spines, remember?"

Judy nodded in acknowledgement, recalling back to the night that they had been out on a quiet midnight stroll when they had spotted a sleazy looking echidna skulking around corners, appearing multiple times throughout the night, almost as if it were following them, or something. The echidna had had a number of peculiar objects and items braided into its quills, such as wooden beads and even what looked like small pebbles and rocks. Soon after noticing it, the mysterious creature had disappeared off and into the night.

The bunny was about to bring up the idea that it all may be just some big, strange coincidence, that was, until Nick interjected with a statement that changed her mindset;

"Marsupials rarely leave Outback-Island, even, and yet we've spotted so many here! _Way_ more than usual! Marsupials walking in packs at night, marsupials wandering around in the daylight, almost as if they're searching for something, and I coulda swore that I even saw a gang of them carrying shovels, walking off into the forest, towards the mountains! _Shovels_ , carrots! That's shadier than a fox with a deck of cards on a street corner. Something just doesn't quite add up here, and it makes me feel real suspicious."

"Suspicious? Suspicious of what?" Judy countered. "You don't think that this actually ties in with the robbery and the murder, do you?"

Nick hesitated, as if even he were thinking that accusation over.

"I do." He stated firmly. "The murder, the artifact robbery, the marsupials... I think it all adds up to one guy."

Just as the fox was about to explain his reasoning, the nearby computer dinged out loud, its search having concluded at last, effectively diverting both Nick and Judy's respective attentions to the hazy white screen. Scanning it over, the two of them took in the sight of dozens of different results popping up by the second, ranging from mugshots of criminal marsupials, to a vast amount of cases involving the robbery of various museums, curio shops, and even archaeological dig sites across the entire city of Zootopia, save for the Deciduous-District. Nick personally thought of that detail as intriguing, as if it were somehow connected with this whole thing, though he didn't think of it for very long.

"Well, look at you..." Judy replied, grinning broadly for the first time since they had arrived in the archive room. "Seems like that little hunch of yours paid off."

Offering a grin of his own, they both then promptly refocused on the screen, though Judy was scrolling through article after article so quickly that Nick himself could just barely keep up. Eventually, he gave up and rubbed at his eyes, trying to push away the headache he was sure to have if he didn't look away from the screen sometime soon enough.

"Gees, I don't know _how_ you can look at that screen for so long..." Nick joked with a sigh. "Must be all those carrots you eat, Carrots. I heard they're good for the eyes."

"You'd be surprised. _"_ Judy muttered as she shot him a quick little smile before turning back to the monitor and clicking on one of the many listed links. "Check this out, though."

The rabbit crossed her arms against her chest with a contented smile as Nick looked back up at the screen, taking in his wife's discovery.

"I kept noticing one name listed in each and every report regarding these robberies, and I think I found someone interesting..."

Nick peered at the picture on the computer, grimacing at a close-up mugshot of a tasmanian-devil, whose lips were curled back in a snarl at the camera, displaying rows of large white teeth. The scruffy black fur on the top of his head was braided with strands of multi-colored beads, each one intricately designed with patterns of lines and dots. Glancing down at the sign clutched between the marsupial's talons, of which the fox noticed were etched with various lines and dots, he took in the sight of the devil's name, and felt a distasteful pair of words build within his mouth, souring his tongue.

"Iluka Rombahe..." Nick stated aloud. "I figured that it was this guy behind the robbery last night."

"You did?" Judy asked.

"Uh-huh. I'm familiar with his work... A long time ago, a few years before I met you, in fact, I remember doing a con job-"

Nick trailed off as he took note of his wife's disapproving expression.

"What?" He muttered. "I said it was a long time ago!"

Judy rolled her large eyes. "Just finish the story." She instructed him sternly.

Clearing his throat, the fox did exactly that;

"Anyways, as I was saying, a long time ago, I was a part of a very special con job involving a stolen vase for some kangaroo from Outback-Island; One who claimed to be an associate of Iluka's. Not very surprising, considering the fact that crime-lords like _him_ rarely get their paws dirty. I helped the guy smuggle the vase out, and then we parted."

"So how exactly does Iluka fit into all of this, then?" Judy asked, to which Nick inhaled before continuing his explanation;

"The big cheese himself is not the kinda guy you wanna mess with, so I've heard, but he actually _has_ been arrested and charged for his crimes before, which must've really screwed him over: Just imagine losing your entire reputation and credibility in the blink of an eye. He was stripped of all his archaeological titles, uh - He's some kind of archaeologist, by the way - And was sent to prison for some time. In short, Iluka Rombahe deals with just about anything old and dusty that comes from the black market."

"Yeah, I remember doing some research on that event! He lived some sort of double life; An archaeologist by day, and a crooked, no good, treasure hunting crime-lord by night."

"Bingo, bunny."

"Didn't he manage to escape with the help of a crooked cop, though?" Judy inquired curiously, to which Nick expanded upon;

"And he's been in hiding ever since." The vulpine finalized. "Nobody's seen him in ages, but he still keeps up with his old criminal habits, it seems."

"Well, at least I know _one_ pain of a mammal that gave up on _his_ old criminal habits..." Judy mused aloud.

"You know you love me, Whiskers, sleazy criminal or not."

The fox smiled before leaning over to place a quick kiss on the side of Judy's cheek, however the bunny twisted at the last moment so that instead he hit her square on the lips. She hummed into the kiss, giggling slightly as they separated, and taking amusement at the surprised expression that the fox donned. She then turned back to the screen in front of her, all the while listening in on the amused chuckling of her husband. Soon recomposing himself, Nick promptly turned his attention back towards the computer as well.

"I think we may have our perp, and in turn, our killer." The rabbit concluded with a proud grin.

"Yeah, no kidding." Nick's ears drooped suddenly. "Uh, however, we still don't exactly know how that security guard was killed, really." He muttered steadily in disappointment.

"Answers to acquire another day, I'm sure." Judy claimed hastily as she closed off the computer, though not before printing a few of the various documents from the search.

She then quickly turned to Nick and stated aloud;

"For now though, we have to take our findings to Chief _Bog_ -I mean, Chief Urzo! We have to take them to Chief Urzo, right away!"

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Okay, I know that I may start sounding a bit like some sort of broken record here, but I simply cannot deny the fact that my motivation has been dropping faster than ever before, at this point, and it has been having an effect on my overall updating schedule for this story. I mentioned it last week, and in the past, but just please do keep in mind that I'm trying as best I can to keep things afloat and running smoothly here at HQ, and if that takes a bit more time in between chapters, then so be it. I do what I can to make this story both compelling and consistent, so I appreciate all given patience and consideration.**

 **When the next chapter rolls 'round, I promise it'll be longer than this one: I got big things planned for the future, and I hope you'll stick around for 'em!**

 **So yeah, I apologize that this particular chapter is so short, especially since the wait for it was just so long... Don't worry, I'll make it up to you lot soon. :)**

 **That being said, I do thank you for taking the time out of your day to read through this latest chapter of ours, of course. I know that it took a bit longer than usual to arrive, but better late than never, as they say. I'm sorry of the inconvenience, and do hope that things will be less so in the near future. Anyways, as I was saying, I certainly hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Do feel free to leave a nice review detailing your thoughts (I love those!), and to favorite/follow the story if you haven't already: Those really do help me keep this story rolling, and all new readers are both highly welcomed and appreciated, respectively!**

 **Lastly, I'd like to ask a single question for the reviewers: What is your favorite aspect of this story? What do you think is its strongest trait, if any?**

 **Just wondering, really... I'm a curious person. :)**

 **Anyhow, that's pretty much all that I have to say for now. Thanks for reading everyone, as always, and do stay tuned for chapter 79, coming your way soon!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS:** **Oh, and if you'll check out my account page, you'll notice that I have a brand new poll up, for those that are interested. Just thought you should know.**

 **PPS: I just realized that as of the release of this chapter, it's the one year anniversary of this story! Thank you all so much for sticking with me! :D**


	76. Call It Obstinance

"The truest wisdom is a resolute determination." - Napoleon Bonaparte

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"Fall seven times, stand up eight." - Japanese Proverb

* * *

4:38 P.M

Throughout their time on the force, both Nick and Judy respectively have had their fair share of rather unorthodox moments, least to say.

Many times before, the two tiny officers had chosen to purposefully break protocol in order to perform what needed to be done. Frankly, it was the reason that they were in the Deciduous-District in the first place! Time and time again, the lapin and vulpine had bent rules for what they truly believed was the greater good, or the greater decision, yet in the end, it was clear that their many impulsive choices and sudden endeavors had piled up to one straw too many, ultimately breaking the figurative camel's back for good.

Nick himself had a feeling that it would have come to this sooner or later, though he had no idea just how disastrous it turned out to be; Ratsputin was dead, Nick and Judy's trust with Chief Bogo was forever tarnished, and the two of them had been forcefully (Albeit temporarily) exiled to an alien district as a punishment for their misdeeds. However, despite being a rather frequent pessimist, the fox personally believed that things would turn out for the better soon enough, despite all of the rather troubling circumstances that had gotten them in their current situation in the first place.

Beyond his own 'sly-fox' nature, Nick knew very well that rules were made to keep order intact, yet alongside that, he firmly believed that sometimes, they were meant to be broken, if the reasoning behind the act itself called for it. He had quite the record of rule breaking, though he had always been confident in himself and his abilities to clean up what was left behind him, no matter how messy. This whole temporary exile of theirs was just another obstacle to overcome, and although some souls may view their will as stubborn, both Nick and Judy knew that their intentions were just, and past all the intolerance of those around then, they would do anything to ensure the safety of others.

Even if it involved the direct manipulation of their superior's steadfast orders.

"Okay Nick, Chief Urzo was expecting us to be at his office nearly an hour ago, at this point, so please just stick to what we planned out; We quickly explain to Chief Urzo what we managed to find out about the crime at Castle Lochlan, show him all of this evidence that we brought with us, and pray that he isn't too mad at us for disobeying his orders."

" _And_ hope that he doesn't kill us, too. Don't forget that." The fox added with a coyish tone of voice. "Or even worse: Give us more parking duty. Now _that's_ diabolical."

"Come on, Nick, you're not helping." Judy chided, though not without a very slight grin tugging at the edges of her lips. "Let's just get this over with."

At that, the rabbit slightly picked up her pace, now nearly speed-walking as she made way in the direction of Chief Urzo's office, with Nick following behind closely in pursuit. Clutched tightly in Judy's arms and pressed against her chest, a thick stack of various papers, folders, and binders related to their recent findings in the Precinct Seven archive was just barely slipping out from between the bunny's fingers. A few stray sheets of paper occasionally fluttered out from the stack and to the behind of her, only to be caught by Nick, whom was starting to develop his own smaller stack of evidence just from the loose papers that his mate continually let off as she hastily head towards her destination.

Upon at last reaching Chief Urzo's very own private office, of which was hidden in the back of the building's main lobby behind a row of leafy green bushes, the two tiny officers approached the base of the large, towering oaken door, which thankfully, was slightly ajar, allowing easy access to their intended destination. It took the two of them together and all of their strength combined to push the comparatively massive door open all of the way, causing it to swing to the side and reveal the interior of the room to them both.

The chief of Precinct Seven sat alone in his office chair musing over a number of different papers strewn about his desk, along with a half-eaten blueberry muffin and a still-steaming cup of coffee, which Nick found interesting, if not a bit strange, since it was nearly a quarter to five in the evening. He didn't think about it for very long though, for as soon as his gaze locked with Urzo's, the grizzly bear's nostrils flared and his brow lowered in contempt; Nick mentally prepared himself for yet another stern lecture from his boss.

"You're late, officers. I thought that I told you to come here as soon as you were finished with your assignments... Why do you pester me now, of all times?"

Quickly breathing in as she steeled herself for her coming explanation, Judy hastily began with a simple apology;

"We're so sorry, sir, but we were doing some thinking, and I think we've made a tremendous discovery. We would have come earlier, but we were doing some research-"

The rabbit was suddenly cut off when Urzo growled aloud; " _Wait_." From there, he rose from his office chair and began sniffing the air around him, as if searching for something.

"You both smell like old papers and cobwebs..." He muttered dubiously before looking down upon the two smaller officers standing before him.

Chief Urzo's eyes narrowed in suspicion, apparently having finally noticed the rather sizable stack of papers and files that Nick and Judy had carried with them into the office.

"Were you two _rummaging about_ the Precinct Seven archives _without permission_?" The bear snarled in a terrifyingly quiet voice.

Both Nick and Judy were silent to the count of five.

"Uh..." Nick muttered. "Maybe?"

"You two just won't give up, will you?" The grizzly bear grumbled lowly with a slight tone of seeming disbelief. "Again and again, you just keep _breaking_ rules!"

"Call it obstinance." Nick swiftly interjected.

"I'd call it a _thick-skulled_ ideology!" Urzo shouted back, clenching his fists. "Your stubbornness to sit back and simply obey orders is a flaw that _will_ _destroy you_." He added darkly.

"Sir, we're _telling_ you, this isn't some ploy to cause trouble! We _really_ have some crucial information that could-" Judy continued, but was promptly cut off mid-sentence.

" _Enough_!" The chief of Precinct Seven demanded, effectively silencing the room.

"B-but we were just..." The rabbit timidly tried to continue, but quickly trailed off as her superior fashioned a smoldering glare upon her, causing her to swallow her own words.

"Why don't you leave the professional work to those of us that _aren't_ wearing meter-maid vests." Urzo finalized before pointing towards the door with one clawed fingertip.

Judy's jaw lowered in shock, but her expression of disbelief was quickly replaced by one of frustration and anger. She momentarily glanced down at her orange and yellow vest, and then glared at her significantly larger superior as if she were about to say something venomous in rebuttal, but ultimately closed her mouth and walked away, shaking her head as she took the stack of papers with her and walked out of the office door, of which was still hanging upon from their earlier entrance. Nick looked back and forth between Chief Urzo and Judy, soon running off after her and out of the room, not even bothering to pick up any of the papers that were trailed behind her, marking the rabbit's path.

* * *

5:40 P.M

By now, both Nick and Judy respectively were quite used to being battered about by those around them.

Nearly four years past, back when the two of them had first met, Nick and Judy were no strangers to the feelings of contempt and prejudice that came from just being alive. One rabbit, one fox; Both reviled in their own unique way. Yet still, it could be said that _all_ mammal species were guilty of, and subject to, the very worse than sentience had to offer: Hate, anger, and bigotry. For with conscious, came ego, and from ego, the spurning of others, and from the spurning of others, a thick sense of prejudice, gall, and hopelessness.

It seemed a viscous and unstoppable cycle, that was, until the will of two small partners turned the whole system upside down and on its head.

Their combined influence managed to convince many of the city of Zootopia's citizens that not everyone was destined to be stuck in a boring life pre-written by destiny, but that instead, one could forge their own path if they had the courage and the resolve to do so. Together, Nick and Judy both became police officers for the ZPD, and did all that they could to make the world a better place, even if it involved bending the rules a little bit here and there; All of their actions were done with only the very best of intentions in mind.

Yet still, even past the brave new world that the two of them had worked so very hard to forge, the hive of society's worst had continued to fester and grow.

Despite everything that they had worked towards over all these years, there were still those that sought to tear their world down, and them with it. Both Nick and Judy recognized, acknowledged, and understood that in the end, no matter how hard they fought, there would always be those that were intolerant to their ideology. They didn't blame them, though, for they both knew that it was all about perspective and perception, and that sometimes things just weren't meant to be changed, for better or worse.

The fox himself, being of the predator race, understood this better than just about anyone. He'd made many a different enemies over the years, some of which earned the title by merely glancing at him, and deeming him to be unworthy of his citizenship, rights, and even life itself, all based upon the simple status of his very own species. For many years, he had been subject to such despicable environments, but when he at last met the love of his life and joined up with the ranks of the ZPD, he quickly realized that not everyone was out to get him, and that there was still some good left in the world. Over the coming years, he had worked with Judy to bolster that goodness, and make it whole.

For quite some time, he didn't feel as though he was at the bottom of the pecking order, but after seeing Chief Urzo so casually discard their pleas, he felt as if he were below it.

There they were, willing to comply and to coordinate, and yet their superior had so quickly and so callously shrugged them off as a deplorable nuisance. The two tiny office knew that what they had was important, and that lives could potentially be at stake if they failed to act, making them all the more eager to show the chief their findings. Neither Nick nor Judy respectively had managed to get in more than a few sparse words with the considerably, yet understandably irate grizzly bear before he had cast them off and out of his office, doomed to find their keep elsewhere. With their twin tails beneath their legs, both the lapin and the vulpine checked out of the precinct for the day, their work being done.

That had been nearly an hour ago.

Upon stashing away their stack of paper evidence taken from Precinct Seven's archive into their own private office, small and disorderly as it may have been, Nick and Judy then set out to use up the remaining hours of their day effectively, starting off such with a rather light dinner at a small local comfort-food restaurant not too far off from their temporary place of residence in the Deciduous-District. Their purchased meals had been small, and the event itself had been quiet and lacking in much conversation, mostly due to the fact that the two tiny officers didn't want to so candidly speak about their private problems in public, but also because neither of them wished to relive them in that time.

Once their hunger was satisfied, their moods began to lift, and their intentions showed it brightly; After finishing dinner, the two of them set out by foot to a nearby sightseeing location known as Pine-Point, which Judy herself had recalled to be some sort of natural, cliffside lookout over the landscape of the Deciduous-District, where one could see far and wide the wonder and majesty that the forest had to offer. Eager to explore and willing to make the hike, both Nick and Judy promptly set out in the direction of their intended destination, carefully following the earthen trail as it winded through the army of trees and boulders, all the while slowly ascending in elevation and overall slope as the path led them to the mountainous lookout point. To the two of them both, a soothing breath of fresh forest air was just what they needed to calm the soul and ease the mind.

Eventually, they reached the very peak of Pine-Point, and in that moment of finality, two jaws dropped in unison as they cleared the highest ridge and gazed out over the land.

For as far as the eye could see, a vast sea of trees stretched onward to the horizon, only halted by the towering rocky mountains that bordered the forest district in the distance, of which were colored a shade of deepening blue as the sun set lower and lower as time went on, darkening the landscape in its entirety. In the far west, the setting sun sent shining beams of orange-ish light across the maple section of the district, the combination of colors consisting of red, yellow, and orange creating a miasma of warmth and tranquility.

"Oh wow..." Judy muttered to herself, taking in the sight of the scene before her. "What a view."

Nick snorted in seeming amusement. "No kidding." He added with a slight tinge of teasing sarcasm. "I think I'm gonna go sit on that log bench over there... I'm pooped..."

"But Nick, just look at this place!" The rabbit exclaimed, throwing her arms out and gesturing towards the landscape. "How can you be so tired? The walk here wasn't _that_ long."

"You rabbits and all your energy... It took us nearly a half-hour to get here, ya know."

"Just a warm-up!"

Chuckling quietly to himself, the fox settled down on a nearby wooden log with a bench carved into it, no doubt a creation of the park services that managed this particular area. After seating himself upon the bench with a steady sigh of relief, Nick then cracked his neck audibly before once again taking the time to stare out over the Deciduous-District.

On the opposite side of the setting sun, in the east, the township of Beaverdam with its wooden and concrete buildings stood stout and firm beside a nearby river, with countless generators and other sources of hydroelectric power situated directly at the riverside. Nick and Judy were both all too familiar with the residence of Beaverdam; It was, after all, where the city's air-conditioned walls received the majority of their power. Eyeing down the length of the river that bordered the town, a large concrete hydroelectric dam had been constructed farther away from the residential areas, where it undoubtedly worked hard to provide a clean, efficient source of energy for many a different citizens of the city.

Having actually taken a brief moment to sit down and admire the scene before him, Nick accumulated a sense of awe and admiration that only seemed to grow with each passing second. As the son of an artist, he figured himself to be, at the very least, moderately accustomed to the appreciation of the world around him, mainly through color and visual scenery. Sighing once again, the fox just barely noticed his mate as she approached the log and joined him as he sat upon it. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he said;

"Tired or not, I gotta say, this place really is pretty amazing."

"Good to know that even someone as cynical as you can appreciate nature sometimes." Judy replied back.

"Well, I am who I am, but it's kinda hard not to appreciate a view like this, wouldn't ya say?"

"Yeah..." The rabbit claimed easily, leaning back into the bench with a steady exhale.

Despite their earlier confrontation with Chief Urzo back at Precinct Seven, both Nick and Judy respectively were feeling much better, for with one another's solace and comfort, they knew that they could overcome any obstacle thrown their way. The day behind them may have been exceptionally stressful, due to their superior's rather stubborn attitude towards the two tiny officers and their endeavors, but together, they knew that they had learnt something from it. Thinking back over their plights, the rabbit mumbled aloud;

"Some day, huh?"

"Mmm hmm." Nick acknowledged back. "Some day."

Ever since first arriving in the forested wilds of the Deciduous-District, Nick himself honestly hadn't expected to be doing much more than boring old paperwork and parking duty during their stay. However, with the unveiling of a mysterious new situation involving the murder of an innocent mammal and the theft of countless expensive artifacts, the fox reasoned that something fishy was afoot in the forest district, and he had a feeling that one way or another, his little temporary exile might be getting more exciting soon enough.

The fox thought back to what the wolfish officer had told to he and Judy once they had first arrived at the scene earlier that day...

 _No weapon was found at the scene, and there are no signs of a scuffle, or even any footprints in the mud, 'cept his own. The victim was struck a single time in the back of the head, likely killin' him near instantaneously, before he fell to the ground. No tracks, no weapon, no DNA, no nothing! It's like the perp that did this just vanished into thin air!_

"No tracks, no weapon, no DNA..." Nick verbally repeated slowly and steadily, almost as if he were in some sort of a trance. "Hmm..."

"What's that?" The rabbit beside him inquired curiously, having detected her husband's audible ramblings.

"Oh, uh... It's nothing... I was just thinking about the scene of the crime from earlier this morning." Nick claimed, drumming his fingers on the top of his kneecap all the while.

"Anything on your mind in particular?"

"Hm... Well, the whole _no weapon_ -" He emphasized with finger quotes. "- Business seems pretty suspiscious to me."

"Right. How could that poor, innocent mammal have been... _Killed_..." Judy managed, as though the words left a sour taste in her mouth. "So mysteriously?"

"Good question. I just wish we knew the answer."

"Yeah, me too. But still... It seems pretty clear that we aren't exactly wanted over there." The rabbit grumbled with a tone of seeming disappointment and even sorrow.

"Oh, don't blame Chief Grouchy-Grizz... He's just doin' his job, really. To be fair, we _did_ kinda disobey his orders."

"True, but he shouldn't have been so mean! I mean, did you even _hear_ what he said to me?! That guy's just as bad as Chief Bogo! Maybe even _worse_!"

"I suppose you're right on that one point, fluff-butt. He _was_ pretty mean to you. And as much as that makes me want to be mad at him, I honestly can't blame the guy."

"Humph. Forget him..." Judy muttered huffily. "He can have fun stumbling around in the dark while we sit here with information that could help him solve a serious crime."

The fox pursed his lips as he took in and registered the words that his mate had previously uttered. It was quite clear to him that Judy wasn't exactly a fan of Chief Urzo, but regardless of what she thought of their grizzly bear superior, Nick knew that negotiating with him was the best way to ensure that they stayed on his good side, small as it may be.

"Aw, don't be like that, Carrots." He requested. "What ever happened to the bunny police officer willing to solve any crime to make the world a better place?"

Judy sighed longingly, slowly closing her large, amethyst-colored eyes all the while.

"I'm sorry, Nick... It's just that these past few days here have been pretty... Uh..."

"Out of the ordinary? Not your cup of tea? Cray-cray?" Nick suggested with a half-lidded grin across his muzzle.

" _Bizarre_." The rabbit settled on. "They've been kinda bizarre."

"How so?"

"Well, getting sent, or should I say _exiled_ , to an entirely new district is one thing, but having all of these strange things happen to us along the way, including that crime scene from earlier this morning, just makes it all a bit complicated, I guess. Getting used to this place has been hard enough, and that nasty old grizzly bear isn't making it any easier."

"Sometimes the best things in life are earned through hard work, right? I know it's been kinda tough as of late, but it's nothing that we won't pull through, Carrots."

"I suppose you're right."

"Course I am. I'm me!" The fox joked. "But in all seriousness, you yourself have a pretty good point too, actually... If Urzo doesn't want our help, why give it to him anyways?"

Judy pursed her lips and made a slight _hmm_ sort of sound beneath her breath. She momentarily took the time to think back over just what her husband had told to her, and what it meant for their relationship with Chief Urzo and Precinct Seven as whole. Meanwhile, Nick himself continued to stare out over the Deciduous-District, quietly and peacefully watching as the sun sank lower and lower over the mountainous horizon in the western distance, painting the sky with a miasma of orange and purple coloration.

A slight flutter of air brushed against his cheek, effectively earning the fox's attention. He gently turned his head in time to see a blur of dark movement flicker across his vision before settling upon his shoulder. Nick's emerald-colored eyes widened in surprise as he took in the sight of considerably large moth perching on his shirt. The insect's wings and body were colored almost identically with the bark of the nearby oak trees, and its fluffy little antennae swiveled around just a mere few inches from the fox's scruffy orange chin.

Clearing his throat, he tried not to panic as he stated aloud; "Uh, Whiskers, you ever seen a moth this big before?"

Judy's long ears perked up as soon as she detected Nick's words, and then she promptly turned towards the sound of his voice, and the fox watched as the rabbit's purple eyes expanded in shock after catching sight of the large insect sitting motionless on her husband's shoulder. She backed up a few inches away from him, understandable a bit startled.

"Say, I am kinda hungry... What do you think it tastes like?" The fox questioned, to which Judy gagged aloud.

"Ugh, that's _disgusting_ , Nick! You predators and your bugs... _Bleh_..."

"What, would you rather us predators eat _you_ , then, hm?" Nick teased back. "Beggars can't be choosers, as they say."

"Gross..." Judy mumbled.

With a slight gust of its chitinous wings, the moth flew off of Nick's shoulder and made way right over the edge of the nearby cliff, flapping off into the coming times of dusk.

As the moth fluttered off and into the distance, Nick followed it for some time with his gaze, watching until he could no longer see it. From there, he refocused his vision to the background of the direction that the insect had been heading, and came to sight with a winding river cutting through the trees of the forest district. The fox took note of the river's somewhat curved flowing pattern as it meandered down the distant mountain passes, with one section bending at nearly a ninety degree angle. It almost looked like a...

The sudden realization struck him like a bolt of lightning from the heavens themselves. Nick sat straight up, the jerkiness of the action nearly causing him to fall off the bench.

" _Boomerang_!" He shouted aloud, startling the rabbit lounging beside him.

"Gees, Nick, what was that about?" She asked, slightly irritated as she rubbed her ears tenderly. "My ears are pretty sensitive, you know."

"That night guard at the castle was hit with a boomerang, Carrots!" The fox claimed excitedly, turning swiftly towards Judy. "It was a boomerang!"

The rabbit blinked a single time in confusion. "A what?" She muttered with an expression of seeming bewilderment across her face.

"Okay, okay, lemme start over..." Nick breathed out in an effort to calm himself down. He promptly stood up before beginning his explanation;

"That guard at the museum was struck just once, a single time, in the back of the head with a blunt object. Someone had to have gotten close to hit him, but there weren't any tracks, so that means someone must have _thrown_ something at him! Something fast, thrown from a long ways away, striking him once before flying right back where it came from."

"A boomerang!" Judy herself concluded as she jumped up from the bench and threw her arms around her husband. "But wait, why use a boomerang?" She asked as she let go.

"Carrots, who did we just recently deduce to be the culprit of the crime?"

"Uh, Iluka something or another?" The rabbit guessed, not quite remembering the mammal's last name.

"Right, and where exactly is Iluka from?"

"Outback-Isl- _Oh_..." She trailed off. "That makes sense..."

"Dumb-bunny."

"Shut up, you." Judy retorted, though not without a slight smile tugging at the edge of her lips.

"You know you love me."

"Occasionally." The bunny teased.

"That's good enough for me."

"But anyways, I can't believe you figured it out! A boomerang! That's _brilliant_ , Nick! Great work!"

"Hehe, yeah, I am pretty-"

"Oh, can it, scruffy, your self-flattery can wait... This is huge! We need to go see Chief Urzo right away!"

"Seems a tad bit on the dangerous side, don't ya think, Whiskers?" Nick joked, though with an admittedly serious undertone to his words.

Judy bit down on her lower lip in thought. Chief Urzo had been incredibly specific and explicit with his words the last time that they had spoken with him. The grizzly bear clearly had his own agenda planned out for Nick and Judy, but deep down, the rabbit knew that she couldn't accept that as it was: This was information that their superior needed to know, regardless of whether or not he wanted to hear it. Judy knew that she and her husband were already on very thin ice, but it was a risk that they would have to undertake.

"Nick, we _need_ to do this." The bunny stated at last. "Even if we aren't the ones to investigate, Chief Urzo needs to know what we've discovered. It's very important."

With pursed lips, the fox took one last look out at the landscape of the Deciduous-District before turning back to Judy and sighing.

"Fine... I just hope that we don't get more parking duty for this..." He said.

"Don't worry, we'll make it work out just fine, I promise." Judy claimed with a bright smile aimed at her mate.

"Guess that's another thing to hope for." Nick grumbled cynically.

"Alright then Slick..." The rabbit started firmly. "Let's get back to Precinct Seven."

* * *

6:11 P.M

Back at the Deciduous-District's police headquarters, Nick and Judy promptly made way towards Chief Urzo's office, the very same place where they had tried and horribly failed to convince the easily irritable grizzly bear of their findings earlier that evening. This time, however, they had no intentions on letting this golden opportunity of theirs slip away.

Upon arriving at their superior's private workplace, they firmly knocked against the large wooden door and awaited a response.

Five seconds of silence was followed by a groaning sigh and the heavy footsteps of something big walking towards the door from the other side. Soon enough, it opened, and the two tiny officers found themselves staring up at Chief Urzo's grizzled face once again. The bear's hairy ears lowered in shame, and he took a small step back into his large office.

"Good evening, officers... I see you've brought your evidence to me once again." Urzo mumbled, gesturing to Judy's stack of papers. "Come inside, then, and we can talk some."

The lapin and vulpine exchanged a single, brief glance at one another, both being somewhat surprised at their superior's sudden lack of aggression and dominance. Shrugging in unison, they followed the grizzly bear into his office before closing the door behind them. They approached Urzo's desk, all the while watching him as he seated himself behind it.

For a few seconds, there was nothing but awkward silence. It was finally broken when the grizzly bear managed a string of careful words;

"I apologize for my demeanor from earlier, officers. It was very... _Unprofessional_ , of me..."

The grizzly bear's face hardened as he continued;

"But you must understand that it is quite literally my _job_ to be strict with you two, just as it is _your_ job to do ticket work and parking duty."

"We understand, sir, but this is something that we _need_ to tell you." Judy stated firmly and without any hesitation. "It's importance could mean the saving of innocent lives."

Chief Urzo sighed audibly. "If you've pestered me about it for this long, I suppose it must be important. Speak, then." He finally requested, much to the joy of the two officers.

"Thank you, sir. You won't be disappointed." The rabbit claimed.

"I would certainly hope not. Just skip the formalities and tell me why I should let you two investigate the case at Castle Lochlan."

"Alright then." The fox muttered candidly. "No more sugarcoating here. We think that the criminal figurehead known as Iluka Rombahe was the one behind the crime"

The grizzly bear clenched his fists. " _Preposterous_! What could _possibly_ attract the crime-lord of Outback-Island _here_ , of all places?" He roared, lightly slamming his fist on his desk.

"You see, that's what we thought too, chief." Nick added quickly. "But after taking a step back to think about it, the evidence is undeniable: Iluka is here, right now, in this district."

"And just _what_ evidence _is_ there, precisely?" Urzo questioned with a slight tone of annoyance.

"Glad that you asked! Now, I don't know about you, but Hopps and I have been noticing a _lot_ of marsupials milling around these parts, as of late. Real suspiscious stuff."

"So?" The grizzly snarled.

"So isn't it even the slightest bit strange that large troves of marsupials have been seen in such numbers all the way out here, so far away from Outback-Island?"

Chief Urzo took a moment to think over the fox's statement. "I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary." He claimed with an expression of pride.

"I'd be willin' to bet that other people have! If you let us investigate, the _first_ thing we'll do is question various mammals about these marsupial sightings to see if anything adds up."

"Even if there are a bunch of marsupials running around, that isn't enough evidence to require a full-scale investigation." The bear countered.

"Perhaps not, but it's a good thing we brought more." The fox said before glancing towards the rabbit and gesturing at the desk.

Bending back down and picking up the stack of evidence that they had brought with them, Judy lept up onto the nearby office chair before reaching up and piling the mound of papers onto the chief's comparatively massive desk. The bear's beady brown eyes narrowed in contempt as he reached outwards and selected a few choice sheets of paper from the pile. He took a few short minutes to read through them before glaring back down at the two tiny officers before him with a look of frustration on his portly muzzle.

"So you _were_ digging around in the archives!"

"Yes sir, we were, but it was only with the best of intentions, we promise!" Judy claimed swiftly, hoping that her words would help quell her boss's anger.

The grizzly bear growled beneath his breath. "Fine. Just keep talking before I kick you both out." He grumbled before leaning back in his seat.

The fox swallowed before continuing;

"Okay, so from all of this evidence here, we managed to deduce that this Iluka guy is the perp behind the crime at the museum, both the murder, _and_ the theft. Reading through all of these records here, it seems that this guy likes stealing things, dusty old artifacts in particular, and that the Deciduous-District is one of the few places that he hasn't hit up, as of yet. First time for everything, right? So he comes here and robs the museum, but the only problem is the night guard, so for whatever reason, he has him killed."

"I thought that the forensic investigators at the scene determined the guard to have died from slipping on a rock?" Urzo briefly interrupted, his tone bursting with curiosity.

"That's what they ruled while we were there, yeah, but we think we might have figured something out, chief." Nick claimed.

"That's right!" Judy added matter-of-factly. "We have reason to believe that the security guard at the museum was killed with a _boomerang_."

"A boomerang?" The grizzly bear repeated.

"Yeah. Think about it... The victim was struck a single time by a fast moving, blunt instrument, with no signs of a scuffle, weapon, or perpetrator whatsoever..." Nick started.

And then Judy finished;

"And the only way he could have died was if something was thrown at him, a boomerang, which hit him once, killing him, before returning right back to the thrower's paw."

Chief Urzo seemed to take a moment to think over the officer's claim. He soon stated aloud;

"It makes sense, I admit, but the chances... It had to have been an expert shot!"

"Done so by an expert user." The fox finalized. "So, what do you think? That's pretty much all that we've got so far, really."

The grizzly bear exhaled with a deep and audible sigh. He stroked his chin in deep though for what felt like forever, before finally leaning forward and placing paws on his desk.

"Fine..." Urzo deeply sighed at last. "The evidence here seems too credible to ignore. You two have my permission to investigate the case."

" _Yes_!" Judy cried out as she jumped up and high into the air, pumping her fists around in excitement.

The grizzly bear growled beneath his breath before interjecting;

" _However_! If you should come back empty handed from your little adventure, I will ensure that your punishment of exile here in the woodlands is extended _twofold_!"

"What? _Twofold_? Why?" Nick questioned.

"I am not supposed to be letting the two of you do anything other than what I was ordered to assign by Chief Bogo himself. Deviating from this puts us _all_ at risk, but, clearly, there are bigger things at stake here than anything the three of us have to offer. I do hope that this investigation of yours manages to succeed, but if you fail in your cause, and if I find out that I sent you off on some renegade investigation with all risk and no payout, then there will be _nothing_ to protect you from me! Do I make myself clear, officers?"

"Crystal, sir." Judy claimed with a steadfast salute for effect.

Urzo sighed almost stressfully and pinched at his bushy brow, all the while finalizing the conversation with one last statement;

"Come tomorrow morning, you two may investigate your claims involving the case. Go and get some rest, officers... I have a feeling that you are going to be needing it."

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Okay, for starters, I don't think I covered this particular topic well enough in my last author's note... As I'm sure some of you have realized by now, this story has just recently surpassed its one year anniversary. I'm not normally one for celebrations of simply surviving another 365-ish days (Which is probably why I didn't cover this very well in the last chapter), but I admit that this has been a truly remarkable experience thus far: Over the past year, I've learnt so much, seen so much, and done so much (If nearly half a million words doesn't qualify, then I don't know _what_ does), all the while gaining recognition for this little writing project of ours that began all those months ago. **

**In the end, I would say that I have none to thank but the dedicated readers and supporters whom have provided me with the motivation and the resolve to continue this work of ours. It has expanded oh-so much after all this time, and it has only got even more room to grow, it seems like. Soon enough, I intend on revealing and delving into even more projects, all of which I will be glad to bestow upon you, though for now, I thank you all greatly for these many experiences.**

 **Happy anniversary, everyone, and may this story of ours continue to grow and expand the universe that has captured the minds of so many different people.**

 **Thank You** **.**

 **That being said, I suppose it's okay if I continue with the other announcements, then; More fan-art has been posted on my Tumblr account, a brand new poll is up on my page here right now, and eventually, I'll reveal yet another wee project that I've had on my mind for quite some time, at this point. Until then, do feel free to review, favorite, and/or follow this story of ours if you haven't already! All are greatly appreciated, and only serve to benefit my resolve.**

 **Anyways, that's pretty much all that I have to say for now. Thanks for readin', as always, and do stay tuned for the next chapter, comin' your way soon! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	77. Back On The Beat

"You throw the sand against the wind, and the wind blows it back again." - William Blake

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"Beat back the beatback." - Sage Francis

* * *

It seemed that adventure followed Nick and Judy no matter where they went.

Upon first arriving in the heart of the Deciduous-District, neither of the two mammals had been expecting to undergo very exciting nor dangerous types of police work. Their agreement with Chief Bogo only stretched so far, and from the start, both Nick and Judy knew that they were in for one dulling experience; Ticketing, parking duty, and paperwork.

Just about every single police officer's worst possible enemy.

With their steadfast instructions from Bogo himself, preparation for their little vacation, as Nick liked to call it, was quite simple, especially with a new and temporary place of residence already waiting for them in the forest district. Once they had arrived, there was nothing left to do but what they were told. Chief Urzo, of Precinct Seven, would direct the two of them during their stay, and ensure that their time working beneath him was filled with little else other than paperwork, ticketing, and parking duty, boring as it may have been.

However, it seemed that new and exciting opportunities followed Nick and Judy no matter where they went.

Despite not anticipating much more than the very basest and bland of police work, it was only a matter of mere time before a whole brand new adventure was within their grasp. Roughly one week into their three week exile, a mysterious new situation had reared its head: The robbery of a local historical museum, and the murder of its innocent nightguard.

Once again, it was time to show the whole entire world and all within it who doubted them just how strong of a team that Nick and Judy could be together.

* * *

8:47 A.M

Only twenty four hours ago, if you would have asked Nick and Judy if they thought that they'd be were they were now, they would have nervously laughed off the question.

Neither of the two mammals had truly been expecting Chief Urzo to give in to their request, even despite their own sense of hope and determination. Least to say, they were quite a bit surprised to learn of his approval for their advances with the case involving the museum larceny and murder, convoluted as it seemed to have been. With their grizzly superior on their side at last, Nick and Judy could now finally do what they were best at: Getting results, and getting them quickly.

After finishing their meeting with Chief Urzo, the two officers promptly retired to their place of residence, where they spent the night relaxing and preparing for their big day. The following morning, both Nick and Judy were practically ready to get back on the beat as soon as they rose from their peaceful slumber. Upon arriving at the head-quarter's of Precinct Seven, deep in the heart of the Deciduous-District, the bunny and the fox immediately made their way to the precinct's armory, where they intended on gearing up for their coming mission.

If anything, Judy herself was more than happy to finally ditch her meter-maid vest (Or her clown suit, as Nick insisted on calling it) in favor of something more her style. Digging through the supply of gear and other items, she soon came across a plate of chest-armor very similar to her very own that she would wear in the city of Zootopia itself, however, this one that she had just selected was camouflage on coloration, its overlapping hues of mud-brown and leafy-green matching with that of the forest floor. She donned a beige bodysuit identical in color to that of Nick's forest-issued police uniform. It may not have been what she was used to, but she'd take it over the standard ticketing uniform any day.

The rabbit was plenty satisfied with her new look, and upon collecting all the standard gear that she would need, met with her husband outside of the precinct. From there, the two tiny officers piled their supplies and themselves into their police cruiser, with Nick manning the wheel of the vehicle while Judy sat by in the passenger's seat, ready to help.

After nearly ten minutes of driving in silence towards their final destination, the township of Beaverdam, Nick found himself curious as to the inner workings of their scheme.

"So, what's the plan, fluff-butt?" The fox inquired with a single raised eyebrow.

"Good question." Judy said with a determined expression upon her face. "Once we get to Beaverdam, we'll start interviewing mammals over the evidence in our new case."

"Simple enough."

"Simple enough, indeed." The rabbit repeated.

"Tell me again, though..." Nick added. "Why Beaverdam, of all places?"

"If we're gonna be interviewing anyone, best to do it in the most populated region of the district, no?" Judy replied easily.

"Ah, I see. Good point, Whiskers."

"Good point, indeed."

Nick let out a considerably long yawn; One that caused his emerald-colored eyes to briefly close shut and water very slightly around the edges. He quickly recomposed himself.

"Feeling sleepy?" Judy questioned, her tone laced with a slight degree of teasing behind it.

"I guess I'm just a bit tired of driving. I can't wait to see Beaver-" The fox momentarily hesitated as the vehicle evened itself out to the sight of the city before them. "-Damn."

Some two to three miles away, the two tiny officer's final destination, the township of Beaverdam, stood sturdy at the base of the mountains, bordering the nearby river. The river itself tore through the center of the town, flushing slightly downhill towards the lower region of the Deciduous-District. Water mills, generators, and small hydroelectric facilities all connected to the stream of water, and many different homes also bordered its banks, most of them made of wood and concrete, shaped into structured domes of splintering planks and rigid timber beams.

"Well spoken, fox." Judy acknowledged with a playful grin. "Just look at all that machinery, though... Beaverdam probably has more tech to it than all of the Tri-Burrows!"

Throughout the large village, outcroppings of power plants and generators gave the area a surprisingly industrial feel to it, as if it the town of Beaverdam and all of its residential buildings had been erected atop some giant machine connected to the river; The very life source of the town itself. This machine appeared to feed from the raw power that the body of water produced, and used said power to fuel its own existence. Indeed, the entire town of Beaverdam, and in turn, the air conditioned walls that supplied energy and climate control to the citizens of Zootopia, were all linked back to this one river.

Talk about dependent.

Back in his younger years, Nick recalled learning about the Great Dam of Beaverdam, the largest and most powerful of its kind in the entire city of Zootopia. Although being a part of the township, it was constructed a few short miles away from the residential areas due to its rather inconvenient size and occasional noise pollution whenever the massive valves were tinkered with so as to control the water flow of the river. Although there were other sources of power that the air conditioned walls fed from, the great hydroelectric facilities of Beaverdam undoubtedly provided the cleanest, most efficient source of energy and power that the city of Zootopia had ever known and come to harness.

That, Zootopia welcomed with wide and open arms.

To Judy, Beaverdam reminded her of the Canal-District, of which lay to the northwest of the Rainforest-District, bordering the edge of the Marshlands; With both places having boat-stricken river ways, a majority beaver population, and lots and lots of wooden buildings and other structures, the many similarities were quite apparent. However, the differences were not to be ignored either, such as the fact that the majority of the Canal-District was made up with channels of water, while Beaverdam only had one, single river.

Overall, the township of Beaverdam seemed a very pivotal and important place of interest, despite its rather humble position far out in the depths of the forest district. It was quite clear to both the lapin and the vulpine respectively that sometimes, the very greatest of things first appeared to be the most simple, much like small moments in the overall scheme of life. Small as they may have been, it was they that filled the gaps and enforced the backbone of reality in the world. Yet another adventure to add to the books.

"It's go time." The fox stated before adding pressure to the cruiser's speed pedal, accelerating the vehicle as it drove towards the seemingly ever growing city of Beaverdam.

Soon entering the town in their vehicle, Nick manned the wheel of the cruiser, carefully steering he and his mate through the surprisingly crowded streets of the village. As expected, the vast majority of Beaverdam's residential populace appeared to be, surprise surprise, beavers. However, through the crowds of whittled buck-teeth and flat fleshy tails, the two tiny officers occasionally spotted a sore thumb of a mammal, whether it be a pig, moose, or even a raccoon. Having spent the past week driving around half-empty parking lots and cozy villages out in the more rural parts of the Deciduous-District, Nick and Judy were both somewhat uneasy and extra cautious around the larger crowds, but quickly became accustomed to it once again, with their city-driving instincts kicking in and directing them through without a single grievance to be witnessed; A truly skillful art.

Back on the beat, as it were.

"Pretty thick crowds, huh?" Nick mumbled, causing Judy's ears to twitch upon detecting his statement.

"Yeah, no kidding. But hey, at least it's not as bad as Bunny-Burrow, am I right?" She added with a slight shrug.

"One hundred percent, Hopps." The fox agreed. "At least here I can breathe properly without inhaling a noseful of someone's fur."

Judy snickered, soon recomposing herself before taking a brief and momentary glance out of her passenger window, where she spotted a small, cozy-looking little pub wedged between two larger buildings. She eyed over the restaurant's sign, where the words ' _The Twisted Root'_ were painted out in green against the dark brown hue of the wooden sign.

"Say, we should start thinking about lunch, soon."

"Lunch?" Nick repeated out loud. "It's nine in the morning, ya dumb-bunny. Didn't you just eat, anyways?"

"Well, yeah, but it was a pretty light breakfast. Besides, there's nothin' wrong with a little bit of planning beforehand, is there?" The bunny exclaimed cheerily.

"Nah, I guess not."

"Right! I'd rather we know what we want to do sooner rather than later, so that we don't waste any time here! I wanna learn all that we can about these marsupial sightings!"

The fox chuckled softly to himself. "Sounds like someone's excited." He stated, his words filling the interior of the cruiser.

"You bet your scruffy tail I am!" Judy claimed, lightly punching her husband across the shoulder. "I've been waitin' for some real police work all week! This'll be good!"

"Glad to see the enthusiasm, Carrots. Now, let's get to work then, shall we?"

* * *

11:58 A.M

Back on the beat they may have been, but as Nick and Judy soon discovered, not all situations could be won over with a bright face and a few reassuring words.

For the past three hours or so, the two tiny officers had been venturing across the city of Beaverdam interviewing various mammals (Mostly beavers, unsurprisingly) about their suspicions involving the various marsupial sightings that had been taking place throughout the territory of the Deciduous-District. Around the town, Nick and Judy met with all sorts of different citizens, ranging from security guards, to taxi drivers, to ordinary pedestrians walking down the streets, all the while inquiring each one over the topic at hand.

They walked for miles around Beaverdam, learning all that they could, however insignificant, for each detail that they managed to acquire was one step closer to a resolution.

However, for all of their hard work, the fruits of their labors were less than substantial, it seemed: Despite hours upon hours of interviewing, analyzing, and thinking, Nick and Judy had little to show for their combined efforts. Most of the mammals that they interviewed had not a single clue over what they were being interviewed over, and the few that did were of little to no help, with the officer's most insightful piece of evidence being that of a local sheriff's report of a group of mammals, all marsupials, having been reported roughing up an innocent passerby in the middle of the night a few days past, though suspects still had yet to be brought in. Quite the frustrating scenario, understandably.

Yet still, past their own irritations, both Nick and Judy kept themselves together. With all of their hard work came the desire to take a break for some time, and so came into being Judy's suggestion from earlier that day: Upon concluding their jobs for the morning, and in preparation for what was sure to be another loaded few hours of activities, the two officers set out for ' _The Twisted Root_ ', where they intended on eating a quick and hearty lunch so as to refuel themselves for their coming endeavors, and ready to work.

Parking their vehicle in a nearby lot, the lapin and the vulpine approached the watered down pub, the latter taking note of the building's rather run-down appearance, but still appreciating the humble, cozy atmosphere of the restaurant's interior, with its root benches, pillow-padded booths, and slightly smokey feeling to it. At the bar, two male beavers sat on wooden stools with the legs carved into the shape of giant teeth, one of them clearly a bit tipsy from his previous drinking. The drunk gurgled in a slow and watery tone;

"S-Say, if... If a tree falls in the f-forest, with... With no teeth marks at the bottom, and n-nobody sees it-" He paused to let out a slight cough. "-Is it still our fault?"

The other beaver let out a rather disgruntled sigh before turning toward the bartender and requesting aloud;

"Rimshot, please."

Nick bit back a small chuckle before audibly clearing his throat and briefly shaking his furry head from side to side, swiftly recomposing himself before taking a seat with his mate at the booth in the corner of the pub. After a few seconds of waiting, their waitress, an old ewe, came up to them and took their respective orders, with the rabbit requesting a large house salad, and her foxy counterpart ordering a simple soup of shrimp and steamed vegetables. Once their waitress left them, Nick turned towards Judy and stated out loud;

"Some day so far, huh?"

"Mmm hmm." Judy murmured in acknowledgement. "All that walking, talking, and writing... I'm just glad we can take a nice little break. That's all I need."

"You and me both. Still feeling hungry, Whiskers?"

The bunny sat up in her seat, rolling her eyes before saying; "Why else would we be here?"

"Oh, I dunno, maybe to listen in on the tearful, drunken ramblings of the good citizens of Beaverdam?" Nick quipped, stealing a brief glance at the nearby bar.

"I'd take that over paperwork." Judy grumbled, smiling as she met eyes with her husband's very own.

Soon enough, their orders came, and with them, satisfaction to quench their hunger. Both the rabbit and the fox alike took to devouring their respective meals without a single thought, as both were quite hungering to sate their desire for sustenance. They did not speak very much while they ate, understandably, but as they forked down bite after bite of their food, both of the two officers thought long and hard about the situation at hand: For all of their efforts thus far, they had very little evidence and intelligence to show for it.

After finishing their meals (Save for Judy herself, whom couldn't finish her salad and ended up bringing a portion of it with her in a small styrofoam take-out box) and signing the check, Nick and Judy then promptly left the restaurant, their stomachs filled with food, and their minds filled with ideas as each one thought over what they needed to do next.

As they settled in their car, the fox was about to make a comment on it when something crossed over his eye not too far off in the distance, effectively earning his attention.

Further down the block, tucked away between two larger buildings no doubt relating to the nearby hydroelectric facility, a grimy, run-down warehouse loomed as if it were housing some secretive and deadly. Though, it wasn't the warehouse itself that caught Nick's attention, rather the small group of mammals that approached it: A pack of five marsupials, with species ranging from bandicoots to possums, and wombats to koalas.

Each one was dressed very non-conspicuously, as if they were on some sort of mysterious endeavor. The group of marsupials quickly assembled themselves at the entrance of the warehouse before pulling open the large iron doors and slipping inside, one of them, a burly-looking female kangaroo, briefly taking a moment to eye around the empty street before closing the door shut behind her, sealing the posse of marsupials within the confines of the warehouse and leaving the street as though they were never even there.

"Whiskers, you, uh... You see that?" Nick asked, raising his arm and pointing towards the warehouse in the distance.

"Huh?"

"Those guys that just entered the warehouse over there..." He mused, almost as if in a trance. "Five of them... All marsupials."

Shaking his head from side to side, the fox then turned towards his wife, grabbing her shoulders and almost causing her to drop her salad bowl in surprise.

"Carrots, I just saw five marsupials enter that warehouse down there!"

Nick momentarily paused, taking a brief glance towards the aforementioned building before continuing his previous explanation;

"I don't know about you, but that seems pretty darn suspicious to me."

"What? Are you sure?" Judy questioned.

"Of course! Why would I lie to you about this?" The fox muttered as he released his hold on Judy's shoulders.

"I'm not calling you a liar, but I didn't see them!"

"Probably because you were too focused on that nasty salad of yours."

"It's not nasty!" Judy claimed huffily. "It's packed full of vitamins and minerals!"

"That's what makes it nasty."

"Well it's not nasty to me!"

"Okay okay, we're getting off topic here, fluff-butt!" Nick exclaimed swiftly. "Point is, we should go and investigate. Something about that place makes my fur stand on end."

"You mean that warehouse?" The rabbit added, waggling one of her fingers past the windshield and towards the dilapidated building.

"Yeah, the big one at the very end of the block, with all the rust on the outside... Reminds me of Finnick's cruddy old van..."

"If we're going to investigate it, we should make a call for backup just in case... We don't know what might happen..."

"True, but we're trained police officers! I'm sure we can handle it! Besides, for all we know, these marsupials might just be a group of hooligans out vandalizing, or something."

"That doesn't sound like a very good justification, Nick." Judy grumbled.

"Maybe not, but can you imagine just how angry Chief Urzo would be if he found out that we let an opportunity like this slip away?"

"Can you imagine how angry he'd be if he found out we busted a group of _potentially armed_ riff-raff's without any additional support?" The bunny retorted with a chiding tone of voice.

"Gah, they're getting away, carrots!" The fox claimed, looking over Judy's shoulder and towards the warehouse. "We need to follow them if we're gonna do anything."

"Okay, fine." Judy relented. "Let's just go, then. We'll call for backup if we need it. For now, we'll follow."

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Nick agreed.

Despite knowing the stakes, Nick and Judy both came to the same realization: They had to follow. If they didn't, a potentially priceless opportunity would be missed, and from it, all sorts of new possibilities and intelligence. Steeling themselves for what was to come, the two tiny officers exited their cruiser and made way for the warehouse in the distance.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Nothing better than another new adventure to enjoy, eh? I had a ball writing up this particular chapter for you guys, especially the part where Nick and Judy get to explore Beaverdam! I've always been someone who enjoys fleshing out the world and lore of a given universe, and Zootopia is certainly no exception. You lot will be learning even more bits and pieces that I've cooked up here soon enough, for the coming chapters are just choked full of new concepts and ideas to explore. I personally cannot wait to reveal them when the time comes, though for now, I'd simply adore knowing what you think of this chapter!**

 **Yes, do feel free to leave a nice review detailing your thoughts, and if you haven't already, of course, new followers and favorites are always appreciated!**

 **Speaking of which, we're nearing yet another new milestone with this story of ours, and I have none to thank for it but you! To everyone who so much as even clicks on this work, I thank you for the support and consideration. We couldn't have gotten nearly this far without you guys, that's for sure. Thank you.**

 **Next up, I'd just quickly like to take the time to apologize for how long it took this chapter to arrive. My motivation has been dwindling, but I'm working on it, and have no intentions on quitting anytime soon, I promise. This particular chapter may have been a bit short, since I wanted to get it to you guys sooner rather than later, but I have reason to believe that the coming ones will more than make up for it! Be sure to stick around for what's to come, near and far!**

 **I reckon that you lot might enjoy what I have cookin' up here at HQ.**

 **That being said, I do have a few more announcements here and there before I sign off. For starters, I'd like to make mention of the fact that I have just recently made myself a devientart account! There, you can find all sorts of various fan-arts and other gifts from various readers that I've collected over the many months, and you can even get notices and other small posts about the progress of different chapters in development and ideas being worked on, too!**

 **The name of the account is lettup. No, not upplet, as usual. _Lettup_. Big difference. Feel free to check that out, if you'd like. :P**

 **Lastly, my personal Tumblr account also underwent a revamp, and has some new fan-art to see there as well. Just thought that I'd let you all know.**

 **Anyways, that's pretty much all that I got to say for now, really. Thanks for reading, and do stay tuned for the next chapter, comin' your way soon! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	78. Opportunities Best Left To Ponder

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Real quick here, I just wanted to make mention of the fact that I have another music suggestion to pair with this new chapter of ours! As always, you need not listen to it if you don't want to of course, as it is only a humble suggestion to fit the overall mood and atmosphere of the chapter, but you are more than welcome to do so. I personally recommend playin' the suggested music piece during the scene where Nick and Judy first enter the warehouse in Beaverdam.**

 **That being said, here is the title of said suggestion: The Road Leading to the Secret (Mix)**

 **Aside from that, I have no more announcements for the moment. Without any further ado, I at last present to you the 81st chapter of _When Instinct Falls_! :)**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door." - Milton Berle

* * *

12:32 P.M

"Gosh, I can't believe that we're doing this right now." The rabbit grumbled to herself. "And to think that I didn't even get to finish my salad."

"Chin up, fluff-butt." Nick stated with a wily grin. "My outlook on the opportunity, is that if we manage to bag these guys, we may just end up gettin' on Chief Urzo's good side!"

Judy scoffed, though not without a slight smile across her face.

"Yeah, like _that_ will ever happen. Ever since Bogo shipped us off to this place, that grizzly has been out for us."

"Never know, one day he might be kissing our feet!"

"Come on, Nick, let's just hurry up and catch up with those perps."

"Whatever you say, Whiskers."

Picking up her pace, Judy continued her approach on foot towards the warehouse in the distance, all the while her husband followed shortly behind. Being the undeniably quicker of the two tiny officers, the rabbit made sure that she didn't leave her foxy partner in the dust with each passing footstep. Rushing down the street with hurried intentions, Judy thought back to the very moment when she and her husband had first arrived in Beaverdam; Rolling white waters roaring right through the town, thick buildings of wood and concrete, and a sinister underbelly beyond her own vision of the surface. The bunny had a feeling that something was fishy with the area, and her previous suspicions had been confirmed with the earlier sighting of those marsupials entering the warehouse. To her, they looked rather shady, and certainly worthy of investigation. Just another job to do.

Nick, on the other hand, was expecting results about as near helpful as a chocolate teapot. With a township as large and as wild as Beaverdam itself, he figured that the chances of uncovering some truly useful information about their situation were just about as low as they could get, especially since he had a sinking feeling that they were being watched the entire time. However, it seemed that his aforementioned expectations were overturned with his spotting of a group of rather suspiscious-looking marsupials entering a large, mysterious warehouse without escort. Foretold with his own expectations or not, the fox reasoned that such an opportunity was not to be missed out on. With a probable cause at their side, both Nick and Judy could follow the marsupials and enter the warehouse without any restriction, though their superiors may not have initially approved of their act.

It was quite clear to them that sometimes, the most efficient of decisions could only come from themselves.

Following shortly behind Judy as the two of them approached the warehouse, Nick himself took note of the environment surrounding the ever approaching building: The large warehouse was centered at the far edge of a nearby hydroelectric complex, of which must've bordered the river, for the fox could hear the roar of the waters in the far distance, though he was admittedly unsure of the true source of the noise. In the moment, he was only focused on completing what he and Judy had originally set out to do, and that was to safely and effectively scrutinize the area where they had last seen that group of furtive marsupials. Nick could only hope that trouble wasn't destined to brew from this.

Alongside the sounds of the world around him, the fox eyed over the scene that his emerald-colored eyes made out: Piles of broken boards littered across the pavement beneath his feet, whirring machines shaped like cubes and prisms attached to the buildings to his left and right, and fluttering gusts of garbage and other papery residue blowing about in the mild breeze. The warehouse's windows were broken, its bricks were cracked around the edges and stained with discoloration, and a rather pungent smell filled the windy air.

To put it simply, the place was a dump, clearly having been out of use for a considerably long time, at that. Conveniently, it was the perfect place for a shady marsupial meet up.

Eventually, Nick and Judy at last reached the base of the warehouse, where they met up near the entrance. They nodded in unison before carefully opening the thick doors and quickly slipping inside, all the while careful not to make too much noise. Once inside, Nick rubbed his eyes in an effort to help himself readjust to the considerably darker interior of the building. Gazing over the open space before him, the fox took in the sight of bare and dilapidated metal walls, with the vast area between them filled with crates, boxes, and other shelves of junk, though there was still a decently sized walkway and courtyard farther down into the darker depths of the warehouse, some fifty yards ahead, or so.

"I don't see anyone..." Judy muttered quietly. "Do you?" She asked her partner.

"Nope. Not a soul in sight. Maybe they got bored and went home?" The fox joked, to which the bunny rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Nick, be serious. This could be dangerous."

"Looks pretty vacant to me. Let's look around." Nick suggested.

"Agreed."

Exhaling softly, Judy stepped forward and led her partner further into the building, choosing to take a route that flanked adjacent to the center path, leading up to a staircase that ascended into a network of catwalks high above their heads. Reasoning that the high ground would be the best place to observe and assess the situation at hand, the two officers followed the staircase until they were a good eighty feet into the air, allowing them both to take hold in an excellent visual vantage point over the ground down below.

Quietly creeping along the length of the catwalk, Judy eventually found herself questioning her husband over his former ties with Iluka's criminal syndicate.

"So, Nick..." She began. "Can you tell me about those connections with that kangaroo and Iluka that you mentioned the other day?"

The fox grimaced, his lips pursing together in seeming distaste as he registered his mate's previous inquiry.

" _Former_ connections. " He corrected. "And I didn't know that that dumb kangaroo was working for Iluka, I swear! Not until after we finished our hustle, actually."

"It's okay, you don't need to apologize for it. Just tell me what happened, and if it might have any relations with this whole marsupial business here."

"Right, right." Nick acknowledged before exhaling and clearing his throat. "Well, would you believe me if I told you that this kangaroo guy and I once new eachother?"

"I guess I would."

"Anyways, as I was saying, this kangaroo guy and I may have worked together on a con job once in the past, but before that, he and I had actually met a few times. We were never really friends, but having good connections when you're a con artist, especially one on the lookout for tax collectors, I might add, can be a real game changer. Ramic, was his name, and he'd occasionally give me a place to stay in between cons in return for future favors. One day, he came to me asking for some help with smuggling out some dirty old vase from Savannah-Central over to his home turf, Outback-Island."

Nick took a brief moment to formulate his words before continuing;

"I offered up my own expertise, and once we were finished, he thanked me, and then I asked him who and what the whole job was for in the first place. He told me he worked for the crime lord of Outback-Island, a tasmanian-devil named Iluka Rombahe. I didn't know who the heck he was, at the time, but I quickly found out. I didn't really like doing cooperative work with mammals tied in to big crime bosses, you know, ever since the whole incident with Vladzotz and Mr. Big. That's probably why Ramic didn't bother telling me who he was workin' for and why beforehand. After that, he hopped off like the kangaroo he is, and although I tried to catch up to him, I lost him pretty quick in the crowds."

"And what happened after that?" The rabbit asked.

"Haven't seen him ever since." Nick claimed with a nonchalant shrug. "I went back home and continued my regular work with good ol' Finnick. The end."

"So, this Ramic guy... " Judy started. "You think he might be here, like, right now?"

Nick nodded his head in thought before explaining;

"Probably. If Iluka is, I can pretty much guarantee you that Ramic is too. Thanks to the ZPD's resources, I've dome some personal research in the past. Turns out that Ramic is Iluka's bodyguard and right hand mammal. Basically the second in command of the Outback-Island mob, to be precise. Who would have thought? I know that I certainly didn't."

"Bodyguard, huh?" The bunny questioned out loud.

"Oh yeah, bodyguard for sure. The dude is _huge_. Boomers like him can grow pretty big, but Ramic is uber fit. Did I mention that he knows some super advanced kickboxing?"

"Kickboxing?"

"Uh-huh. You've got a pretty strong kick, Carrots, but I have a feeling that this guy would give you a real run for your money." Nick said.

"Hmph, as if." Judy retorted in a somewhat teasing manner.

"I dunno, Whiskers, Ramic's street name is 'The Basher', and you don't get a name like that for doing nothing. Besides, aren't kangaroos just pretty much oversized bunnies?"

"Okay, I'm not gonna bother responding to that." The rabbit stated. "Let's just focus on what we're doing."

Nick grinned to himself. "You're the boss, officer hippity-hop. Lead the way." He acknowledged, gesturing politely towards the catwalk space in front of them.

With an exhale of baited breath, Judy then stepped forward and continued across the metal pane beneath her feet. Looking down beyond the rails and to the ground far below, the rabbit seized up as she spotted a flicker of movement roll across her line of vision. Swallowing hard, she quickly grabbed Nick by the shoulder before pulling him closer to the base of the catwalk, with the two of them practically laying down on the cold, metal surface so as to make themselves just about as small of a visual target as physically possible.

"Hey, what gives?" The fox mumbled as his mate huddled up next to him.

"Shh!" Judy hissed as quietly as she possibly could before silently pointing down to the scene below them.

Down on the ground level of the warehouse, a small crowd of mammals gathered in a pack, seemingly unaware of the officer's presence just above them. Nick, with his understandably superior eyesight to Judy, was the first of the two officers to notice that each and every single one of the mammals below them were marsupials, save for two beavers loitering on the very outskirts of the pack, with their backs to the crowd. He could only tell them to be beavers due to their thick, flat tails, of which spread out across the floor like fleshy pancakes. Nick momentarily thought to himself as to why some native beavers would be helping the marsupial thugs, but his thoughts quickly trailed off as he watched both of the beavers turn around and face his direction, allowing the fox to get a good look at them both, though one of them was vastly different from the other.

The beaver on the right turned around to reveal a set of large bucked teeth and tiny claws. Nothing special. The other one, however, nearly caused the rabbit to gasp aloud in surprise, for it wasn't even a beaver at all! As the creature reared its head into sight, no teeth were seen. Instead, a thick, rounded protrusion jutted out from the mammal's face, curving off in a very smooth looking texture: A bill, colored the very same shade of dark brown as the creature's flat, fat tail. Instead of spindly little claws, this one sported scaly, webbed fingers. The animal wore a simple leather jacket and a rather baggy pair of jeans around its lower body. It was a very, very strange creature to behold, indeed.

Although Judy had never seen one before in person, she knew just what exactly this peculiar creature was: A platypus, a rare type of aquatic marsupial.

Meanwhile, Nick himself took to eyeing over the crowd of marsupials before him. Among the numerous creatures, he spotted three small bandicoots, two wombats, two kangaroos, one beaver, and one platypus, totaling nine mammals in all. Despite the many perps to see, there was one face in particular, and a familiar one, at that, that had managed to catch the fox's undivided attention; One of the kangaroos, a large male standing roughly six feet tall, towering over the rest of the marsupials, Nick recognized as Ramic.

Analyzing his old con-partner's frame, Nick took note of the thick muscle's in Ramic's legs and arms, the former being the most exceptional of the two. The kangaroo's angular face still bore the scars of past fights, and his dark brown eyes matched in coloration with his akubra bush hat, the bowl of which was wrapped with thin and tiny bullet shells. Ramic wore no shirt, with the only piece of clothing covering his upper body being that of a sleeveless, slightly torn up cargo vest. His muscular legs were covered with a pair of briar pants, and the kangaroo's thick tail was wrapped with strands of tribal cloth and other colorful marsupial-culture rags and pelts. A very intimidating sight, without a doubt.

Nick swallowed hard, making a mental note to himself not to get on that kangaroo's bad side, if the situation so called for it.

Suddenly, an idea came to him, and he quickly turned towards Judy so as to explain his reasoning to her;

"Carrots, we need to film this, or record it, or something." He told her as quietly as he could. "This is too good to let get away so easily."

Nodding in understanding, the rabbit, without saying so much as a single word, reached into her utility belt to pull out her mobile phone, of which she hurriedly powered on before pointing towards the marsupials down below and filming the sight before her, though not before temporarily disabling her device's ability to intercept calls; The last thing she wanted was another repeat of what had happened back with Mayor Lionheart in Cliffside Asylum, all those years ago. The nostalgia briefly made her smile as old memories of her endeavor with Nick to unravel the mystery of the Night-Howlers came flooding back to her, though Judy soon found herself focusing all of her attention unto what was happening right then in the present. With her phone trained on and recording the scene unfolding below, the two officers were certain that they would be victorious with Urzo.

So confident were they in their actions, that they just barely noticed a new figure appear among the crowd of mammals down below. Stepping out from behind a small wall of oil drums, a previously hidden marsupial came into view: A tasmanian-devil, with jet-black fur and wild orange eyes. The tazzy wore a simple beige safari suit, and the fur on his head and neck was braided with strings of wooden beads. Hanging from his belt, a glossy painted boomerang was gripped beneath the clawed fingers resting on his waist.

Turning towards his wife and earning her attention, Nick gestured towards the the tasmanian devil down below, all the while silently mouthing the words _Iluka Rombahe_ to her.

"Gentlemammals!" The crime-lord began proudly, causing the two officers hiding above to watch him cautiously. "Mighty fine seeing all o' these familiar faces 'round here."

"Just doin' our jobs, boss." One of the marsupials claimed, though neither Nick nor Judy could tell just which.

"Ace on that. While we oh-so patiently wait for our little employee to arrive, let's go over what was uncovered from Castle Lochlan, shall we?" Iluka asked the crowd around him.

"Aye! We got some real ripper collectibles from those clueless buggers!" A portly wombat stated excitedly, his rather thick Outbacker accent causing Judy to cringe in distaste.

"Bring 'em out, then, lads!" The tasmanian-devil shouted, raising his arms in triumph. "Let's have a gander at these goods of ours."

From the catwalk high above, Nick and Judy exchanged a brief glance to one another, and although no audible words were spoken between the two of them, their thoughts aligned with near perfect unison: They now knew that these marsupials were the ones behind the robbery at the Elktic museum from the other day. Nick's prediction was right all along, and with Judy recording the whole scene down below, they would have all the evidence they needed to extend their influence over the investigation at hand.

Concurrently, the marsupials down below began to break open a few of the boxes scattered around the ground level of the warehouse, pulling out handfuls of plastic bags and chunks of styrofoam pellets. Looking closer, Nick noticed that many of the plastic baggies were choked full of strangely shaped stones - Arrowheads - among other tiny trinkets, including pieces of twisted metal, dulled cloth, and small sticks in the shapes of varying symbols. Most of it looked like dusty old junk to the fox himself, but the marsupials that handled the items looked upon them as if they were priceless artifacts, which was true, but something that Nick admittedly couldn't quite grasp: He supposed that it took a certain fascination of ancient history and old relics to be able to do jobs like this. That was something that he didn't exactly have, but many of the thugs down below clearly did.

Among the collections of artifacts and other knick-knacks that were pulled out, one item in particular was seemingly being handled with extra care and precaution: A tiny metal box that had been hidden alongside the other materials within one of the wooden crates. The mysterious box was promptly handed to Iluka Rombahe himself, whom opened it, revealing what looked to be a thin and crinkly piece of parchment resting upon a small plush of fabric, cushioning the papery material within. Grinning wide, the tasmanian devil delicately removed the item from within the box before tossing the latter object off and to the side. He brought the paper to his face, licking his incisors as he spoke aloud;

"Here it is, boys... The Tuama Parchment! This ancient piece of Elktic script is the next step in finding that blasted tomb that we've been searching for so long!"

Nick and Judy, still hiding silently upon the catwalk high above the scene below, both donned puzzled expressions; Neither had heard of such an artifact before, though it was clear from their excited chatters and expressions that the marsupial thugs themselves were quite riled up over this particular relic of theirs. The fox himself made a mental note to research the aforementioned Tuama Parchment once they were safe and away from the warehouse, along with any other peculiar names and terms that caught his ears.

"Within its ancient words lies the secret to unraveling the path that will lead us to it at last!" Iluka continued, his voice projecting throughout the confines of the warehouse.

"Will you be able to translate it, boss?" The female kangaroo standing beside him questioned with a curious tone of voice. The tasmanian devil proudly exclaimed out loud;

"Of course! Don't forget, mate, you're working with the Outback's greatest cryptologist! Though, I suppose even _that_ title wasn't enough to stop the archaeological foundation from kicking me out once they discovered I was the leader of a criminal organization... Ah, they can go bug off and chase a loan without me, greedy little tossers. Those drongos don't know what they're missin' out on! We'll show them, aye?"

The crowd of marsupials cheered heartily in agreement.

"Now, it might take me some time, but once I decipher this, we'll be one step closer to-!" Iluka continued, but promptly trailed off and stuttered to a halt.

The confident and excited smile across his rugged face slowly melted away as the tasmanian-devil's burnt-orange eyes quickly glanced over the length of the parchment, his expression morphing into that of disappointment, confusion, and even a hint of seeming sadness. He stammered, trying to formulate coherent words, before clearing his throat.

His ears dropped ever so slightly. "I... I can't read it." Iluka murmured softly.

"What?" The kangaroo henchmen beside him questioned.

" _I can't read it_!" He shouted again, this time in a much louder and harsher voice.

The tasmanian-devil's anger seemed to be growing by the millisecond: His somber expression twisted into a growling snarl of rage, and he began to swiftly and rather carelessly close and open the piece of parchment, as if the action would somehow make the inscription translatable. Sensing danger, the surrounding marsupials begun to pace back a bit.

"It isn't even Elktic!" He hissed aloud, his ears perking up and beginning to flush red with hot blood.

"Then what is it, sir?" The kangaroo asked once more, his voice somewhat timid, as if expecting an outburst from his boss.

"It's _GIBBERISH_!"

With that last word, Iluka tore the parchment in two; His whittled claws easily ripping through the wrinkled old paper. Growling lowly to himself, he irritably threw the torn up remains to the ground before stomping on them repeatedly with one of his clawed feet. After a few brief seconds, his temper tantrum subsided, though he still inhaled heaving breaths of anger, and his meaty fists were still clenched together in rigid balls. He appeared to be trying to calm himself down, but didn't seem to be very successful at it, either.

"Uh oh, he's going through another intermittent explosive episode!" One of the nearby marsupials muttered. "Quick, someone go get him his stress ball!"

"Don't forget the hot towel!" Another shouted out.

A fat wombat nodded a single time before speeding off and into the deeper parts of the warehouse, soon quickly returning within no more than half a minute, his paws grasping a small, yellow rubber ball, and a steaming white cloth. Cautiously approaching the tasmanian-devil, whom had since taken a seat atop a wooden crate, the wombat wrapped the towel around Iluka's neck before handing him the stress ball and backing away, giving him a rather considerable amount of personal space. The large room fell silent as the tasmanian-devil closed his eyes shut and sighed deeply, occasionally giving the little rubber ball clenched tightly in his right paw a squeeze. All eyes were now trained on Iluka.

While not breaking his line of sight with the group of mammals below, Nick muttered softly to Judy; "Gees, what a temper tantrum _that_ was," Before she shushed him down.

Some few seconds later, the entire warehouse was still as silent as it had ever been. Finally, the main kangaroo henchman, Ramic, Nick deduced him to be, spoke out to Iluka;

"Are you alright, sir?"

There was a tense moment of silence, albeit somewhat brief, before the tasmanian-devil finally bothered to respond.

"I... I feel better now." Iluka claimed with a short sigh. "Forgive me, lads. I seem to have gotten into a bit of a rouse, back there."

Ramic chuckled. "That was a fiery piece o' work, boss. You had us on edge." He stated steadily.

"Nothin' you haven't seen before... Let's just get to it, then." The tasmanian devil grumbled before tossing his stress ball over to the same wombat who had given it to him.

From there, Iluka momentarily stood up from the crate, only to pick up the shredded remains of the parchment he had destroyed a few minutes earlier before plopping back down onto the wooden box behind him with a grunt of discomfort. He irritably kneaded the strips of paper between his thick claws before sighing and turning towards his men.

"You said you scavenged this from the robbery back at Castle Lochlan, aye?" Iluka asked.

"That is correct, sir." The single platypus clarified in that deep and watery voice of his. "Just one of many different tokens related to the blade that we managed to find."

 _Blade? What could they be talking about?_ Nick mentally asked to himself, though soon refocused his attention back towards the scene below him as he heard Ramic ask aloud;

"Why did you rip it up, boss?"

Iluka clenched his fists together, causing the paper shreds in his paws to crinkle under stress, and the marsupials around him to flinch in anticipation of another outburst. Before such an outburst took control of him, however, the tasmanian-devil managed to gather his bearings and recompose himself. He then irritably removed the towel from his neck before tossing it to the ground, the sopping piece of cloth plopping down onto the concrete floor with a wet crumpling sound, sliding a few short feet before coming to a slick halt.

"Because it's a fake!" Iluka finally stated, the pitch in his voice surprisingly loud despite his seemingly calm demeanor, causing some of his men to cringe in fear.

"A fake? How is that even possible? It was on display in a historical museum!" The platypus asked, his tone reeking with apparent disbelief. Iluka spoke back carefully;

"Some sort of forgery, without a single doubt... Those drongos at the museum clearly have a sub-par understanding of the Elktic dialect... They must have unknowingly bought the thing from some con-mammal, too distracted by its false worth to even bother making sure the thing was fair dinkum. The blasted script on it isn't even fully translatable!"

"Sounds a bit fishy to me, mate, but you've never been wrong before." The platypus muttered. "You're still the best linguist this side of the city. Can't put doubt on you."

Meanwhile, Ramic growled beneath his breath as he shot a withering glare towards the crowd around him. He stamped his large foot onto the ground before voicing his anger.

"Great! So our best lead on the tomb turns out to be a forgery!" He snarled. "It seems that our little altercation back at Castle Lochlan was a complete and utter waste, then."

Iluka raised his head. "Not quite. The items we acquired may be of no use to us, but we still got at least somethin' from the robbery: The ZPD's distraction." He stated with pride.

"Right... I suppose it gave a lil' bit of wiggle room for that bat sheila you employed. Hopefully she manages without too much trouble." Ramic muttered thoughtfully.

"Ace on that." The tasmanian-devil agreed. "With those blue heelers at the ZPD stretched thin, our goals become that much closer to a reality!"

"So what of that bat you employed, boss? Any news from 'er?" The nearby platypus questioned of his superior.

"Not yet, but she should be arriving sooner or later with the-" Iluka begun, but was cut off when a bothersome noise pierced the air and interrupted him. "Speak of the devil."

Judy herself felt her heart skip a beat, momentarily thinking that it was her own personal cellular device that had gone off, but was quite relieved to determine that the obnoxious ring-tone was indeed coming from the tasmanian-devil down below. The bunny curiously watched as he growled to himself, stood up from the crate, and started to fondle around the many pockets on his attire before eventually pulling out a small mobile phone and bringing it up to one of his ears. With bared teeth, he spoke first into it.

"You had better have good news for me, _bat_!" Iluka roared into his phone, gripping it so tightly that the device began to slightly creak and bend within his thick fingers.

With her sensitive ears, Judy just barely made out the sound of an irritated, feminine voice emanating from the other side of the phone. She couldn't quite make out just exactly what the mammal on the other side of the line was saying, but judging by the speaker's tone, they sounded somewhat frustrated. The bunny watched as Iluka Rombahe furrowed his brow in contemplation, all the while listening in on the phone. After a few more brief seconds of talk, the voice on the other side went silent, and Iluka stated aloud;

"It's all gone, then... Good. That dirty little rat's legacy can't touch us now, and we have you to thank for it. But, to business... So you secured the package?"

Another few seconds of static chatter from the receiving end of the phone line.

"Yes, yes, of course... I never doubted you, but your particular antics, eh, have left me a wee bit toey." The tasmanian-devil claimed.

The chatter spoke out again, this time in a seemingly confused tone of voice.

"What? _Toey_?" He growled lowly. " _Anxious_! It means anxious! Just hurry up and get the package here!"

At that, Iluka promptly ended the call before sighing deeply and slipping his mobile device back into one of his pockets.

"Bloody little bugger." He grumbled to himself.

"What's the gist, then, boss?" Ramic asked.

"She's on her way with the package as we speak. Should be here any minute, though I wouldn't be surprised if the lil' monster takes a detour to feed, or somethin' like that."

The female kangaroo, whom was still unnamed, snorted through her thick nostrils. "Never been a fan of vampire bats either. Got myself nicked by one back in primary school."

Nick furrowed his brow in thought upon detecting the marsupial's most recent conversation from down below. He himself wasn't very fond of vampire bats either, though a part of him had to wonder just how much of that was only because of his tense relationship with his old enemy, Vladzotz Fangpyre, or as Nick personally liked to call him, flappy-bat.

For ages, he'd had a slight fear and disdain of the overall species, what with their peculiar lifestyles and frightening appearance, though most grew no bigger than himself, for that matter. To hear that one was coming this way now made his skin crawl beneath his fur, momentarily thinking over the possibility of it being Vladzotz himself, though he quickly deduced that prospect to be impossible, for Iluka and the other marsupials had explicitly referred to this particular vampire bat as a female. Nick didn't know any females.

Lost in his own thoughts, the fox didn't notice the conversations that continued down below for some few more minutes, that was, until a loud crashing sound startled him out of his train of thought, and jarred him back into reality. He briefly took note of Judy, whom was still crouching low directly beside him, and he sighed in relief, thankful that she was alright. Once he had made sure that his partner was safe, the fox then swiftly glanced around, searching for the source of the previous noise before eventually pinpointing a decently sized window on the far side of the complex, of which had been smashed clean open from the outside, something having flown right threw it and into the warehouse.

Following the path of the creature that had broken through the window, the two officers came to sight with that of a female vampire bat, roughly the size of Judy, flapping down towards the clearing of marsupials at the ground level of the warehouse. Clutched between the bat's talons was a long, thin object, though nothing that the two of them could properly make out from where they currently were. Their vantage point may have been good as it was, but it could only go so far, it seemed. Gliding over to the center of the warehouse, the bat begun to lower to the ground. Once the bat touched down in the center of the crowd, Nick and Judy finally had the opportunity to get a good look at her.

Just like Iluka and the other marsupials had said earlier, the vampire bat was clearly a female, with a lithe, curved body and feminine features hidden beneath a skin-tight, oil black bodysuit, save for her leathery wings, of which were freed from the confines of the material, clearly allowing for maximum mobility and flexibility. The bat sported a pair of large ears that protruded from the very top of her head, and also donned a pair of sharpened fangs that just barely peeked out from behind her lips. The mammal's eyes were green in coloration, much like Nick's very own, and her fur was a dark shade of gray. The vampire bat smiled at the sight of the crowd, revealing rows of sharp and pointed teeth.

"Who's that?" Judy asked quietly, to which Nick gave no response, as he did not know. The two officers continued to watch over the scene down below.

"You're late, and your tardiness has put us all at risk." Iluka grumbled to the bat. "I hope that you understand the trouble I've gone through to arrange this little shindig here."

Upon the tasmanian-devil's concluding words, the female vampire bat furrowed her brow and retorted in a sultry, posh tone of voice;

"Hey now, _you_ weren't the one who had to set a building on fire, and then fly all the way out to Beaverdam with _this_ piece of junk in tow..."

The female vampire bat then condescendingly dropped the item that she had been carrying onto the floor at Iluka's clawed feet. She continued huffily;

"Don't be blaming _me_ for it. Beggars can't be choosers, tazzy, and last I checked, you were practically groveling on your knees trying to get me to do your dirty work for you."

Iluka snarled beneath his breath, his eyes narrowing in distrust. He opened his maw as if he were about to say something back in rebuttal, but instead chose to silence himself as he knelt down and picked up the thin, pole-like object that the female vampire bat had dropped upon the hard ground at his feet. Watching cautiously from above, Nick and Judy observed the tasmanian-devil pull upon the item, causing a surprisingly sharp sound of unsheathing metal to echo throughout the deep and open space of the warehouse.

The dim lights hanging from the building's ceiling gave just enough luminescence to cause the object in Iluka's hands to shine with luster, flickering in the watery, artificial gleam. Squinting his eyes so as to focus down on the item, Nick suddenly realized that it was a sword, though not just any sword: It was Grygorri Ratsputin's sword, stolen right from the ZPD archive at Precinct One. The fox found himself clenching his fists together in frustration, having come to the realization that this was all a part of some villainous plan, all happening right beneath the noses of every officer in the city. Not only that, but Nick personally had spent hours upon hours going over and organizing everything that the ZPD had recovered from Ratsputin's house, and now it was clear to him that this female bat had gone and ruined it all, apparently burning the archive just mere hours earlier.

There was very little that Nick hated more than wasted time and effort, but it was clear that there were even bigger problems at hand, now.

Lightly elbowing Judy so as to get her attention, he very quietly whispered to her;

"That's Ratsputin's sword!"

"I know." She said back as soft as she could. "This looks bad... Real bad."

"This looks good... Real good!" Iluka exclaimed gleefully from down below, to which Nick slightly snickered.

"So, now that you have your precious sword, I suspect you'll honor our agreement, right?" The vampire bat started.

"Right. This service of yours will not go without reward... If you ever need a favor in return, just ring me up proper. You have my word, Miss... Uh, Miss-" He faltered.

"Lucy." The female bat interrupted. "Just call me Lucy."

"Miss Lucy." Iluka finalized with a wide and grin before extending an arm in a gesture of gratitude.

Reaching out with her own, Lucy grasped the tasmanian-devil's considerably larger palm within both of her wings, and then shook, sealing their final agreement for good.

"So then, what say we-" Iluka continued, but promptly halted his words before glancing around suspiciously. "Do you hear that?" He asked aloud.

Judy felt her stomach drop. Focusing her gaze onto the mobile device clenched between her paws, the rabbit resisted the urge to gasp at the sight of Clawhauser's flabby face, his caller ID, filling up the screen of her phone. She recalled having powered off her phone's ability to ring from the call of another mammal, but had completely forgotten about the device's corresponding vibration. Judy had been so focused on the scene unraveling below that she hadn't even noticed her phone vibrating in her grip before it was too late.

In such a stressful moment, she only mustered five words;

"Oh, sweet cheese and crackers."

The rabbit hurriedly pressed the _Decline Call_ button, effectively causing the screen to return to normal and for the phone to stop shaking and buzzing, but the damage had been done. Down below, the bunny and the fox beside her watched with wide eyes as the group of marsupials looked around in search of the source of the sound, which must have been somewhat amplified due to the sheer size of the building's interior. Judy's pupils focused in on the tasmanian-devil crime lord, watching as he fondled around his pockets.

"Is that me?" Iluka muttered.

Judy caught her breath, momentarily thinking the danger to be subsided, that was, until, Lucy, undoubtedly due to her superior hearing, swiveled her head towards the catwalk.

"Up there!" She shouted aloud, causing the gang of thugs to all look directly at the two officers perching motionless above their heads.

Someone coughed, momentarily breaking the awkward silence.

"It's the fuzz!" One of the marsupials yelled out, their voice cracking with each word. " _Scram_!"

" _Run_!" Nick shouted to Judy, hastily pulling her to her feet and pushing her in the direction of the exit.

Utter chaos broke out, with many of the marsupials abandoning the stolen goods from the museum and running off into the depths of the warehouse, save for a few that pulled out real guns and began firing off in the direction of Nick and Judy as they ran away down the catwalk, their final destination being just about anywhere but where they were then. The rabbit herself heard a sharp pinging noise bounce off just below her foot; She didn't need to look to know that a small bullet had almost struck her. Meanwhile, Nick spared a brief glance to the behind of him. In that short moment, despite all of the chaos, he locked eyes directly with Ramic, whom was staring up at him with an expression of bewilderment and seeming disbelief. The kangaroo then parted his gaze from the fox before turning around and hopping away, off in the same direction that Iluka was going.

From down below, Nick and Judy both heard a chaotic conglomeration of sounds and noises filling the warehouse, ranging from shouting marsupials to ringing gunshots.

The bunny detected the tasmanian-devil crime lord shriek out in anger;

"Gah! This can't be happening!"

"Just get out of here, tazzy." Lucy's voice ordered to Iluka. "You need to survive if I'm ever going to get my favor from you. I'll take care of the coppers!"

That couldn't be good.

Continuing to sprint down the catwalk as fast as they could, Nick and Judy turned corner after corner, eventually getting out of sight from the marsupials and their firearms. They continued following the very same path that had led them to where they were, and after descending from the catwalk back down to the ground level of the building, were just about to make the turn that would provide a straight shot to the warehouse's exit, when a flash of darkness shot across the path, knocking over a small tower of crates and other objects, effectively blocking off the quickest path to the exit. Deducing that that vampire bat had been the culprit of the blockade, Nick grabbed Judy's paw and pulled her in the opposite direction.

"Where are we going? The exit's that way!" The rabbit exclaimed, gesturing towards the set of doors in the distance.

"Nuh-uh, that way will get us both killed! It'll put us back in the sight of those guns, and besides, it's blocked off! We need to find another way out, pronto!" Nick retorted.

Nodding in understanding and agreement, Judy followed Nick down a corridor that branched out from a corner of the building, all the while trying not to pay attention to the shadow that seemed to follow them around every corner that they reared. Soon enough, the hallway opened up into a large and spacious storage room, not nearly as big as the main building, but still piled high with oil drums, wooden crates, and other dusty materials. The room was darker and more run-down than their previous environment, though neither the rabbit nor the fox took the time to think it over for very long. Steeling their resolves, they rushed into the confinement in search of another exit to escape from.

Searching frantically for a few short minutes that felt like hours, they eventually concluded that their current location was a dead end. Cornered, Nick and Judy both turned around and stared down their pursuer, whom now calmly approached them on foot, waltzing one step closer at a time, all the while snickering softly from between her fangs.

"Well well, what have we here? Didn't expect to find you two all the way out here in the Deciduous-District, of all places!" She called out tauntingly.

The vampire bat snickered slightly before continuing aloud;

"Personally, I would've thought city-wide heroes like yourselves had better things to do than meter management."

"Familiar with us, then?" Judy grumbled, to which Lucy smiled deviously.

"Yeah, I know _all_ about you two, especially the fox. Vladdy's told me plenty." The bat claimed.

Nick's ears perked up upon detecting his opponent's last few words. Was it a long shot to believe that this female vampire bat was working alongside Nick's old enemy, Vladzotz? Just how many mammals were named Vlad, anyways? It could have been some sort of coincidence, but the fox couldn't stop himself from piecing together his coming few words.

"So you're in line with old flappy-bat, huh?" He interjected with a slight grin parting his lips. "Small world."

"Yep. We make a good team, him and I, though unfortunately, he couldn't be here..." Lucy mused. "Had business to take care of back down in the Nocturnal-District, you see."

"Good for him." Nick muttered.

Lucy sneered. "He'd probably want me to take you alive, fox, so that he could torture you himself, but _accidents happen_!" She growled before taking an offensive stance.

With bared fangs and outstretched wings, the vampire bat lunged forward towards Nick, her razor talons pointed at his chest. As fast as he could manage under such stress, the fox reached for the blue-colored tranquilizer gun pinned to his utility belt, swiftly detaching it before pointing it directly towards Lucy. Nick's emerald-colored eyes widened at the sight of his opponent now just mere inches away from him, one of her clawed hands already swinging towards him. The fox only had enough time to pull the trigger on his tranquilizer gun, however, the bat's palm had collided with the side of the weapon, knocking it to the side and causing the dart to shoot off and away into the unseen distance.

"Oh, come on!" Nick managed just as Lucy tore the gun from his paws, throwing it to the side before elbowing him in the jaw, causing him to gag aloud with discomfort.

Backing away and putting some distance between himself and the irate vampire bat, Nick detected Judy's voice yelling into her personal radio, finally calling for backup;

"Dispatch, this is officer Hopps! I've got a 11-99, currently under attack by armed and hostile mammals, requesting assistance immediately!"

The radio whirred back in a female voice clouted by fuzzy static sounds, of which Nick deduced to belong to the she-wolf that manned the receptions desk at Precinct Seven;

"Understood. I've got a patrol two and a half klicks away from your current location, heading your way now."

Just seconds after registering the rabbit's call of distress, Nick felt another sudden and sharp spike of pain emanate from his cheek, no doubt another jab from his vampiric opponent. Growling with clenched teeth, Nick stared down Lucy, watching as she backed away and hissed at him from a safe distance. Although Nick considered himself to be the street-smart brains of the ZPD duo consisting of himself and his wife, he had to admit that the fighting department was more so Judy's style than his own. Without his tranquilizer gun, he would be forced to fight hand to hand, and although he had some sufficient training of such back in his days at the academy, he wasn't liking those fangs.

Nick could only watch and hope not to get himself bitten as Lucy reared back and charged at him once again, sidestepping just a few mere feet away from a head on collision. Following her path with his gaze, the fox felt another hit land on the blind side of his torso, and by sheer chance, he managed to accidentally block another jab with his elbow.

"Aha!" He shouted out in pride and excitement, only to to be greeted by another sharp punch right to the jaw.

Thankfully, being decently smaller than him, Lucy's hits didn't hurt too bad, but they were very quick and disorienting, especially since it was quite clear that she was rather skilled in hand to hand combat, to an even greater extent than Nick himself. After getting slapped for another few seconds, the fox tripped on his own tail, falling to the ground.

Once his vision had cleared, he stared up at the vampire bat standing before him.

"Oh, yummy..." She mused, licking her lips hungrily, as if imagining the fox's neck pinned beneath her fangs. "I've never sampled fox blood before. You'll make a nice appetizer!"

Realizing that there wasn't enough time to pull out her tranquilizer gun and dart the vampire bat before she sank her teeth into her husband's neck, Judy ran forward as fast as she could, rapidly closing the distance between herself and Lucy until she collided with her body, throwing her off of Nick. Locked together, the two of them crashed into a massive nearby shelf piled high with wooden crates and other objects, causing the towering structure to wobble around unstably before leaning forward and beginning to fall. Gasping aloud in unison, Judy and Lucy both jumped away in an effort to save themselves from the falling shelf, and in that moment, the rabbit only had just enough time to hear her foxy partner shout out in surprise as the tower of crates came crashing down directly on top of him. Judy's stomach then dropped for the second time that afternoon.

"Nick!" She called out, and after a few seconds of unnerving silence, she heard him call out in a groggy voice from beneath the mound of wooden planks and other debris;

"I-I'm okay!"

The bunny sighed in relief, and was just about to try and help dig her husband out of the wreckage when something whacked her over the head, nearly causing her to lose her balance. Judy looked up and saw Lucy flying high above her, clearly having just kicked her in the back of the head. Reasoning that she would have to help Nick out later, Judy turned her full attention towards the vampire bat flying around in the air some twenty feet above her head. The rabbit whipped out her tranquilizer gun, aiming it at the fast moving blur of shadow and leather as it zipped across her line of sight, eventually darting behind a shelf piled high with boxes and other dusty objects, gone from her line of sight.

"I gotta say, you sure know how to keep a girl entertained, rabbit!" Judy heard Lucy's voice call out. "You're givin' me quite a workout here! I admit it, I'm having fun!"

"Come out and give up!" The bunny demanded, her voice echoing throughout the confines of the dark and musty old room.

"Gotta catch me first!" Lucy retorted.

Furrowing her brow in irritation, Judy slowly turned in a circle, eyeing the wreckage and other obstacles around her. She didn't see her opponent, but had no intentions on letting that bat toy with her. Clearing her throat, the rabbit officer paced forward and walked around the ruins of the shelves that Lucy had destroyed earlier. With her sensitive hearing, Judy heard a slew of clicking noises echoing around her, but she couldn't pinpoint their source. She raised her tranquilizer gun into the air, her arms at a ninety degree angle.

"How did you get into the ZPD's archive?" The rabbit asked, her large ears twitching in detection upon hearing the vampire bat laugh aloud in gleeful amusement.

"Magicians never reveal their secrets!" She taunted, her insufferably posh tone of voice echoing throughout the space of the room.

Due to the size and shape of the environment around her, Judy had some trouble pinpointing just exactly where Lucy's words were originating, even with her superior sense of hearing. At that, the bunny could have sworn that she heard a snickering noise behind her, and promptly whirled around, carelessly firing a single blue tranquilizer dart in the direction she heard the sound emanate from, though she was disappointed to see the dart plant itself into a wooden crate some few yards way, clearly having missed its target.

"Careful now, we wouldn't want you to waste too much ammo now, would we?" Lucy mused from somewhere out of sight, causing Judy to growl.

"You mentioned something about a fire..." The bunny started calmly, her words stern and commanding. "What happened at Precinct One?"

"Oh, you haven't heard? There was a little accident there! Must've been why that dunderhead earlier tried to call you in the first place."

Judy bit her lip, thinking back to the moment when her mobile device had surged to life with Clawhauser's caller ID, alerting the marsupial thugs and plunging her and Nick into this whole mess. At the time, she didn't think much of it, believing that perhaps her old friend had been calling her simply to chat over something trivial. Had he actually been trying to warn her of something more sinister than Gazelle's latest scandal? Maybe he really was trying to notify her that something bad had happened. She'd have to find out later.

"What did you do?" The bunny continued her interrogation.

"My job." Lucy responded flatly, causing the rabbit to clench her teeth together in frustration.

"You started a fire there, didn't you?" Judy yelled. "You broke into the ZPD archives and started a fire!"

"There you go, that's my little detective, putting the puzzle together one soot-stained piece at a time!"

Losing her temper, the bunny officer fired another tranquilizer dart in the direction of where she reasoned the vampire bat to be, but instead, watched as yet another perfectly good dart flew off and out of reach, sailing right between two tall stacks of wooden boxes. From the complete other side of the room, Judy heard Lucy giggle and state out loud;

"You're one trigger happy rabbit!"

"Shut up!" Judy shouted back.

Twisting around towards the behind of her, Judy slowly backed away a few paces, putting some distance between her and the mountain of crates. Somewhere behind the pile of wooden boards and broken boxes, the rabbit detected the faint coughing sound of her husband, though she was still unable to see him. So as to get a better line of sight on her stealthy enemy, and additionally to try and catch a look at Nick, whom was still incapacitated some few yards away, Judy sidestepped carefully, pressing her back against a shelf.

With an exhale of baited breath, she then lept forward and away from her position of cover, directly into a sizable clearing. Glancing around, the rabbit didn't see Nick nor Lucy, but soon heard a rustling sound similar to that of broken glass being crushed directly to her left, and she then turned towards it and pointed her tranquilizer gun in its direction.

In that brief moment, she saw a flash of blackness zip across her line of sight, causing speckles of what looked like broken glass to be scattered across the floor. After that, cold silence filled the room, save for the sound of Judy's own heart racing in her ears, and the occasional pained groan of her husband somewhere in the dark, unseen background.

Suddenly, Judy heard a sharp clicking sound from behind her, and she whirled around just in time to see her vampiric opponent slam into her with outstretched wings and raised claws, the two mammals momentarily flailing about in the air before falling to the ground with a hard grunt of discomfort. The bunny tried jamming the tranquilizer gun in her grasp towards the bat atop her, at last firing her third and final dart, though once again missing by a long shot, her amethyst-colored eyes watching with terror as the feathery dart whizzed past Lucy's shoulder, just barely grazing by before shooting off and into the distance, gone from sight and mind. Judy felt her heart skip a beat, in that very second.

Realizing that her empty tranquilizer gun still had a use to it, Judy arced her hand back and slapped the vampire bat across the face with the barrel of the mechanism. Lucy coughed in surprise, but quickly recovered, hissing in anger as she got a hold on the rabbit's gun and tried to pull it from her grasp. Despite being just a few inches shorter than Judy herself, Lucy was surprisingly strong, and nearly managed to rip the item from her grip, that was, before the rabbit quickly decided to psych out the vampire bat: She then released her hold on the tranquilizer gun, which Lucy clearly wasn't suspecting, since she reared back from the force of her own tug, nearly tossing herself off of her opponent.

And that was all that Judy needed.

Rearing back, the rabbit grunted as she pushed up with her powerful legs as hard as she could, effectively causing the vampire bat atop her to be sent flying through the air from the strength of her kick. Swiftly hauling herself to her feet, Judy took a defensive stance as she eyed Lucy flap down to her current ground level, snarling beneath her breath and tenderly rubbing her cheek with discomfort. She hissed, baring her fangs at the sight of the rabbit's fortified body position, all the while eyeing her up and down with hate.

"Got another one in ya?" Lucy growled lowly, pulling her palm away from her cheek and clenching her fists in anger.

Judy huffed audibly. "Depends. Start talking, you. Don't make me use force. Why were you working with those marsupials?" She questioned.

"That's none of your business, sweetie..." The vampire bat mumbled darkly. "Although... You _could_ beat it out of me."

Grumbling to herself in frustration, the bunny took a few steps forward, closing the distance between herself and Lucy. With a well aimed kick, she then struck out with her foot, however, her opponent was quick; Lucy twisted her body to the side, causing Judy's strike to slip right past her, before grabbing the bunny's exposed ankle with both her arms.

Pushing hard against the rabbit's legs, the female bat shoved an already off-balanced Judy over and back onto the ground. Realizing that she was at the disadvantage while on the low ground, the bunny tried standing up as fast as she could, but felt a blunt strike hit her in the stomach; A knee from Lucy, causing Judy to gag in pain and roll over onto her side. Before she could be kicked again, the rabbit officer swiftly lept to her feet, just in time to see her opponent come soaring towards her with outstretched, leathery wings.

Lucy's pointed black talons raked against Judy's camo-colored chestplate, doing relatively little damage, but startling the rabbit nonetheless. Hissing loudly, the bat then lunged straight forward and grabbed Judy's shoulders with her paws, while Judy in turn grabbed Lucy's exposed shoulders with her own paws. The two fighting mammals twisted around, each one locked in combat with the other. They both bore snarling expressions of anger and rage, spit flying as they hissed and growled in one another's faces. Their legs twisted around, tripping over and resuppoting their respective bodies in a dizzying cycle of momentary disequilibrium and sudden balance, that was, until they finally fell over once more, this time with Judy being the one on top. She pushed Lucy's upper body against the hard ground beneath her, and was just about to land a strike on her face.

Before she could manage, the slippery vampire bat squeezed out from her grasp, pushing her away and raising herself to her feet. Judy followed suit, and stared down her foe.

"Bring it on, skank!" The rabbit shouted, ready to do battle with the bat once more.

Growling with rage, the vampire bat seemed just moments away from another lunge, but promptly halted when a police siren pierced the air, silencing her snarls and causing her enraged expression to swiftly fade away, soon replaced by a devious smile that parted her lips and revealed her razor sharp fangs. Snickering to herself, she then spoke out;

"Sorry darling, I'd love to stay, but it looks like this little party of ours is about to get busted by some _real_ cops!" Lucy spat, aiming her last few words at Judy. "Ta-Ta for now!"

Cackling with glee, the vampire bat then lept up into the air and began flapping away towards a nearby open air-duct. Judy made a sudden break for Nick's tranquilizer gun, which was still lying on the ground a few dozen feet away, but by the time she had gotten to it and pointed the thing towards where she had last seen her opponent, the vampire bat had vanished. Judy just barely caught sight of Lucy's clawed feet as they disappeared within the open shaft of the out of reach air-duct. Farther down the metal shaft, Judy saw the corners of the compartment vibrating as the bat squeezed her way deeper into the depths of the warehouse's framework, eventually silencing for good, and leaving the area.

With her opponent out of the equation, Judy immediately turned her attention towards Nick, whom was still lying motionless to her right. Rushing up to him, she knelt by his side and smiled wide as he turned his head, coughing slightly as his emerald eyes met with Judy's very own. Grinning, the fox sat up, all the while voicing his thoughts aloud;

"Don't worry about me, Carrots. I just got the wind knocked out of me for a moment there, that's all. I'm okay, I promise."

"Oh, thank you, Nick..." Judy sighed heavily in relief, helping her mate up and onto his feet as she continued speaking fervently. "I was so worried back there!"

"Well, you know me, fluff-butt. I'm a tough cookie."

The rabbit nodded, smiling warmly.

"I'm glad to see that you're okay, but we need to meet up with the other officers right now. Besides, what that bat mentioned about the fire at Precinct One..."

Judy momentarily trailed off, clearly not wanting to imagine something so horrible. She then recomposed her sense of focus and stated out loud in a firm voice;

"We need to help, and we need to find out more about this! Let's get going!"

Nodding in agreement, the two tiny officers then bolted off towards the warehouse's exit, their heartbeats as fast and as high as their collective sense of hope.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Phew, now I had an absolute blast writing up this new chapter of ours, that's for sure! It's always fun putting our favorite duo in new and exciting situations that require their teamwork and coordination to succeed. I may have had fun writing this up, but I most certainly hope that all of you had fun reading it too! Definitely a good bit longer than the last chapter, eh? Regardless, I'd say it's a very welcome addition to the ever growing chapter count of this story of ours.**

 **That being said, as always, I thank you for taking the time to read over, and implore you to favorite and/or follow the story if you haven't already, as each and every single one is greatly appreciated, and only helps further my cause to continue this story of ours! Do feel free to leave a nice review detailing your thoughts as well! I always appreciate some positive feedback, and would adore knowing what you all think of this latest chapter of ours! What do you think about the knew information we've learned, the fight scene at the end, and the overall chapter as a whole? I'd love to know, and appreciate it all regardless.**

 **Yes, I would most especially love to know your thoughts on the fight scene with Lucy, at the end! I had a lot of fun writing it up, that's for sure.**

 **Anyhow, that's pretty much all that I have to say for now, really. Thanks for reading this latest update of ours, and do stay tuned for the next one, of course!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	79. Choices

**Hey Everyone!**

 **I apologize for the sudden author's note, but there's a quick topic I'd like to put on the table for consideration. You guessed it: A music suggestion. This particular music piece, I would say, most efficiently fits in with the second scene in this chapter; The flashback. You'll know it when you see it, I assure you. That being said, I'd also like to extend a thank you to those who have read this far and stuck with me through the whole story, high and low. Thank you.**

 **Here's the new music suggestion, for those who are interested: Nobody's Fine**

 **That's pretty much it for now. As always, I hope that you all enjoy this latest chapter of _When Instinct Falls_ , as always! :)**

 **Do enjoy...**

* * *

"Whatever the ramifications, the beginning and end are always there, and so the choice to choose your path." - Barry Unsworth

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"Everything we do has consequence, be it good or bad. Make your choices wisely." - Dennis Potter

* * *

1:03 P.M

Both Nick and Judy respectively were all too familiar with the sound of police sirens.

In the past, they've meant a multitude of things to them. To Nick, long before he met his current partner, he associated the blaring, mechanical wail of a police cruiser with that of restriction, refinement, and corruption. He knew that if he were ever caught, the officers, most of them being prey mammals, would have had some sort of bias against him, perhaps fueled by some subconscious fear or hate. Being a predator himself, Nick had been subjugated and abused by the system of society before, but by then, he was more than used to it. With nearly twenty years of street-smarts and other rather unorthodox experiences beneath his belt, the disgust and disdain that came with his own personal viewing of police officers was just another part of the title, just another thought in his mind, and just another part of his life, it seemed, simple as it may have been or appeared.

Nothing new, nothing foreign, and nothing less than what he already expected.

Judy herself, on the other hand, had always associated the sound of the siren with that of hope and determination. Ever since she was a young little kit, she had had dreams of becoming a real police officer. In a world that saw her as meek, weak, and hopeless, she dared to stand out against the beliefs of her society and strive to obtain what she truly desired. In the end, she had accomplished her goals, and proven to all of those whom had doubted her that she really did have what it took, but even more importantly, she had proven to herself that she really did have what it took. To her, that was all that she needed in life: Her own approval, her own beliefs, and her very own set of goals and intents.

With both mammals compared, it was clear that they both possessed very differing mindsets. When put together, however, their objectives aligned, and so did themselves; After meeting Judy for the first time, and becoming a police office himself, the very thing that he had grown up to despise, Nick Wilde begun to hear the sound of sirens in a different way. From there on out, he related them to change, will, discovery, and resolution, the source of the sounds being a deciding factor in the tide of battle, with the mere noise of a siren being able to unearth an entirely new outcome. To Judy Hopps, whom had always grown up an excessive optimist, she soon developed an association of sirens to that of an unknown aftermath. Such neutral outlooks were required for her, as she never knew what kinds of horrors would await her at the very source of the loud, blaring police sirens.

Over the years, there had been far too many times when the rabbit would arrive to the scene of a grisly crime, where the only thing drowning out the screams of those around her were the near deafening police sirens, constantly wailing and flashing with multicolored light, all the while reflecting an unnerving sense of despair and anticipation upon her.

Yet, despite that, she still considered herself and her work to be a beacon of hope. It was not her nor her associates that were responsible for all of the destruction that they had witnessed over the many long, hard years, but those that she battled against: Those that fought to falter and eliminate her desire to make the world a better place. Judy had encountered plenty of such mammals in the past before, but much like her beloved husband, she never let them get to her. Although she knew that sometimes, what lied right beneath a siren was not always a very pretty sight to see, she would do her job, her duty, with the utmost care and contentment, all simply to make the world a better place.

But now, as Nick and Judy exited the warehouse and came to sight with the conglomeration of police-issued vehicles and beige-clad forest officers, the one sound, above all else, that pierced through the air and grabbed their attention, was not that of the cruiser's blaring siren, but instead that of their own voices, calling out to their fellow police officers.

"Hey! Is everyone alright?" Judy yelled. "There's a bunch of marsupial thugs running around the complex!"

One of the officers, a female musk deer, raised her head and locked eyes with the rabbit running towards her, all the while calmly stating;

"Understood. We have a few mammals on it right now, chasing them down. The chance of catching a crime-lord is definitely an exciting concept. Oh, and also to answer your question, we're all fine, yes, but we're all that's here right now. Five cruisers with eight officers, plus you two, puts our total numbers at ten. Urzo's on his way right now, too."

Another of the officers, a male black bear, cleared his throat and pointed towards an approaching cruiser. "Better change that last sentence. He's here now." He muttered.

Glancing towards one another, Nick and Judy both nodded in unison, their mind's aligned, before making their way towards the cruiser, watching as the passenger door opened.

Approaching their grizzly bear superior, Chief Urzo, from the behind, they noticed the towering mammal turn around and spot them himself after the female white-tailed deer police officer that has been driving pointed towards Nick and Judy. The grizzly bear himself shooed off the deer officer before crossing his arms and looking down at Judy, saying;

"No more than twenty four hours on the case, and you've already disrupted a major criminal gathering. Reckless, perhaps, but I'm not undermining the effects of this."

"Just doing our jobs, sir." The rabbit replied swiftly. She couldn't tell whether Urzo was angry at them or not. "We're lucky that this happened in an enclosed area, though."

"Speaking of which, my officers say that shots were fired in that warehouse over there." He continued, gesturing towards the old, dilapidated building. "Is that claim true?"

Judy nodded her head once in acknowledgement. "Yes sir. The bad guys, these marsupials from Outback-Island working with Iluka Rombahe, had guns. _Real_ guns." She told him.

"You know, the bullet kind that usually results in someone-" Nick started, but trailed off when his wife cleared her throat loudly, and continued her own explanation;

"It's clear that the enemy, these marsupial thugs, are both armed and dangerous."

Chief Urzo stroked at his scruffy chin in thought.

"Weapons like that can only be purchased in restricted gun shops, or on the black market. Zootopia may have very low murder rates, real firearms being as hard to obtain as they are, but it's no surprise to me that mammals working directly beneath a crime-lord would have access to them. Bogo was right: You two really are effective at this stuff."

"Aw, did he really say that about us?" Nick teasingly swooned.

"Don't press your luck, Wilde. This incident may have been a close call, but the paperwork is going to be keeping me up all night, and I have you to thank for that."

"You're welcome, Chief." The fox stated with a salute, to which Urzo just sighed tediously.

"Is there anything else you wish to report here?" He asked flatly.

Judy momentarily thought back to the events that had unfolded in the warehouse, and one bit in particular stuck out to her.

"Sir, there was a nasty little vampire bat from the warehouse saying something about a fire at Precinct One..." Judy mentioned to her superior. "Have you heard about this?"

The grizzly bear's shaggy brown face went slack with a seeming sense of angst and despair. He soon found his words, and told both Nick and Judy everything that he knew;

"Yes. Just an hour ago, there was an act of arson there. Somehow, someone managed to sneak into the building, locate the archive there, and set fire to it. I've just recently spoken with Chief Bogo over the phone, and although he told me that no one was hurt in the incident, a considerable amount of damage had been done to the archive itself."

"That's horrible!" Judy exclaimed anxiously. "Thank goodness that no one was hurt, but... To think that they might have..."

She trailed off with a chilling shiver that caused her body to slightly shake. Concurrently, Chief Urzo continued his grim explanation;

"It is a blessing that there were no casualties or injuries. The mammals there managed to extinguish the fire before it had a chance to spread very far, but the damage had been done: Vast portions of the archive, years of work, have been destroyed. Most importantly, however, the ZPD's latest little treasure trove of evidence has been incinerated, too."

"What do you mean?" Judy questioned with curiosity, causing her grizzly superior to sigh out loud with a long and hearty exhale straight from his maw. He then stated calmly;

"Just the other week, the media mogul Grygorri Ratsputin was killed, and the ZPD acquired a lot of stuff from his home, apparently. Helpful stuff. He was a blackmailer, yes, and the officers there uncovered a massive stash of rather compromising extortion information, though a lot of it was lost in the fire from this afternoon. Some of it survived, though what little did is in bad condition. The officers at Precinct One should still be able to get _some_ use of what's left, though it's clear that a great opportunity for us all has been lost."

"Ugh, I knew it... As soon as I saw that bat with the sword, I knew something wasn't right." Nick grumbled, clearly upset over the loss of the archive that he had helped create.

"You two keep mentioning this supposed vampire bat." Urzo took note. "Who are you referring to?"

The lapin and vulpine both exchanged a thoughtful glance with one another before turning back to their superior. Nick stepped forward and told Urzo of their earlier endeavors;

"In the warehouse, the marsupials were doing business with a vampire bat named Lucy. She brought Iluka a sword, but not just any sword: Grygorri Ratsputin's sword. This proves that she was in the building during the time of the fire, and is likely the one that started it too. Heck, she even bragged herself about torching the place. We don't know why she took the sword in the first place, but I'd bet my tail that she burnt the archive because Ratsputin had something on her. With the evidence all gone, there's nothing to worry about for anyone that that nasty old rat ever had dirt on. They're in the clear. She spotted us as we were spying on her, though we did manage to get some recordings."

Nick took a brief moment to take a short inhalation before letting loose a slight chuckle to himself, thinking back on the crazy turn of events that had happened earlier.

"Also, Judy got in a fight with her, but she managed to escape the building before you guys arrived." Nick said. "You wouldn't have happened to have spotted her, would ya?"

Chief Urzo shook his large head from side to side. "I'm afraid not." He claimed broodingly, as if he were disappointed in himself.

"Alright, uh, did you catch anyone?"

Upon detecting this next question, however, Chief Urzo straightened himself out and spoke with more of a tinge of pride and determination in that deep voice of his.

"Of all the marsupial that took part in this event here, we only managed to apprehended a single one: A male, middle-aged platypus that my officers just recently found running around behind the complex where the firefight took place. They're bringing him here as we speak, and from there, we'll have him shipped off to Precinct Seven for interrogation."

"Great! One is better than none, amiright?" Nick quipped, raising his forearms.

"Right." The grizzly bear grumbled lowly. "Well, as for this supposed vampire bat of yours, I'll be sure to have my boys put out a search warrant for her as soon as we can."

Judy nodded. "Sounds like a good plan." She agreed. "We'll have to show you the recordings that we took sometime later. Right now, Nick and I need to go to Precinct One!"

"What? Oh no you're not!" Chief Urzo interjected. "You two aren't going back anywhere without my approval, and right now, Precinct Seven needs you here in the woodlands."

The rabbit faltered, and despite bearing an expression that suggested that she was preparing to talk back to her superior, she instead bit back her feelings and sighed longingly.

"Fine, we'll stay here, then." The bunny officer submitted quietly, to which the nearby grizzly bear nodded in agreement.

Although Nick and Judy both longed to return to their home at Precinct One in Savannah-Central, if only to check up on their friends and associates, including Clawhauser, Chief Bogo, and others, they knew that they could not. Despite the seriousness of the situation at hand, Chief Urzo himself would not allow them to leave yet, regardless of just how much they wanted to on the inside. It was a rather bitter pill to swallow, knowing that they could not help their old friends, especially for Judy, but in the end, she and her husband both knew that they were needed here in the Deciduous-District: Something seemingly sinister was on the horizon, and their talents were to be put to use to stop it.

"We have work to do, Nick." The rabbit claimed sternly. "Those marsupials are behind all this chaos, one way or another. We have to stop them before they do any more damage!"

Judy then stepped forward toward the direction of she and her husband's assigned police cruiser, but was promptly halted when Chief Urzo placed one of his paws in front of her.

"Before you two continue with your investigation, I have a request: I want you both to assist in the interrogation of the suspect that we detained earlier." The bear told them.

From there, Urzo then gestured off in a direction directly behind the two smaller officers, whom turned around and followed his instructions.

Glancing over to where the grizzly bear pointed, Nick and Judy both took in the sight of a timber wolf police officer leading a handcuffed platypus towards a nearby cruiser. The fox recognized the marsupial as being the same one from back in the warehouse, what with the ratty leather jacket and scarred face, looking quite intimidating despite his small size. Judy herself noticed that the platypus's legs were also cuffed close together, restricting the creature's movement and forcing it to shuffle to be able to move. It didn't really surprise her, as she was well aware that all male platypuses had venomous barbs jutting out from their hind legs, and so the cuffs were a necessity when dealing with them.

"Sir, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court." The timber wolf stated officially, though the platypus just hissed and spat;

"You want me tah cut ya?" The platypus growled in that ridiculous cockney accent of his. "Cuz I'll cut ya this way an' that, you'll look like a waffle!" He snarled, kicking at the air.

The wolfish officer frowned in disapproval. "Tell it to the judge, buddy." He retorted flatly before pushing the platypus into the back of his cruiser and slamming the door shut.

"See what I mean?" Urzo muttered wearily, jabbing a thumb towards the scene behind him. "Precinct Seven needs some real headstrong cops like you to get _that_ guy to crack."

"Hold up now, did you just _compliment_ us?" Nick found himself asking to his superior, his russet eyebrows raised and his mouth grinning in a cocky sort of facial expression.

"Don't get used to it, Wilde." The grizzly bear grumbled broodingly, straightening himself out and rising to his full height.

Nick turned to Judy and elbowed her shoulder. "I'm pretty sure he just complimented us." He told her.

"Quit it, you, you're just pushing our luck." The rabbit replied chidingly, though not without a slight grin edging at the corners of her lips.

"Well, we did kinda-" Nick began, but was promptly cut off when the nearby grizzly bear interrupted him mid sentence with his own statement.

"Okay, okay, enough of that, now." Chief Urzo demanded, though in a calm and almost fatherly tone of voice. "Anything else you have to say?"

"More serious question now, sir..." The fox started with a single finger raised in inquiry. "Why do you want us to interview that guy, exactly? We have some other work to do."

Chief Urzo nodded his head in understanding, though quickly recomposed himself before explaining;

"Since you two were the ones that witnessed the incident in the first place, I think it would be best if you were to take part in the interrogation." He claimed.

"Guess that makes sense." Judy murmured to herself before throwing up a precise and respectful salute to her larger superior. "We won't disappoint you, sir!"

"I would hope not. You both are dismissed, officers. Just be sure to report back to the station before you continue with your investigation, since we'll be needing your help. From there, you will give a report to me about the happenings that you witnessed with the marsupials in that little excursion of yours. After that, I will be done with you for the day."

"You got it, boss bear." The vulpine claimed, shooting a pair of double finger guns towards Urzo, whom simply blew a stream of air out through his thick nostrils.

Tipping his wide-brimmed deputy hat in a sign of farewell, Chief Urzo then folded his paws behind his muscular back and lumbered off towards the warehouse, no doubt intent on continuing with the clean-up and analyzation of the scene of the crime at the warehouse. Once he was far out of sight, Nick turned to Judy and promptly looked her in the eyes.

"So, that was fun." He claimed cheerily, placing his paws on his utility belt, all the while smiling wide at his wife. "Think we should stop and get some gas before we go to work?"

"Good idea, Slick. The cruiser probably needs some more juice in it after today's run-abouts. We can also call back Clawhauser on the way there. Let's go!"

With the concept of acquiring more gasoline for their vehicle fresh on his mind, Nick thought back to what that vampire bat had mentioned about a fire back in the warehouse.

"How do you think she did it?" He found himself asking his mate.

"Who did what now?" Judy rebutted, clearly confused.

"That vampire bat, Lucy." Nick clarified calmly. "How do you think she managed to get into the archive at Precinct One?"

"I have no idea. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough, though."

At that, the two tiny officers made way to their police cruiser, intent on putting together the next few pieces of the puzzle that was their adventure in the Deciduous-District.

* * *

 _1 Hour Earlier; Precinct One, Savannah-Central..._

Another day's work, as it were.

Being a considerably seasoned sneak, Lucy Sang considered her current assignment to be just another walk in the park for her. All that she had to do was sneak into the air-ducts of the very building whose roof she was standing upon, and destroy the archive within, though not before snatching that rat's sword for her patron, of course, whom was expecting her to pull off the minor heist without damaging the package in question. Compared to some other jobs from her past, this particular outing seemed surprisingly simple.

However, there was still something that was slightly itching at her. She reasoned it to be the fact that the setting of her mission was none other than the very head-quarters of the Zootopia Police Department, Precinct One, located directly in the heart of Savannah-Central. The place would be crawling with police officers both day and night, so in the far end, it mattered not when she initiated her personal operation; She would have just as much chance of getting caught in the afternoon as she would have in the dead of night.

The risk of getting discovered and caught red-handed during her undertaking was high, yet still she was excited: She loved it when a degree of danger was involved with her work.

But there was no more time to waste. Steeling her nerves for the mission ahead of her, the vampire bat lept forward and plunged into the air filter opening that jutted out from the very top of the building's roof, and descended into the chilling darkness. The first thing that she noticed was the sudden change in temperature: Compared to the sweltering sun of the savanna beaming down upon her from the outside, the interior of the air-ducts was an understandably cooler location. The second thing that the bat noticed was the cramped space of the metal ducts; A tight fit at first, but quickly spacing out into a surprisingly roomy network of shiny shafts. Aside from those factors, there was little to sense.

Lucy had no idea where she was going, but fortunately had a secret little ability thanks to her species's long history of living in dark, cramped spaces such as this: Echolocation.

Pressing her tongue against the back of her gullet, she then swiftly thrusted it forward against the roof of her mouth, opening her fanged jaws slightly while doing so, effectively creating a sharp and sudden clicking noise that traveled throughout the maze of metal before her. Crawling forward a few more feet, she repeated the action once again, the increased range giving her a better idea of the path that she had to take to reach the archive. In her mind's eye, she was able to formulate a mental picture of her destination.

She smiled, and knew exactly where she needed to go.

Breathing out so as to prepare herself for the endeavor ahead of her, Lucy then began to squirm her way forward, the depths of the air ducts enveloping her in even more black shadows as she strayed away farther and farther from the entrance, the streams of luminous yellow light emanating from the behind of her gradually fading away until none remained, save for the occasional grated opening that she came across on her journey into the very heart of the building, where pools of artificial light poured through with ease.

With her, she carried a few small incendiary grenades strapped to her back, but she knew that those alone simply would not be enough to destroy the whole archive. First, she would need to dismantle the sprinkler system within the archive room, so as to prevent any bursts of concentrated water from dousing her arson attempt. From there, she then intended on using the matches and tiny gasoline canister that she had brought with her to ignite a small starting fire before finally letting loose and detonating her incendiaries.

Continuing to click her tongue against her jaws so as to prevent herself from forgetting where she was headed, the female vampire bat eventually managed to come across what she deemed to be the exit from the air ducts that would put her as close as possible to her final destination. Using her echolocation, she reasoned that the room below her was filled with rows upon rows of shelves and other means of containment; The perfect place to store vast amounts of compromising knowledge and other bits of secret intelligence.

The only thing that kept her from barging right in was the lone guard standing near the entrance.

From her hiding place in the duct above, Lucy could see through the tiny bars in the grated opening and make out the appearance of her mammalian obstacle; A hippopotamus police officer, she deduced him to be. Being as large as he was, the vampire bat figured that there would be no possible way for her to fight her way past him, not in a million years. Instead, she knew that she would have to rely on some other method to be able to get through and into the archive. Weighing her options, she considered the concept of searching for another entrance into the archive, perhaps through some sort of air-duct, but judging from what she had made out earlier with her echolocation, this was the only viable one. To get inside, Lucy needed some sort of distraction... Something that would temporarily remove that pesky guard so that she would be able to access the archive...

But what?

Pursing her lips in thought, the vampire bat ultimately decided that she'd simply have to wait the hippo out. It was practically lunchtime, and if this particular hippo had as big of an appetite as virtually every other one, then he would likely go off to find something to eat sooner rather than later. After a few more minutes of patient waiting, Lucy smiled at the sight of the guard exiting the vicinity and lumbering away, undoubtedly for lunch. With the guard finally gone, it was at last time for Lucy to act the next phase of her plan.

Dismantling the grated opening with haste, Lucy promptly dropped down into the room below her, and took in the sight of the towering bookshelves filled with boxes, evidence, and other supplies. It was definitely not a place meant for smaller mammals like her. Given its sheer size, it would be difficult to burn down entirely, but there was one factor that Lucy was relying on in her favor: Paper, and lots of it. She knew that paper burned incredibly easily, and in an office-like environment such as this, there was tons of it.

Snickering slightly beneath her breath, the vampire bat flapped around and began to tear chunks of paper from the many folders and piles of material around her, throwing bits of the stuff in the air, and sprinkling it along the ground and shelves. She planted both individual sheets and piles of paper in strategic locations, allowing for maximum amounts of burning potential. Five minutes had passed since she had first entered the archive, and she had a bad feeling in her gut that the guard would be coming back sooner or later.

Hastily finishing with the paper, Lucy then lept into the air and flew towards the roof high above her, where she began to bite and claw at the sprinkler heads implanted into the ceiling, intent on tampering with them just enough so that their destruction wasn't noticed, at first, but also still didn't function properly. She bent them, broke them, and even stuffed tiny bits of cloth into them. Whatever it took to minimize the amount of water that would flood into the room the second that those pesky fire alarms went off.

Once the sprinklers were all dealt with as best she could, the bat then used the tiny vile of gasoline that she had brought with her; Pouring doses of it upon strategic locations that would allow the imminent fire of hers to burn more efficiently. From there, she begun to search for her secondary objective: The sword of Grygorri Ratsputin, of which she had been personally instructed to retrieve by the tasmanian devil crime-lord of Outback-Island, Iluka Rombahe. She didn't care for him, nor did she know why he wanted the blade for himself, but she didn't question it. Her job was to get the sword, burn the archive, and get out. That was all she needed to know, and that all she hoped to do.

Eventually, after another two minutes of digging around throughout the depths of the archive, she came across a pole-like object stuffed in the corner of the room, of which she deduced to be some sort of cane. With her time limit as stretched as it already was, Lucy knew that any more rummaging around would be a waste, so she then grabbed the item in her clawed feet before flapping up to the still-open air-duct, where she perched before unstrapping the grenades from the belt around her, and pulling out the matches.

Igniting the tiny match sticks before tossing them to the ground far below her, Lucy then pulled all of the pins on all of the incendiaries at once before dropping them and quickly scampering back into the safety of the air-duct. Below her, she heard the tiny grenades plop onto the ground with a slight thud, having entered the room successfully.

The vampire bat stuffed her fingers into her ear canals. "Fire in the hole." She whispered darkly to herself, smiling all the while.

In a loud flash of heat and noise, the room bellow her rattled from the force of the explosion. She began to feel the air-duct that she was hiding in heat up, and that's when she realized that she couldn't stay here: She had to flee, and make her escape. Using her echolocation abilities once more, she clicked her tongue again and again, gradually leading down the path that she came before finally reaching the ventilation filter protruding from the roof of the building. Gasping aloud, she immediately took to the air.

Quickly flapping to a higher altitude so as to distance herself from the building, Lucy's sensitive ears detected the blaring noise of the fire alarms below her. She smiled to herself, recognizing a job well done. Now, all that was left to do was to take the old cane-sword back to Iluka. However, having realized the fact that the ZPD's collection of compromising evidence against the various crime-lords of the city had at last been destroyed (Or most of it, at the very least, she hoped), Lucy figured that it wouldn't hurt to make a quick lil' phone call before continuing her endeavor. After flapping around for another few minutes, she eventually found refuge inside a grimy highway billboard, the dark space providing a decent place to rest and to hide from the authorities while she made her brief little call. The back of the billboard smelled like rusted metal and rot.

It wasn't the most conventional of places to take a break, but it would just have to do.

Setting down the cane, she unzipped her bodysuit and reached inside, fondling around her chest for a moment before pulling out her mobile device. Scrolling through her list of personal contacts, she eventually came upon a single mammal that she had dubbed as 'Vladdy-Daddy' in the corresponding contact profile, along with a few little emoticon heart shapes next to the name. Lucy smiled, biting her lower lip as she promptly selected the aforementioned contact and brought the mobile device up to one of her large ears.

The flat, buzzing tone of the device continued for a few short seconds before stopping, and being promptly replaced by a voice that she knew all to well, by now.

"Hello?" The voice of Lucy's fellow vampire bat associate, Vladzotz Fangpyre, questioned with a curious tone. "Is that you, Lucy?"

Lucy smiled to herself. "Yes, it's me, Vladdy. Hi!" She started. "I just wanted to quickly call you to let ya know that the job is done. I did it!"

"You destroyed the archive? Excellent work, my dear! I simply cannot thank you enough for your courage."

"I can think of a few ways you can, honestly." The female claimed in a sultry voice. "But we'll save that for later... I need to get this cane-shank to your tazzy friend, pronto."

From the other side of the line, Lucy detected Vladzotz make a deep and resonating _hmm_ sort of sound beneath his breath. He soon found his words and spoke out;

"Understood. I wish you only the very best of luck, my dear. Stay safe out there."

"You're such a worrywart sometimes, Vladdy." Lucy stated. "I'll be fine, I promise. I'll see you back at the safehouse, hon."

At that, the female vampire bat leaned into the phone and made a quick clicking sound with her lips, imitating the sound of a brief kiss, before promptly ending the call.

"Hmm... Guess I'd better call the tazzy now, too." She then muttered to herself, thinking it best to alert Iluka Rombahe of her successful mission before she tried to find him.

From there, she glided through her contact list once again, soon coming across another contact labeled as 'Anger Issues'. She selected it, and brought the phone to her ears.

Almost instantly, the tasmanian devil picked up. "You'd better have good news for me, bat!" He roared from his side of the line.

Lucy's large ears pulled back from the phone due to the sheer volume and force of the devil's cries. Rolling her emerald-colored eyes, she hissed back to him;

"Don't get your pouch in a wad, tazzy. The job's done, and I got you your cane-shank, too. I'm heading out to the rendezvous point right now, as we speak."

* * *

2:10 P.M, _Present time; Precinct Seven, Deciduous-District_...

No time to waste.

Exhaling in preparation, the bunny turned the handle on the door before pushing against it, opening the interior of the space to their bodies, of which promptly set foot within before closing the door behind them. Eyeing over the room, neither of the two tiny officers were expecting to see very much, for interrogation rooms like this one were almost always devoid of anything more than a bare metal table and a few simple chairs on each side of it. Sure enough, at the table, sitting down with his ankles cuffed to the legs of the chair and his wrists tied together in restriction as well, the platypus that had been caught by the Precinct Seven officers earlier that day, was patiently awaiting his inquiry.

Sparing a quick glance over the peculiar-looking marsupial's position, Judy stepped forward and approached the table without hesitation. As she did, she recalled facts about the suspect's identity and criminal record, of which had been supplied to her earlier by the officers that were managing the interrogation and everything surrounding it as well. The rabbit dubbed the platypus as Oliver Orthin, a citizen of Outback-Island whom was associated with the criminal syndicate there that was run by the crime-lord Iluka Rombahe.

"Hello, Mister Orthin." She started calmly. "We're just going to ask you a few questions, alright?"

"Aye then, ya best get to it, ya bloody lil' tossers. I've already been sittin' sound 'ere long enough." The platypus grumbled thickly.

"Is it okay if we call you Oliver?" Nick asked in an almost teasing tone of voice. "That is your first name, isn't it?"

"Don't you call me that, fox!"

"Okay then, Oliver..." The fox began nonchalantly, purposefully emphasizing the platypus's true name. "First question: What exactly was going on back there in the compound?"

The platypus snarled a watery grumble. "Jus' personal business there, lad. Nothin' ya blue heelers should be worryin' 'bout." He claimed, his thick accent slurring out loud.

"Personal business?" Judy interjected, her attention having been snagged by that particular word.

"Aye. Iluka's on anotha' one o' his barmy lil' treasure hunts. This time, he's after somethin' a bit different than the usual marsupial rubbish ova' on Outback-Island."

"And just what is he after, exactly?" Nick questioned with raised russet eyebrows.

"New odds and ends." Oliver mumbled flatly, as if the answer was obvious. "Thas' all I'm sayin', foxy."

"If that's all that your gonna say, then why bother telling us in the first place?" Judy found herself asking.

The platypus turned towards the rabbit with a smile on his face. "Because thas' stuff ya already know, sheila. Ain't it obvious? I'm just 'ere for the laughs." He claimed.

Oliver began to chuckle watery-sounding snickers beneath his breath. Furrowing his brow, Nick stepped forward and grabbed Judy's arm, pulling her away and into the nearby corner of the room, farther away from the giggling platypus. Once settled in a secure position, he released his hold on the bunny's forearm before turning towards her dutifully.

"Carrots, we aren't gonna get anything out of him like this. I used to work with mammals like this bozo, and if there's one thing I learned from any of 'em, it's that they don't listen to reason, and they don't give in to anyone. This guy is just a run-down thug trying to act tough, and we all know it, even him. But that persona makes him hard to crack, and if we want to walk out of this room with something other than a stress migraine, I suggest we change tactics. I'll start off with some personal questions, you follow my lead."

Nodding in agreement, Judy paced away from her husband and towards the other side of the table. She noticed that Oliver was still giggling in his seat like a seeming maniac, though now that Nick had pointed it out, she saw through his facade with ease: He really was scared, and was truly doing all that he could to keep himself from showing his fear.

Alongside the cuts on his face and missing patches of fur, the platypus's bill seemed to be slightly cracked around the edges, Nick took note of. Given the irate mammal's rather tough-guy sort of attitude, the fox reasoned that those wounds must've been the marks of old tussles and brawls. He decided to use this deduction to his advantage, hoping that if he got Oliver to talk a little bit about himself, that he could then loop around back to the original topic at hand, and maybe get the platypus to let slip on something important.

"Say there, what happened to your bill?" The fox asked, gesturing to Oliver's fractured mandible.

The platypus sneered, growling lowly to himself before spitting to the side and glaring at Nick with hate.

"I got in a fight with a big, stupid wolf." Oliver hissed. "He lost."

Nick snorted a slight chuckle through his nostrils before leaning over on to the metal table and musing aloud;

"Tough guy, huh? I can respect that, though your type is usually the kind that ends up cracking the quickest, believe it or not... Always so predictable and short-minded..."

The fox's grin grew even wider with amusement. He continued his scornful statement;

"You, on the other hand, are being exceptionally stubborn."

"I'll cut ya, foxy!" Oliver threatened angrily.

"Enough of that!" Judy suddenly demanded with a stern, startling voice, clearing having lost her patience with the platypus's uncooperative demeanor. "No more games!"

Stepping forward and slamming both of her paws onto the metal table before her, she then leaned threateningly towards Oliver with narrowed eyes and bared buck-teeth.

"Listen here, you little ruffian, because I'm only going to say this _once_ , you understand me? Just two days ago, there was a robbery and a _murder_ at a historical museum here, and we know that you and your little pouch-pack friends are the ones behind it! We have recordings of you mentioning the crime at the warehouse on us right now, and we are not afraid to bring them up in a courthouse if we have to, so I suggest that you drop the bad attitude, bite back your childish insults, and tell us what we need to know already!"

As Judy concluded her final few words, a sudden silence filled the room, as if her last breath had sucked all of the oxygen right from it. Breaking the moment of quietude, the platypus seated at the table broke out in a wheezing string of laughter that left him pounding his balled fists on the metal table in seeming hysteria and amusement. This went on for a few more seconds before he leaned back in his seat, and with a wheezing grunt, glanced towards the rabbit with a look of what almost looked like pity across his muzzle.

"Is all that supposed to scare me?" He muttered in question. " _Please_. I've done time before, rabbit. And speaking of time, you're wastin' yours. Go chase a carrot, or something."

The bunny's mouth dropped in disbelief, and her facial expression quickly contorted into that of frustration and anger. She seemed just about to pipe out in rebuttal, but instead chose to silence herself and back away from the table before turning around and exiting the room, slamming the metal-coated door behind her as she left the immediate vicinity.

 _Come on, Whiskers... You're stronger than that. I guess it's just a bad day for her. I'll need to do something about that later on. This bloke's a waste, anyways_... Nick thought.

Sparing a final glance at the platypus cuffed to the table in the center of the room, the fox then turned tail and followed his mate outside, closing the door shut behind him much more carefully than how the rabbit had just moments before. Staring down the hallway before him, he quickly caught sight of Judy leaning against a nearby wall with her arms crossed against her chest, and one of her feet thumping rapidly against the carpet floor beneath their toes. Nick figured that she must've been pretty mad, given her looks.

"Hey, you alright there, fluff-butt?" He asked her calmly, his paws stuffed subtly in his pockets. Judy sighed aloud before responding.

"I just don't want to deal with mammals that don't want to cooperate. That platypus is right: We were just wasting our time. Urzo and the others can take over from now on."

"That's a good philosophy to have, it really is. But sometimes, it's worth keeping in mind that rolling up your sleeves and charging in head first is another workable alternative."

At the fox's comment, the bunny smiled slightly, and the former felt his heart flutter, knowing that he had managed to calm her down at least somewhat, for the moment.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I went in there thinking we would get the whole picture lickety-split, like we did with Shahaz all those months ago. Not so clear-cut now, is it?"

She sighed once more, taking a momentary pause to catch her breath before continuing her previous statement;

"I think I'm just done for today, though. After walking around Beaverdam for six hours and getting in a firefight all in the same afternoon, well-"

"Least they could do is cut us some slack, eh?" Nick finished his partner's sentence, his own grin widening by the second. "Before we go, we gotta stop by Urzo's first, remember?"

"Uh-huh, I remember. I may be a dumb-bunny sometimes, but I'm not _that_ forgetful."

"I'd argue against that, considering the fact that you forgot your own birthday this year."

"I was under a lot of stress then, okay?" Judy retorted. "It was the least of my concerns, at the time."

"Whatever you say."

Judy smiled wide.

"Alright, Slick, let's go and check in with Chief Urzo, shall we?" The rabbit started with perked ears and eyes shining with anticipation. "We still have more work to do here."

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Man, this was a fun chapter! Despite the sudden revelation on the fire at Precinct One, I admit that I had a considerable amount of enjoyment writing this particular chapter up for you lot, what with the new scenes, new dialogue, and new characters, although I reckon we won't be seeing that platypus again, eh? Regardless, I thank you all for reading this chapter, and implore you to leave a nice review detailing your thoughts on it! I do love me my reviews, of course. Alongside that, if you haven't already, do feel free to favorite and/or follow this story, as each and every single one is very, very highly appreciated.**

 **Next announcement: On my Tumblr and Deviantart accounts, you can find some new fan-art to take a gander at, if you so choose. Just lettin' ya'll know.**

 **Anyhow, that's pretty much all that I got to say for now. As always, thanks for reading this latest update of ours, and do stay tuned for the next one! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	80. Like Moths To A Flame

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Another super quick author's note, that I'm certain that you lot can guess what it's for: That's right, another music suggestion! I just love these. :)**

 **This time around, my music suggestion would pair best with the very final scene at the end of this chapter. You'll know it when you see it, I'm sure.**

 **And at that, I present it to you here: Deep Castle (Inside Bowser)**

 **Feel free to check it out, if you'd like to. Anyways, all that being said, without any further ado, let's jump right into this new chapter, shall we?**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"Bee to the blossom, moth to a flame; Each to his passion, each to his game." - Helen Hunt Jackson

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal." - Earl Nightingale

* * *

2:47 P.M

Like moths to a flame, neither Nick and Judy respectively could resist the temptation of progress.

It was in their blood, it seemed. Having worked together as partners on the police force for nearly half a decade, at this point in time, their chemistry had only grown stronger, it seemed, and with it, their desire to take whatever life through at them one step at a time, however difficult it may have appeared on the surface. Work and all of its qualities, despite how infuriating and even dangerous it may have been at certain times, there was nothing that the two tiny officers could have asked for more than their stable passion.

Mundane activities aside, they were both truly destined for the thrill of the hunt, and the pleasure of progress.

Even now, as the two of them headed towards the office of their temporary superior, Chief Urzo, a place that they had already been summoned to many times before in the past, and usually under somewhat unsavory circumstances, they were both determined to carry out the job that they had been assigned, and the desire to finish what they had started, for better or worse. However, as they finally reared around the corner to where the grizzly bear's comparatively massive office was located, they were admittedly a bit surprised to find it completely vacant of any recent activity. Still resolute on what had to be done, they promptly made their way to the receptionist at the front of the building.

"Hey, do you know where Chief Urzo is? We were supposed to meet him in his office, but he's not there. Any idea where he went?" Judy politely questioned.

"I believe I saw him walking towards the break room a few minutes earlier. Try there!" The she-wolf suggested.

"Alright, sure thing." Judy exclaimed in gratitude. "Thank you!"

Bidding their goodbyes to the receptionist, the two officers then made their way towards the Precinct Seven break room, which was tucked away in one of the hidden reaches of the building, located down a lengthy hallway adorned with green wallpaper and the fresh scent of pine lingering in the air around them. Eventually, having promptly reached the aforementioned break room, Nick and Judy entered in through the wooden door, though it took the two of them and all their grit working together to push it open all of the way.

Once inside, they closed the comparatively heavy door behind them and took in the sight of Precinct Seven's break room.

It was a humble section of the building, clearly not intended to be seen by the public. The wallpaper was peeling, and the padded seats were old and wrinkled with age. In the far corner of the room, another she-wolf officer was dozing away with her head resting on her folded arms, soft snores filling the otherwise quiet interior of the room. A bit closer by, however, Nick and Judy came to the sight of Chief Urzo himself lounging in one of the larger-sized chairs, a box of assorted donuts placed on the table directly in front of him.

"Ah, good to see you, officers." Urzo called out in a welcoming tone of voice. "Sorry if you were expecting me to be in my office, but, well, I thought I deserved a bit of a break."

Judy smiled. "You and us both." She muttered, to which her grizzly superior nodded his head before taking another sip from his coffee mug. He swallowed and then stated;

"Yes, I just recently received word that the interrogation didn't go so well."

Judy visibly cringed. "So you heard about that?" She asked.

"You two have had a long day, so I'll give you the benefit of passing the slack to another pair of officers more willing to see the job through to the end. Though I can't say I'm very pleased with myself to be letting you two off on this, I suppose it's my fault to begin with; Trying to force you two to do work that you weren't properly prepared for. No matter. My officers will take care of that platypus while the three of us discuss the intelligence gathered from that little set-to scrimmage of yours at the warehouse in Beaverdam."

"We'll be discussing confidential information... In the break room?" Judy questioned with confusion, her nose twitching slightly all the while.

"Don't see why not. We have donuts here!" The bear claimed with a smug sort of grin. He picked up the box of pastries before leaning down and offering them to his subordinates.

"Help yourselves." He said.

"Ooo, gladly!" Nick reached out, but hesitated just before touching it. "Wait, is this one a bear claw, here? Ha! I get it! A grizzly bear giving me a bear claw! Clever one, chief."

"Just take the pastry, Wilde." Urzo grumbled flatly.

The fox simply smiled wide. "Sir yes sir." He quipped as he took hold of the cinnamon-caked bear claw before chomping down on it.

"In all seriousness, chief, would it not be better to discuss this somewhere a bit more private?" The rabbit officer asked, wringing her paws together with uncertainty.

"Somewhere more private? We're the only ones here, officer Hopps." Urzo retorted before taking a bite from his donut. "Well, aside from officer Lupa over there."

At that, the grizzly bear then pointed towards the wolf in the far corner of the room, whom was still sleeping soundly with her head resting upon one of the break room tables.

"But I don't think she'll be of any concern to us." He finalized with a wink.

"Well, you know what they say: Let sleeping dogs lie." Nick added, to which Urzo nodded, clearly unimpressed at the fox's attempt at a joke.

"Right." The bear mumbled unenthusiastically. "Confidential information or not, everyone in Precinct Seven has heard of what happened on over in Beaverdam, by now."

"You think so?" Judy interjected.

"With certainty. That shootout was probably the most exciting thing to happen 'round these parts since last springtime! You two are a real beacon of motivation for the others."

"The other officers really think that highly of us?"

Urzo nodded once again. "I'd be surprised if they didn't." He spoke without hesitation. "You're among the ZPD's best officers, and your work here has been very helpful for us."

Immediately detecting the praise behind Urzo's words, Nick himself then took to making yet another one of his favored sardonic comments;

"It's funny, thinking that we originally came here with intentions to put tickets on parked cars, yet now we're at the forefront of one of the Deciduous-District's most-"

Judy promptly cut the fox of with a slight elbow to the sternum, causing him to cough out a few small flakes of glaze from the pastry that he had been munching on.

"What my partner _means_ to say..." The rabbit started. "Is that we're both _very_ grateful for the opportunity, sir."

"Good." Urzo grunted. "I wouldn't want such fine officers to be weighed down with meaningless doubts. Now, to business... Tell me about what happened at the warehouse."

"Uh, the whole thing, or specific details?" Nick asked for clarification.

"Specific details, I suppose. I already know what happened, but since you two witnessed such a high-profile criminal gathering, I wanted to ask you personally if you happened to see or hear anything in particular from Iluka or his associates that stuck out to you. Anything important, that may be of assistance to Precinct Seven and the investigation here."

Judy pursed her lips. "We have a recording, which we can show you, but not much happened. Well, they _did_ mention something about a tomb, whatever _that's_ supposed to be."

In that moment, the grizzly bear, furrowed his brow and begun tapping his large black claws against the hard table surface. His eyes were narrowed in seeming thought.

"A tomb, you say? Hmm... I think I may know what they're looking for, now." He claimed slowly and steadily. "Give me a second."

From there, Chief Urzo then slipped one of his large, clawed paws into the pocket on his chest, fondling around a bit before pulling out his mobile device. He powered it on before searching and typing for a brief amount of time and eventually turning the phone around to show the screen to Nick and Judy, both of whom were still patiently waiting on him.

The grizzly bear pointed towards the screen. "Look at this." He muttered to them. "Tell me what you see."

Eyeing over the device as ordered, the two tiny officers came to the sight of a picture, no doubt pulled from Zoogle Images, of which displayed what appeared to be an old piece of fabric cloth. On it, a large, deer-like mammal with huge horns sprouting from its head was shown brandishing what seemed to be some sort of sword. The mammal was adorned with pieces of shining armor, and around its body, peculiar patterns of lines, shapes, and circles encompassed the deer in a maze-like patchwork of ancient cloth artwork.

Judging by the overall look and design of the piece of art, Nick and Judy both reasoned that it must've been some sort of tapestry from the Elktic civilization, an old and nearly forgotten group of elks and other deer-like mammals that had once resided over what now stood as the Deciduous-District.

The Elktics were from a time before the city had erected its towering and gleaming skyscrapers, and even before the first true settlement of Savannah-Central had sprung up around the watering hole in the days of old. It was a time when fear ruled the world and all mammals within it, and uncertainty dominated the minds who sought knowledge about the world around them. Science was underdeveloped, and many mammal species were still succumbed to the desire to walk on four legs and devour one another. Yet despite the dark times of those dark ages, the Elktic civilization had taken root in the woodlands, developed into one of the first complex cultural societies, and vanished, leaving nothing but ruins, relics, and old stories. Staring over the piece of artwork shown on the grizzly bear's phone, the fox simply couldn't resist the urge to let loose a snide remark.

"A really big deer with really big horns holding a really big sword?" Nick guessed.

"No, well, yes, but-" Urzo stumbled before hesitating and growling lowly to himself. "You're taking it too literally, Wilde! Do you know who this is, and what's being depicted?"

"Can't say I do, chief." The fox admitted, causing his superior to sigh aloud and take to explaining himself;

"This is Alastrine Brockernos, an Elktic king from long ago. He's somewhat of an old legend around these parts, but surviving historical evidence points to him actually having once existed, and serving as one of the greatest kings to ever rule over the Elktic civilization. He's long dead by now, of course, but he's been a key figure centered around various archaeological expeditions by Zootopian universities in the past; It's believed that he was buried somewhere in the woodlands with a trove of valuable treasure-"

"Valuable treasure?" Nick interrupted. " _Now_ you have my attention." He remarked, though quickly silenced himself once he noticed his superior glaring at him. Urzo continued;

"As I was saying, it's believed that he was buried with a mountain of treasure, but the most prized artifact of all was his weapon of choice: The Sword of Kings, Elkscalibur."

"Elkscalibur? Yeah, I think I've heard that as a bedtime story before, a while back." Nick claimed. "Wasn't that thing pulled out of a rock, or something, right?"

Urzo sighed, fingering his brow for a moment before bothering to continue with his rather lengthy explanation.

"That part of the story is just a legend. An exaggerated myth spawned from some mouth-breathing storyteller. The Sword of Kings is real: There is real evidence out there that points to the sword having actually existed at one point in time, and was in the possession of the Elktic king Alastrine Brockernos, though no one has been able to find it before."

"Okay, so this sword thing might be real, but just what exactly are you getting at, chief? How does all of this have to do with Iluka?" Judy asked.

"It isn't just a history lesson, officer Hopps." Urzo grumbled. "Think about what Iluka Rombahe does for a living, and put the pieces together yourself."

A few moments passed, and each passing second only caused the sudden realization of her adversary's true intentions in the Deciduous-District to be revealed to her.

"The sword! Iluka is after the sword!" She shouted out, jumping up into the air in a stroke of excitement and cheer.

Urzo nodded, smiling ever so slightly to himself.

"Yes. It makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? The treasure mongering crime-lord of Outback-Island just so happens to stop by in the Deciduous-District, and you two just so happen to overhear him say something about a tomb. If Iluka's after that sword, then the first thing he'll have to do is find the tomb of Alastrine, though I have a feeling that he won't have it so easy; The tomb has been lost for centuries... Countless historians and archaeologists have tried finding it, but to no avail. The only one that seemed even remotely..."

The grizzly bear momentarily trailed off, moistening his lips as his eyes darted around, as if trying to put together the pieces of some sort of puzzle. Finally, he found his words;

"Of all the mammals that have tried to find it, the only one that seemed even remotely close to doing so was Grygorri Ratsputin."

" _What_?!" Nick blurted out. "Oh, so he's an archaeologist now too, huh?"

Urzo shook his head from side to side. "No no, I suppose I misspoke. Ratsputin was never an archaeologist, but he seemed to have a peculiar fascination with ancient history."

Nick narrowed his eyes in thought. Now that Urzo mentioned it, he _had_ recalled seeing some peculiar artifacts dotted throughout Ratsputin's home during his last visit there.

"And how do you know this?" Judy asked.

"I'm the chief of police of Precinct Seven; Bogo would not have just blocked me out from seeing all of the evidence that was acquired from the rat's home. There were a lot of dusty old relics throughout the house, including some Elktic stuff. I remember taking note of it and doing some research. Apparently, Grygorri was a major funder for several research studies into the history and location of that tomb that we talked about earlier. I wouldn't be surprised if Iluka Rombahe had some sort of formal agreement with him."

"Maybe this has to do with the cane that was stolen from the archive!" The rabbit suddenly exclaimed. "Maybe it has something to do with all this!"

"Well, we know that much already. We wouldn't even be talking about this if it wasn't of any relation to what we're dealing with." Nick corrected.

"Right." Urzo said. "At the warehouse in Beaverdam, my men even discovered sticks of dynamite and digging tools. It's clear that Iluka is here for something underground."

At the sudden mention of that last word, the fox briefly thought back to a small, singular memory from his very first night in the Deciduous-District, where he and Judy had read through a small pamphlet explaining the various sights to see and things to do in the woodlands, including one peculiar sightseeing activity that had slid right off of his conscious without much thought. An underground location, a string of cave systems throughout the district perfect for transporting men and materials without much or any suspicion.

"The Painted Labyrinth..." He muttered beneath his breath.

"I beg your pardon, officer Wilde?" Urzo stated with raised eyebrows.

"T-think about it for a second, you guys! Isn't there a massive underground tunnel system right below our feet? Officer Hopps and I read about it in a little tourist pamphlet!"

"You mean the Painted Labyrinth?" The grizzly bear grumbled.

"Yeah, I remember that! I see what you're getting at!" Judy claimed cheerily as she lightly jabbed his shoulder. "Good thinking, Slick!"

Urzo cleared his throat aloud. "To clarify, you think that what Iluka's looking for - this ancient Elktic tomb - is hidden down in that stone-age cave system?" He grunted.

"Yes, I am. You said that nobody's been able to find this supposed tomb, right? What if they weren't looking in the right place? What if this tomb was built underground?"

"Preposterous." The bear growled. "Any fool would think that a burial site would be underground. Besides, I'm sure that other treasure hunters have already searched there."

"Maybe they weren't looking hard enough."

"We should set up an advanced investigation, maybe even some sort of raid, there!" Judy suggested, to which her grizzly bear superior sighed before stating out loud;

"If we schedule a raid, we'll need to alert the tourism department that owns the land beforehand: We don't want any tourists exploring the caves to be caught in the standoff."

"Smart move, papa bear." Nick quipped. "That'll save us some trouble."

Urzo grunted lowly before explaining his thoughts;

"Then, yes, but now, what we need to worry about is the time, since it may take a few days to alert the tourism department, clear everyone out of, and publicly shut down the Painted Labyrinth. Until then, all we can do is speculate. We don't even know whether this tomb or anything like it actually resides underground. We will have to do further research, and play our cards smartly before assuming. While things are being organized, I want you two to continue your usual work, putting all the pieces together with the case, making connections, anything that can assist Precinct Seven with the investigation. If you stay out of trouble, I may even let you two in on the raid, when we're ready."

"Really? You mean it?" Judy asked, her large ears shooting up in excitement.

"I do. Due to our lack of resources, however, bringing together a strong enough force to counter the power of an inner-district crime-lord, well... It might take some time."

"Will you ask Precinct One for assistance?" Nick questioned curiously.

"That's the plan. The Deciduous-District hasn't had anything _this_ exciting happen here since the first timber fell. We'll need all of the help that we can get."

"And that includes us, sir!" The rabbit piped out, all the while raising her paw up to administer a steadfast salute to her superior. "Nick and I will do everything we can!"

Chief Urzo grinned, clearly satisfied with the bunny officer's display of loyalty and determination.

"Excellent. For now, you're both dismissed, but come tomorrow, I expect you to be working full-time on making sense of everything that you've uncovered so far."

"What about the raid, though?"

"Assuming there is one, it won't be for at least another few days. I will notify you when the time comes, regardless of whether or not we get the go-ahead to enact it. Oh, and also, I'll keep you updated on the search warrant that we created for that bat that you fought in Beaverdam, Hopps. From the sound of it, she's another enemy in our sights."

"Sounds good to me!" Nick exclaimed, giving an approving thumbs up to his boss, whom just sighed out loud before grumbling;

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some paperwork to take care of, thanks to that mess you two made at that warehouse."

At that, the grizzly bear tipped his hat down in a gesture of condolences before turning around and leaving the break room, though not before plucking one last donut from the box on the table. Smiling to himself, Nick glanced towards his smaller partner with a half-lidded gaze, and promptly locked eyes with her as she looked over and up to him, in turn.

"I dunno about you, Carrots, but I could use a bathroom break." He then stared down at his sticky fingers. "This leftover donut glaze isn't gonna wash itself off. Let's go."

* * *

10:09 P.M , _Somewhere in the woodlands_...

Trudging through the thick of the darkening forest around him, the tasmanian-devil, Iluka Rombahe, couldn't have felt any less welcome than he already did.

Since birth, he'd grown up living and playing in his home, Outback-Island; A dusty, arid island far away from the mainland city of Zootopia. The small family property that he'd been raised on was far from easy: He had been nurtured amongst blistering afternoon heat, and swarms of flesh-nipping flies, ultimately forging the young marsupial into a rough and tough kind of mammal, with a taste for adventure and a thirst for discovery. Iluka adored exploring the world around him, whether it was admiring the starry night sky from the rocky, open plains of the Outback, or simply appreciating a walk in the park, there was little that the tasmanian devil found more appealing than the great outdoors.

Yet for all of his outdoorsmanship and love of adventure, to Iluka, the Deciduous-District felt like a foreign and alien sort of place. Far away from the shores of Outback-Island, where marsupials were rarely seen, the tasmanian-devil couldn't help but feel as though he and the men that he had brought with him stuck out like sore thumbs amongst the crowds of regular mammals, as they probably called themselves. To them, marsupials were likely seen as nothing more than some mammalian offshoot to be ridiculed and hated.

It seemed that for every pair of eyes that his own met, there were two more looking back at him with distrustful stares. It didn't surprise him very much, for at the very least, he was pleased that he was able to walk around in public with relatively little fear of suddenly being recognized as the crime-lord of Outback-Island. With his homeland being so far away and not of any real importance to the civilians living here in the woodlands, the chances of someone realizing his true identity were slim, or at least, slimmer than usual.

Alongside the public suspicion that came with his arrival in the Deciduous-District, the fact that the climate and landscape were so different from his home also served as a point of unwavering intimidation on his part; He was far too used to dust, flies, orange-tinted boulders, and spiny brown shrubs beneath his feet. Here, the vegetation was much more prominent and powerful, and the trees seemed as mighty as the tallest of skyscrapers, in his eyes. As a marsupial, he felt out of place in the woodlands, so far away from home.

Despite his discomfort, he acknowledged the fact that he was here for a reason: This latest adventure of his had the potential to end up being his greatest.

In the current moment, deep in the denser woods of the Deciduous-District's wild forests, Iluka and a large pack of his marsupial brethren marched through the ever-darkening forest, closing in on their final destination with each step forward. All of the mammals carried something in their paws, with some holding wooden boxes full of dynamite, and others brandishing various tools ranging from pickaxes to sledgehammers. Their next excavation, next hunt, would be one cloaked in social secrecy, and in physical darkness.

Some of the marsupials even carried computers and other technological devices, all of which, despite being comparatively advanced to some of the tools and other work items that were brought with them, would be of great use to their cause. Archaeological excavations weren't always just shovels and brushes, after all. Iluka led the big pack from the front, carrying only the comparatively small cane that he had received at the warehouse in Beaverdam from earlier that day. Soon, the group of marsupials reached their goal...

The cavern entrance stood gloomy and fortified against the side of the mountain, the mouth of the cave spawning haunting moans as the cool nighttime breeze blew against the rocks. Snaking vines hovered from the rocks above, and farther inside, the tasmanian devil could see that the walls of the cave only became smoother as they led on, deeper into the dark depths of the mountain. Here, Iluka and his men intended on finishing the job that they had been working towards for years now: Finding the tomb of the great Elktic king, Alastrine Brockernos, whom died many thousands of years ago, and yet no modern historian nor archaeologist had been able to find his burial site in all those years.

"We're here!" Iluka hollered to his associates. "Break out the flashlights, gentlemammals, because from here on out, it's gonna get even inkier."

From the behind of him, the crime-lord of Outback-Island heard his second in command, Ramic Roofis, jump down into a small puddle and sigh aloud.

"Golee, that feels good." The kangaroo murmured as he buried his toes in the cool dirt. "Definitely a big difference from the Outback, eh? The ground there is bloody _scorching_."

Iluka snorted through his nostrils. "Don't get too comfortable, mate. Once our business here is done, we're heading right back home to our island." He claimed.

"Ah, phooey. That's no fun. At least _here_ I don't have to lick myself just to keep cool."

"Quit your whinging, ya sook!" One of the other marsupials, a fat little wombat, called out to the larger male kangaroo. "It ain't _that_ bad!"

"Enough bickering. Just focus on the job, lads; We've got a fat load a' work to do here." Iluka ordered, all the while gesturing to the innards of the cave entrance before them.

"Sorry, boss." The wombat stated, though he didn't seem very authentic. His ears promptly shot up in excitement. "Hey, hey, ya think we'll find it?" He asked. "The tomb?"

The tasmanian devil's expression hardened. "We _will_ find it. I'll tear open every pebble in this district, if I have to. Now come!" He roared, causing some of his men to wince.

Iluka himself trudged ahead and into the dark depths of the cavern, his underlings following shortly behind, though a few in the back kept their distance, hoping that they hadn't angered their boss; They all knew the consequences of such intermittent rage. Though they feared his hair-trigger temper, at times, they also knew and recognized the fact that Iluka wasn't a cruel mammal, and was quite a well respected leader amongst the Outback-Island mob, never afraid to get his paws dirty in order to get their job done effectively.

Despite his normally resolute determination, Iluka seemed to be displaying rather excessive amount of interest with this latest archaeological outing of his; Over the weeks that the marsupials had been searching for the tomb of Alastrine, the pack's leader only appeared to grow more obsessive with each passing day, though, they couldn't blame him. They all knew just how important it was to him, and didn't question his motives nor desires. After all, he was the one that handled their many respective paychecks, in the end.

Money... Crime was all about money. Always had been, always will be.

Though of course, there were still those occasional rare exceptions that were in it just for the pure fun of it, but in the end, the central premise always orbited cold, hard cash. Plain and simple. In the past, Iluka himself had been berated many times by various critics, whom frequently happened to point out that how despite being an archaeologist, he almost always kept whatever he found for himself, or sold it on the black market. Said critics claim that because of this fact, Iluka cared not for the true history of mammalian culture, like true archaeologists were supposed to. They called him a fraud, a liar, a cheat, wannabe, and every other synonymous name for a manipulative fabricator out there.

After all, how could Iluka Rombahe, being a marsupial himself, dare to have the will and nerve to discredit and disregard the relics of his cultural past in such seemingly ill ways?

Museums may have always had an open hand ready to accept whatever was discovered in the big, brave world, but the tasmanian devil crime-lord of Outback-Island always considered the safest paws to be his own. He was a marsupial, yes, but not just any chip off the old block: Iluka was a direct descendant of an age-old, long dead warrior chief, Kolrak Rombahe, who reigned over a large tribe of indigenous tasmanian devils decades before the first mainland colonizer had set foot on the red shores of Outback-Island.

Having been fascinated by his own heritage for a very long time, Iluka Rombahe wasn't prone to reading up on the history of his ancestry. Apparently, unlike the marsupial tribes of kangaroos, wombats, wallabies, and other vegetarian marsupials that once inhabited the ancient island, the tasmanian devil tribe was a fierce, war-like band of brutish fighters and terribly insatiable carnivores. Unlike the other tribes, which mostly stuck to agriculture, the fierce tasmanian devils conquered land and devoured their enemies.

Much territory was assimilated under Kolrak's rule, and now, centuries later, there are still dig sites which unearth the bones of and relics of the ancient past. Nowadays, due to his ancestry, much of what Kolrak once owned now belonged to Iluka himself, including the land and whatever artifacts were buried deep within them. Because of his ownership over them, along with his ancestry in specific, he doesn't even see himself as stealing the old marsupial artifacts: He simply sees himself as reacquiring them, as if they are as birthright. He sees them as his to take and do with as he pleases, and so, he sees no loss of morale nor honor from simply choosing to sell his finds to the highest bidder, either.

Being such a culturally attuned sort of mammal, Iluka adorned himself with marks of his people: Marsupial tribal cloth, wooden beads, and line art whittled into his claws. To him, honoring your past and history was everything. It was what made the stories of the past worth telling, and the paths of the future worth hoping for. This was the rule of life.

But sometimes, rules were meant to be broken.

Deeper in the depths of the cave, placing one foot in front of the other with each and every individual step, Iluka Rombahe felt his fists clench into balls as he thought to himself.

 _All those tossers at the museum may think I'm crazy... May think Elkscalibur is just some old legend... But I'll prove them wrong. And it all starts with this..._

The tasmanian devil stared down at the cane-sword that he gripped in one of his meaty paws. Although he knew that it may have once belonged to that despicable rat, Grygorri, he also knew a few secrets about it that even the blackmailer himself would have been proud of. Iluka smiled. Grasping the handle of the cane with both paws, he pushed as hard as he could on it, promptly causing the protrusion to snap right off of the body of the cane, along with the hidden blade tucked away inside. Iluka then tossed the scabbard, with the sword still inside of it, off and to the side, where it loudly clattered against the hard rocks of the cave, splintering in a few places before rolling to a halt behind a boulder.

Smiling down at the broken ball-handle of the cane, Iluka shook the object around lightly, soon causing a small item to slip out from the hole where the handle had once been fastened to the body of the cane and the blade itself. With the handle emptied of its insides, he then tossed it behind him as well, having no use for it anymore. Now, the only thing that mattered to him was sitting in the palm of his paw: A small, black flash-drive. Simple as it may have looked, the tasmanian devil knew the true worth of its contents.

 _Legend or not, there's not a snowball's chance in the Outback that I'm going back home empty handed._

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Looks like things are starting to pick up a bit more now, huh? I bet you thought that Iluka wanted the sword just for safekeeping, no? Nope. Ratsputin hid a flash drive inside of it, as we saw, hoping for his work to be continued. We're reaching the final turning point of the 6th arc, and it is about to go down! Yessiree, soon we will be learning even more about Iluka's nefarious intentions and motivations, and how Nick and Judy plan to stop him! Stay tuned for the coming chapters!**

 **I appreciate you all taking the time to read through this latest chapter of ours. I worked pretty hard on it, so I'd be very grateful if you were to perhaps leave a nice review detailing your thoughts on the chapter. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. Alongside that, do feel free to favorite/follow this story of ours if you haven't already! We're reaching yet another big milestone, and I'd absolutely adore it if we could make it by the end of the month! If we do, I'm thinking that we'll be able to fit some kind of reward for you guys! Perhaps a bonus chapter, or something? We'll see when we get there.**

 **For now, I write...**

 **Next up, just a minor announcement: As of late, I've been going back and doing some revisions for some of my earlier chapters, many of which are understandable of lower quality than these more recent ones of ours. Although I've rewritten vast portions of quite a few of them, I just want to make mention of the fact that I currently don't intend on going back and completely rewriting every single bit of every single chapter. WIF is a huge story, and keeping up with it as it presently stands is already demanding enough on its own, so going back and redoing stuff I've already written seems a bit difficult.**

 **I mean, going back and redoing roughly half a million words is quite the challenge, amiright? :P**

 **I'm certain that you can get where I'm coming from with this. As of now, the older chapters will stay as they are, though I might go back and do more revisions in the near future, since whenever I look back at those old chapters, I just can't help but cringe when I read through what I wrote. I think that's a good sign, unfortunate as it may seem, since it means that as a writer, I've personally improved my set of skills and other abilities over time. I'd call that a win. So yeah, that's that: If any of you have any questions about my intentions with this story, whether it be with revisions or future chapters, all you have to do is ask. I respond to all forms of communication as soon as I get the chance. Regardless, I thank you all for your dedication to this project of ours, truly.**

 **Anyhow, that's pretty much all that I have to say for now, my friends. Thanks for reading, and do stay tuned for the next chapter, coming your way soon! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	81. Tribulations and Tremors

"The tribulations of boredom exist only to make us act." - Unknown

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"If there were no tribulation, there would be no rest." - John Chrysostom

* * *

Throughout the annals of history, it has been said that the trials and tribulations of life are nothing but tests to challenge one's sense of will.

None knew this better than Nick and Judy. The former had been subject to a pitiful and lackluster childhood, with trauma and despair looming around every corner. On the other side of the spectrum, the latter, whom spent the majority of her life on this earth trying to take charge of the expectations that she had been raised upon, and direct them to a more suitable and reliable future. Together, the two mammals, as friends, as partners, and as mates, took the charge into the battlefield, hand-in-hand, and without hesitation.

The past aside, these modern times were no different.

It had been six days since the incident in Beaverdam took place, where Nick and Judy had walked in on the doings of Iluka Rombahe, the crime-lord of Outback-Island. Though the titular tasmanian devil had ended up getting away, the two tiny officers had managed to uncover a whole new trove of information and intelligence that only further served the cause behind their respective intentions. With a whole new perspective on the purpose of their temporary stay in the wooded heart of the Deciduous-District, Nick and Judy worked hard for the following six days, doing all that they could to put the pieces of the puzzle together. What little they knew was put to use, and their minds labored longingly.

However, the work of a police officer was not so clear cut, it seemed. Though the beginnings of their investigation into the marsupial case were filled with much activity and interest, the six days following the interrogation were marred with relatively little results to show for the efforts of the two tiny police officers. Expecting results to sate their combined endeavors, the lapin and vulpine were instead met with vacant, empty streets: No matter where they looked, there were no marsupials to be found. Not a single one.

After over two weeks of residence in the Deciduous-District, and with constant sightings throughout, Nick and Judy suddenly went six full days without seeing any marsupials on their daily patrols around the streets and alleys of the district. It was as if they had all just vanished off of the very face of the earth itself, gone from sight and mind. Niether of the two officers had an explanation as to why, and it was eating away at their respective minds as it were a festering disease: Like the flip of a switch, the marsupials were there one day, and then gone the very next. On the third day, Nick was the first to notice the marsupial's absence, and after pointing it out immediately to Judy, she noticed it as well.

Though their sudden disappearance was most suspicious, Nick and Judy were left with no other choice but to continue their work.

Following their realization of the marsupial's absence, the two tiny officers returned to work with the intentions to do all that they could manage with what little they had: They strung together theories and ideas, placed suggestions upon their superiors, studied the criminal records of as many documented marsupials as they could, and even took part in the third consecutive interrogation of the platypus that the ZPD had captured in the aftermath of the shootout in Beaverdam. This time around, Nick and Judy were able to bear witness to the stubborn platypus's defeat; He broke down during questioning, and the officers present managed to pry a few simple background questions out of him before he was deemed 'too unstable' to continue with the interrogation session, and was then promptly sent back to his cell. Judy at least found a little bit of some solace in _that_ situation.

Back on the beat, working together to find a solution to the latest investigation at hand; There was nothing else that Judy would rather be doing. Yet, at the same time, it was far more than just the motivation and the intent behind her work that made it all worthwhile: The results and the fruits of her labors were ultimately the deciding factor. She couldn't make a difference in the world if all of her actions led to dead ends, after all. Seeing all of the pieces come together, and the outcome of her cause, was perhaps her very greatest remedy. It was what made the work, the stress, the long hours of labor and setback, all worth it in the end. No great cause should be without an inspiration behind it.

Once, many months in the distant past, when the rabbit and her husband had been working undercover in Jack Savage's financial building, was the last time that Judy had felt that her work was going nowhere, and that her efforts were for naught. She and Nick had been silently working the strings of that case for months on end, yet no matter how hard they tried, it seemed that the finish line was always just one more step out of reach. Judy herself, being such a fast-paced and lively soul, suffered the most during those stagnant times. She felt as though nothing was going her way, and that the future was nigh, for her failure to meet the demands of Chief Bogo's requirements was bugging her.

That all changed when she had incidentally witnessed the meeting between Jack and Vladzotz, however, and after that, things went about as good as she could have wanted. The case was solved, she and Bogo left on good terms, and Judy never had to see that damned financial building again. She had hated that place with every fiber in her being.

Now, in the Deciduous-District, working a case with few leads and fewer hopes, the rabbit officer once again felt as though she were against the odds. With all of the marsupials gone, the credibility and effectiveness of witnesses, patrols, and interrogations dropped tremendously. The only thing that Nick and Judy, along with all of the other Precinct Seven officers that were on the case could rely on was what they already knew, and what they could come to expect. Working long hours with her foxy partner, Judy began to feel a sense of impending haste and expectations. She liked her work done quickly and efficiently. Not like this. Not as though the only thing keeping her going was her partner and his reassuring words. Still, Judy sucked it up as best she could, and continued her work as best she could, as any good police officer should. She had no plans on quitting yet.

Despite all of the stress of their labors, there was at least one sure thing that eased the minds of both Nick and Judy alike: Knowing that their friends and allies at the ZPD head quarters were safe. After dealing with the cleanup of the warehouse shootout earlier that week, the two tiny officers made sure to give frequent calls to their acquaintances back in Savannah-Central, including Clawhauser and even Chief Bogo himself. From them, Nick and Judy learned much about the after-effects of the vile fire that had taken place in Precinct One. Apparently, no one was hurt in the incident, much to Judy's great relief, though a whole lot of considerably useful physical evidence was lost to the raging flames.

Thankfully, Precinct One was safe, for the most part. With their hearts and minds reassured by the words of their friends, Nick and Judy could get back to focusing on their work for Precinct Seven. More time passed, and in the present moment, the bunny and the fox, after just completing a day of mentally-rigorous brainstorming and discussion with their fellow officers, were now enjoying a simple stroll outside. It was the late afternoon, and they were both on break, much to their delight, allowing them to indulge in one another's company and to take a brief moment of rest from their increasingly consistent work involving the investigation of Iluka Rombahe, the museum theft, and the shootout.

Walking around the perimeter of the building, the two tiny officers were able to admire the temperate forest and other foliage that surrounded the precinct. Thick and sprawling oak trees, many of which were truly ancient in age, judging by their great size and the color of the bark, encircled the patch of modern architecture that was Precinct Seven. A cracking old sidewalk meandered among the trees, leading off into the deeper part of the forest before eventually returning back to the parking lot. Nick and Judy followed that path, and as they placed their feet upon the cold concrete, one after another in constant repetition, the two of them found it to be much better than sitting down at some desk.

It had been Judy's idea to take a brief stroll in the first place. Being the energetic little bunny that she was, she liked to get up and stretch her legs frequently, especially after long hours sitting behind a desk, doing paperwork and other menial office assignments. Nick wasn't opposed to it, as he figured that he could use the exercise, simple as it may have been. Still better than ticketing, though. As the two officers, both still clad in their beige colored, Precinct Seven issued police shirts and forest-green trousers, walked around the wooded path in the forest, admiring the tall trees and the sounds of the insects hiding in the brush, they also took to talking over their latest case with one another.

"Don't you think that it's really weird how all of the marsupials disappeared?" Judy found herself asking.

The fox raised an eyebrow "Hm?" He muttered. "Still going on about that, huh? Yeah, it's pretty weird."

"Bugs me how Chief Urzo doesn't think it's enough evidence to launch a raid, though." The bunny claimed.

"Well, it takes a lot to get one of those things going. Can't blame the guy."

The rabbit officer pursed her lips. "But I mean, come _on_!" She exclaimed. "What more does he possibly need? The museum theft, the Beaverdam shootout, and now this?"

Nick cleared his throat, clearly trying to stop Judy before she went on a rant about stuff that they both already knew, and didn't need any more of;

"Yeah, I guess you'd think all that'd be enough. Still, I have a feeling he'll come 'round soon enough. All it takes is one little accident, and then the floodgates will open." He said.

"What do you mean?"

"Ever heard of that saying about the straw that broke the camel's back?" The fox questioned his smaller partner. "That's us right now. And our work, too... Can't forget that."

"So?" Judy pressed.

"Chief Urzo's dealing with a whole lot right now, I'm sure. With a inner-city crime-lord running around, I bet it's only a matter of time before something big enough happens that finally pushes the guy off of the deep end, and makes him realize that he can't keep putting off this investigation anymore. I bet my tail that'll happen faster than we can hope."

"Good point, Slick." The bunny admitted as she jumped over a sizable crack in the concrete sidewalk. "I suppose time will tell, huh?"

"Always does."

Judy smiled. "Well said." She stated.

"You know you love me." Nick quipped with a grin.

"Kinda hard not to, though you're still a handful sometimes."

"We all have our moments, eh?" He claimed, causing his partner to giggle.

"That's putting it lightly."

"No kidding." The fox added. "Nearly wanted to taze myself when your cell phone went off while we were watching Iluka and his cronies."

"That was an accident!"

"Isn't that the second time that's happened?" Nick asked. "Cuz I'm pretty sure that that's the second time that's happened."

"First! That time in Cliffside Asylum while we were spying on Lionheart was a ringtone, while this one was a vibration." Judy claimed.

"So picky."

Sharing a laugh, the two tiny officers continued pacing through the depths of the forest, eventually making a loop around back towards the police building. Along the way, they kept chatting over various topics, each one more diverse and fulfilling than the last, that was, until the whole marsupial disappearance subject found its way to them once again.

"So, what do you think happened?" The bunny asked her partner, whom sighed audibly before giving his response.

"It's as though they all just packed up and high-tailed it outta here." Nick grumbled. "But that can't be it, we know better... Those marsupial mobbies wouldn't have just left."

Judy nodded. She sighed out loud before deciding to continue the conversation with her own personal vocal statement;

"Right. We've spent the past few days studying Iluka. Learning everything we could about him through the criminal files here. He isn't the kind of mammal to just abandon his projects without any good reason. He wouldn't leave so soon! No, he's still here... Somewhere. Hiding out in a safe place while enacting his nefarious plots. But where?"

Almost as soon as the two of them set foot back on the property of the precinct, another beige-clad officer, a female white-tailed deer, stepped out from a doorway and leaned outside, briefly looking around before eventually locking eyes with Nick and Judy from across the space between them. The deer swallowed, and then called out to both of them.

"Officer Hopps! Officer Wilde!" She yelled. "You two had better come and check this out!"

Both Judy and Nick glanced at one another in curiosity. The latter was about to call out to the female white-tailed deer officer and ask her just hat exactly she meant, and the reason behind it, but before she could, the deer dashed off and back into the interior of the building. Shrugging to himself, the fox stepped forward and made way for the building, intent on following the deer and seeing just what all of the fuss was about. Behind him, he heard his partner catch up and trail him, and from there, the two officers entered the building and set out for the nearest explanation. They asked a few lumbering black bear officers if they had seen where the deer had ran off to, and they had indeed.

The black bears pointed Nick and Judy towards the briefing room, subtly dubbed as 'The Bear's Den' by the officers of Precinct Seven, similarly to how Precinct One's officers referred to their very own building's briefing room as 'The Bull Pen,' respectively. Upon thanking the friendly bears, the two smaller officers then made their way towards the briefing room. Once they arrived, it took the two of them working together to open the comparatively huge door, of which was designed for mammals much larger than them.

Inside their destination at last, Nick and Judy took in the sights around them, including the likes of a small pack of police officers huddled around a TV placed on one of the tables in the corner of the room. Chairs were pushed out of the way, and almost all of them were standing. Clearly, whatever they were watching was quite interesting to them. Across the room, Judy spotted that one female white-tailed deer officer that had called both her and Nick over in the first place. She wondered what was so important to be summoned.

Nick momentarily glanced around the room, eyeing over all of the other officers in the vicinity. Many of them were crowded around the small television; One of those older and somewhat more cube-shaped ones that were around long before all of the world's electronics decided to slim down. The fox always thought it fascinating to watch and admire the progress of technology, and the innovations that stemmed from it. Just a few decades ago, everyone carried around newspapers and books with them, but now, it seemed that all anyone ever needed was their mobile device. Personally, Nick himself liked to watch the world around him during slow moments, instead of spending it all on his phone.

Mammals hadn't been given the gifts of sight and speech only to waste them playing with ridiculously expensive plastic toys, after all.

Back to the present moment, the fox took in the sight of at least half a dozen different police officers sitting around that fat TV, the types of species ranging from beavers to bears, and even a gray fox. Nick smiled to himself, reminiscing on his undercover experience disguised as a gray fox, along with his mate, Judy, who was dyed over so as to look like an arctic rabbit. Those were fun times. Simpler times. Shaking his head, Nick brought himself back to the situation at hand. Approaching the television, he leaned over the side of the box and tried to steal a glance at the screen. He only caught a momentary flicker what looked like a news anchor before one of the other officers got in the fox's way.

"Hey, move it or lose it, pal, I wanna see too!" Nick coyly claimed as he squirmed into a spot just big enough for himself. He heard Judy slip next to him as well.

Staring at the television, the two mammals gazed at the screen as it lit up with an aerial shot of some road somewhere in the Deciduous-District. A massive, dirt-filled crater was centered in the very middle of the street, razing the vicinity. Massive cracks spread out from in and around the hole like bolts of lightning from a thundercloud, branching off into smaller crevices similar to that of veins and capillaries. The section of road where the depression currently stood had been completely obliterated, with big chunks of cement, dirt, and asphalt being piled into the bowl of the crater. Amongst the rubble, the front half of a vehicle poked out from the sea of dirt and other ruin, clearly having fell into the hole.

"What is this?" The fox found himself asking, though none of the other officers around him answered, as it seemed that some sort of newsmammal was speaking out loud;

"Not even twenty minutes ago, on Cedar-Street in the Deciduous-District, a huge sinkhole appeared out of seemingly nowhere, swallowing two cars and destroying the road and surrounding area. There are no fatalities, but a total of three injuries, including one mammal from one of the cars, and the owner of a nearby small business that was effected by one of the cracks stemming from this massive crater. Currently, ZPD police officers are on the scene, trying to keep order and make sense of everything that's happened here."

"W-Woah..." Judy stuttered. "A sinkhole?"

"Interesting. I've never seen one in real life before." Nick claimed. "Think we'll get deployed there, or something? That'd be kinda neat."

One of the other police officers, this one being a male timber wolf, glanced down and stared at the smaller fox with intrigue. "That's the plan." He stated aloud.

"Huh?" Nick murmured, turning towards the wolf officer, whom stood over him as he spoke;

"Chief Urzo wants at least another five officers there. Some civilians got hurt, like the news reporter said, and the paramedics need some assistance tying down the area."

Practically the moment that those last few words left the wolf's mouth, Judy lept forward and grabbed her partner's forearm, somewhat startling him.

"Nick! Let's go help out at the scene!" She requested, her amethyst-colored eyes beaming with hope.

"Carrots, don't we have work to do here? Ya know, with the case and all?" The fox retorted.

"Yeah, we do, but we're still technically on break, right? At least for another hour. We should go and help out! It'll be fun! Besides, I'm tired of doing paperwork. Aren't you?"

Furrowing his brow and pursing his lips, Nick thoughtfully stroked at his chin. "I suppose we can spare the time. We would have probably just spent it eating, anyways." He said.

"See! That's the spirit!" Judy told him. The fox was pleased to see his partner so cheery and excited after so many days of boredom. "Besides, this should be a neat experience."

"Hey, if it helps us get even more on Chief Urzo's good side, then I'm all for it, fluff-butt. Ready to go when you are, I guess."

After a few more minutes of talk and preparation, the two aforementioned officers then set out for their assigned police cruiser, intent on making way to the location of the sinkhole and doing whatever they could to provide assistance to the civilians and other officers already on the scene. Recognizing that the event in its entirety must be a rather unorthodox one around these parts of the city, judging by all of the various reactions that Nick noticed thus far, he figured that there could be a considerable amount of media and press coverage at the area. The fox warned his partner, telling her to stay away from any cameras that might be there, since most of the public population didn't know that the two of them, practically being celebrities, were all the way out in the Deciduous-District, and they might've started to ask questions if it were to be discovered anytime soon.

Eventually, Nick and Judy arrived at the scene, and parked their vehicle in a safe spot just out of reach from the rather harrowing cracks and small crevices that snaked along the length of the road. Stepping out of the police cruiser, the two tiny officers then promptly made their way towards the center of the scene, where a number of other vehicles were situated, and a large gathering of onlookers, including various ZPD officers, civilians, newsmammals, and for some odd reason, a taco truck, stood around the crater's edge.

As they approached the crowd, Nick took note of the fractured pavement beneath his feet: The road had split into dozens of chunks, some small, others quite large, all connected by many cracks, all of which led back to the center of the sinkhole some twenty yards in the distance. Walking closer towards it, the fox simply could not help but muster a joke.

"Try not to step on one, Whiskers, we wouldn't want Bonnie to break her back now, would we?" Nick teased, causing Judy to roll her eyes.

"Oh, hush, you. My mom is one of the toughest bunnies I know!" Judy bit back. "It'll take a whole lot more than stepping on a little crack to break _her_."

Continuing to the pack of mammals that encircled the crater, Nick and Judy eventually managed to single out one of the higher-ranking police officers at the scene, a big male moose with very large horns. At the sight of the large mammal, the fox thought back the picture of that one long-dead Elktic King that Chief Urzo had shown them earlier nearly a week past. mentally comparing the horns of the two creatures, Nick wondered if that ancient elk was some kind of extinct mammal species, since as the fox recalled, his horns seemed much larger and more exotic than any regular old moose horns. Usually prehistoric mammal species were like that, what with the weird body parts and other additions.

Upon reaching the foot of the moose officer, whom held a thick clipboard under his arm, Judy introduced herself and her partner, effectively earning the moose's full attention.

"Officers Hopps and Wilde, reporting for duty." The rabbit began with a steadfast salute. "How can we be of service?"

The moose raised his eyebrows. "Ah, I know you two! The famous duo that saved the city all those years ago." He stated warmly. "Nice to see you here."

"Always good to meet a fan-" Nick started, but was cut off when Judy stepped on his foot. He silenced himself, but kept on smiling, having expected the act from her completely.

"Nick and I are pleased to meet you, sir. We came here to help with the scene. Anything we can do?"

"Oh, yes, right." The moose started, somewhat flustered as he began flipping through the papers on his clipboard. "Well, you could start by helping interview the witnesses."

"It's a good start." Nick said.

"Agreed." Judy claimed. "We'll get right to it. Thanks!"

Bidding a respectful farewell to the moose officer, Nick and Judy ultimately decided to briefly split up so as to cover more tasks, and to help with the situation that much quicker.

While Judy helped comfort one of the victims, Nick himself spoke with an elderly civilian, a zebra, who apparently held witness to the sinkhole's sudden appearance. The fox then questioned him about the environment before the sinkhole had split the earth, and wasn't very surprised to hear that the old mammal claimed to had felt a peculiar string of tremors before the ground broke open and started cracking. A single thought tugged at the back of Nick's mind all the while, though he couldn't pinpoint it during the discussion.

" _Bah_!" The old mammal grunted. "These quakes ain't _nothin_ ' compared to what I've seen back in _my_ day!"

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And what would that be, exactly?" He asked curiously.

"Picture it: The beautiful blue mountains of the woodlands tainted with the machinery of minin' companies! Those stingy suits tried to tear them up for profit. _Fie_! When they first started drillin' and diggin', they'd drop explosives down the holes they made! Shook the earth like a rattler in a baby's fat fingers! Scared off all the stupid tourists, too."

"Well, if it got rid of the tourists, they couldn't have been all that bad." The fox joked in somewhat of a sarcastic manner, though the older mammal didn't seem to catch on.

"All that bad?" He repeated irritably. "Those corporate yahoos nearly snapped the mountain range in half, they did! Thank the heavens the city government drove 'em out."

"So these mining and drilling companies caused earthquakes back then? Huh... Interesting." Nick muttered to himself as he wrote down what the interviewee claimed.

"Yessiree, they told us locals that there was nothin' to worry 'bout, but you know big-time business, always trying to tell ordinary folk what they want to hear. The minin' and frackin' and drillin' and diggin', day in, day out, just took its toll, didn't it? Once a part of The Painted Labyrinth collapsed because of it, nearly killing some mammals, the city government stepped in and took care of things, thankfully. Now, with these new quakes, I can't help but feel as though one of 'em must still be hidin' somewhere up there."

The old mammal guffawed in amusement, and then continued to chat with the fox officer for a few more minutes before being dismissed.

Staring down at the notes that he had taken during his discussion with the old zebra, Nick pondered over the connection between all of the events that had taken place. He then furrowed his brow, thinking about the recent disappearance of the marsupials, those mysterious tremors that caused the sinkhole, and the correlation that connected them all, and like a spark of electricity had surged straight through him, Nick's emerald-colored eyes widened in sudden realization, and he then balled both of his fists up in excitement.

The fox just barely noticed his partner approach him from the behind. "So, get anything good from the interview?" She asked calmly.

"Well, I sure hope that someone picks up that phone..." Nick began flatly, causing Judy's large ears to twitch in confusion.

Judy blinked. "Huh?" She muttered.

"Because _I_ called it! _Ha_!" The fox quipped.

"What are you getting at, Nick? Did something happen?" Her ears stiffened in anticipation. "Did you figure out something important?" She asked.

Nick simply nodded his head.

"I think I just realized a little something... Those marsupials must be using those underground caves to move in secret! Men, supplies, stolen goods; All of it! Didn't I tell ya?"

"Yeah!" Judy cried out in agreement. "It would explain why we haven't seen any in the past few days! They must have changed tactics after that fiasco back in Beaverdam."

"Makes sense to me. I just finished talking to an old zebra, and he mentioned something about feeling tremors right before the sinkhole appeared. Iluka must be behind it."

The bunny then narrowed her eyes and trailed off for a brief moment before resuming her previous statement with a single question;

"But how does this relate to these earthquakes? Unless Iluka just so happens to have an army of moles, then I don't see how he could-"

"Dynamite!" Nick exclaimed out loud, snapping his fingers simultaneously. "The ZPD found bunches of it back at that warehouse we crashed, remember?"

"Is dynamite strong enough to cause quakes like this? To break the ground like this?" Judy questioned skeptically, gesturing towards the fractured road beneath her feet.

"No idea." Nick admitted. " _But_ , just like any other force, I'm sure that if there was enough of it, then the rock would have to give way at some point, right?"

"I suppose so."

"Do you know what this means, Carrots?" The fox asked.

"Iluka really is underground! He's using those underground tunnels, t-the, the uh... The..." Judy trailed off, unable to find the proper words to label within her statement.

"Lava tubes." Nick interjected. "Caves carved out by lava flows."

"Yeah, those!" The rabbit finalized.

"All of those marsupials must have set up shack somewhere underground, in that cave system, The Painted Labyrinth. That's where they've been hiding this whole time."

Judy nodded. "Exactly. We need to go and tell Chief Urzo, immediately." She stated firmly.

"That, and our break time is almost up." The fox added in reminder. "Best we head back to Precinct Seven, anyways."

"Good plan. Say though, if they've been down there this whole time, searching for whatever, then how come nobody's seen them? Isn't the labyrinth some kinda tourist place?"

"Beats me. Maybe they're in one of the more quiet areas, farther away from where the tourists usually go. Secret tunnels, perhaps?" Nick guessed.

"Either that or they just made their own." Judy suggested. "That would explain all of the earthquakes, cracks, and sinkholes that have been popping up, as of late."

"Right. We'll figure it out soon enough. Until then, let's go!"

Promptly making their way back to the cruiser that they had arrived in, Nick and Judy turned on the ignition and then made way back for Precinct Seven. After helping out with the details of the sink hole accident, they figured that it was time they made their way back to Urzo with the knowledge that they had unearthed in the earth-breaking event. Eventually, the two of them arrived at their final destination, and then headed towards their temporary superior's office, where they encountered him at his office desk.

"You two again?" Urzo exclaimed upon their entrance, following his previous statement with a sigh. "What is it this time?" He questioned flatly.

Judy entered the room, with Nick following suit. "We think we figured something out, Chief." The rabbit claimed, while her foxy partner simultaneous gave an assuring nod.

"Something real big." He added.

At his desk on the other side of the space before the two smaller officers, Chief Urzo leaned back in his large black chair before clearing his throat aloud and stating hopefully;

"This had better be good."

* * *

 _Somewhere Deep Underground ; The Painted Labyrinth_...

"Oi! Hurry it up over there, you slackers!" The tasmanian-devil called out. "Those crates aren't gonna move themselves! Get to it!"

Gripping a shovel in one paw and a piece of map parchment in the other, Iluka Rombahe continued to shout orders out at the small army of marsupials spread throughout the space of the cavern. Some lumbered around, setting up construction equipment, others were hunched over tables, eyeing over maps and other physical data, and the rest were digging away at the walls of the cave with a wide variety of excavation tools, such as pic-axes, sledgehammers, and dirty shovels. LED light poles and a small array of grimy tents were positioned on the outer reaches of the cavern, along with boxes of various explosives. Almost all of the marsupials present wore hardhats for safety, including Iluka himself.

They had transformed the massive cavern into a full-blown dig site.

Meanwhile, the head of the operation, Iluka Rombahe, joined a small group of his associates at one of the tables that had been set up for strategy. On it, a large stack of papers ranging from cave maps to travel pamphlets were all being analyzed and converged over by the marsupials before them. Once by their side, the tasmanian-devil spoke out;

"So, how is logistics coming along, mates? I hope we've gotten some progress since yesterday." He said with an undertone of intrigue.

"Aye, we most certainly have, sir!" One of the marsupials, a lean male dingo, claimed proudly. "Excavation is well under way, and we think that we're closing in on the goal."

With that last word, the dingo leaned forward and jabbed one of his padded fingers down upon the largest map on the table: The topographical layout of The Painted Labyrinth. Directly beneath the canine's clawed fingertip, the outline of a secondary cave system was displayed. Though the map stated that said system was closed off from exploration due to being sealed off, it didn't stop Iluka and his men from trying their hand at it. They had reason to believe that the tomb of their desires was located somewhere in that unexplored section, hidden away from the outside world, and full of long-forgotten treasure that was just ripe for the taking. The tasmanian-devil smiled a wide and toothy grin.

"Excellent. We're getting close... I can feel it!" He stated excitedly. "Keep up the good work, lads. I'll have a yarn with ya in a moment, but I gotta check on the others."

Turning tail and facing the massive wall of rock and rubble before him, Iluka Rombahe placed his paws on his belt and sighed longingly, intent on finishing what he had started.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Once again, I thank you all for reading this latest chapter update of ours. With it, we draw ever closer to the upcoming final chapter of the 6th arc, of which is approaching us surprisingly fast! I have plenty of plans for the near future, but of course, with summer already(?) upon us, time will be in good quantity, so I do hope to be able to perform plenty of writing for you all. That being said, we're quite close to yet another statistical milestone! I'd absolutely adore it if we could reach this next big step on our journey sometime soon, so if you haven't already, please, feel free to favorite and follow this story! I'd like that.**

 **Reviews are also most appreciated. I'd love knowing what all you people think of this latest chapter. In other news, I've recently gotten a whole new trove of fan-art, all of which can be found on my Tumblr account. Feel free to check those out, as all of them are exceedingly well-done, and the artists behind them deserve all the appreciation that they can get. Alongside that, if you're an artist yourself, and have considered the idea of contributing, then you're more than welcome to do so. I appreciate all that comes my way.**

 **Anyways, that's pretty much all I got to say for now. Thanks for reading, as always, and do stay tuned for the next chapter, coming your way soon! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	82. The Painted Labyrinth

**Hey Everyone!**

 **I'll keep this quick author's note short, as you guys got a whole lot of goodness ahead of you with this new chapter. For it, I have a single musical suggestion that I think pairs exceedingly well with the mysterious and ancient atmosphere of the scenes that take place deep within the caves of The Painted Labyrinth.**

 **Here is my musical suggestion for the scenes where Nick and Judy explore the caves: Ancient Music - Cave Paintings**

 **I also have a second one for the action/fight scene around the middle of the chapter. You'll know it when you see it, I'm sure.**

 **Here is the second musical suggestion for that very scene: Skull Island Tribal Combat Theme**

 **Though I recommend listening to it as you read, if you can, it is certainly not required. Anyways, that just about does it. Let's jump right into this!**

 **Do enjoy...**

* * *

"Some things are better left buried and forgotten." - Lauren Oliver

* * *

8:00 P.M

Another twenty-four full hours had passed since Nick and Judy's latest convergence with their temporary superior, Chief Tom Urzo.

With all of the evidence that the two officers had compiled thus far, from the sudden disappearance of the marsupials, to the connection of the recent string of earth tremors and sinkholes across the district, Chief Urzo finally deemed the current situation too important to turn the other cheek, and so, at last issued the order to conduct a full-scale police raid into the hollowed depths of The Painted Labyrinth. With this latest act, the ZPD and Precinct Seven made the next big leap forward in taking down Iluka Rombahe.

Thankfully, after Chief Urzo made the official call for material assistance from some of the other districts, it didn't take long for Precinct Seven to be outfitted with all the proper requirements for a full-scale raid: Flashlights, body armor, tranquilizers, ropes, a few motion sensors, and yes, even real firearms, of which had to be imported over from Precinct Two over in Tundra-Town. Alongside physical objects, a couple riot officers were also dispatched for assisting in the raid of The Painted Labyrinth. Soon enough, a small army of a dozen and a half strong were set and ready to initiate the final push for dominance over the criminal figurehead that had barricaded himself somewhere deep down underground.

For the past hour and a half, the raid team had put the finishing touches on the preparation of the operation, including general briefings on the overall plan, the goals behind it, backup plans, and various formation strategies to help them get the upper hand on their opponents, if a big fight were to break out. Nick and Judy themselves had spent the last half hour gearing themselves up for the oncoming showdown with Iluka; Nick adorned himself with a thick-padded riot vest, and Judy sported her classic knife-proof chest-piece.

Dispatching from the Deciduous-District's police precinct head-quarters, the lapin and vulpine officers, along with nearly a dozen and a half others as well, set out for the closest entrance to The Painted Labyrinth. Though the cave system was vast, and the team didn't know exactly where the marsupials had set up shop, they did have a general idea as to the area that they would be located in: A patch of ancient lava tubes that branched off from the main tunnel-system, stretching several miles southwestward. It was one of the lesser explored areas of the labyrinth, and so Nick and Judy realized that if the raid team wanted to make any progress with this endeavor of theirs, then they would need to cooperate and work together to track down Iluka and all the marsupials before something bad happened. Along the way, Judy could have sworn she heard shaking sounds below.

Soon enough, the team arrived at the entrance to The Painted Labyrinth.

The cave mouth reminded Judy of her adventures with Nick in the Nocturnal-District: The haunting gusts of wind whirling past the rocks, the sharpened stones, the inky-black atmosphere; All of it took her back. Nostalgia wasn't something that Judy felt very often, but when it came knocking, she welcomed it with warm and open arms every single time. Focusing on the now, the rabbit turned her attention to the front of the raid team, and with tranquilizer guns pointed forward, led the group of mammals into the cave.

Upon first setting foot inside, Nick himself could have sworn that he saw a broken piece of what looked like a tiny wooden cane, but he didn't linger on the thought for very long.

As the raid group carefully yet swiftly picked its way through the caves, the atmosphere and overall layout of the caves began to vastly change; From crooked chunks of rock and rubble to smooth, gooey-looking tunnels with a cylindrical shape to them. Now, the raid group was in a lava tube, and the journey was only just beginning. Soon enough, they came across their first cave painting. Although she was in the very lead of the big group, Judy couldn't resist taking a brief and simple moment to stop and admire what she saw.

Smeared across the smooth rock wall in a flourishing display of colorful swirls, dots, and lines, the rabbit gazed in awe upon a beautiful piece of neolithic mammalian art. With her bright flashlight trained on the side of the lava tube, she was able to visually spot out painted paw and hoof prints, the hunched over shapes of animals walking on all four legs, and ancient displays of line art. However, with the light trained on the wall, she noticed details that shouldn't have been there: Claw marks, and recently made, judging by their almost chalky texture, and strange cracks egging around the edges of the painting, as if someone had been trying to chisel it right off of the wall. She nearly felt herself gasp out.

In that moment, one of the other officers from the behind of her accidentally stumbled over her, due to the rabbit's rather sudden halt in movement. She turned around saw that it was Nick. Unlike most of the other officers, including herself, who adorned night-vision goggles and flashlights, Nick was one of the few who didn't need to do so, allowing his emerald-green eyes to stare out at Judy and lock gazes with that of her own. Clearing his throat audibly, the fox then shuffled forward a bit to make room for those behind him.

"Hey, what's the hold up?" Someone called out irritably from the group. Judy couldn't pinpoint just who, but she didn't care. She stated out loud;

"I'm sorry, I just... Had a moment there..."

"We need to keep going." Nick stated reassuringly. "Come on, Whiskers, let's go and finish this."

"Right." The rabbit nodded firmly in agreement.

Turning around and eyeing the darkness in front of her once again, Judy's flashlight briefly passed over other spots on the smooth walls around her. She noticed even more of those strange cracks, and some discoloring in the rock. She mentally concluded that someone, likely Iluka and his men, were chiseling away at the stone-age cave paintings in the lava tubes. Perhaps the marsupials figured that since they were here already, they might as well get some trophies to take with them, or something, that way if their little expedition happened to go south, then they would still have at least _some_ token of success from the mission here in the depths of The Painted Labyrinth, she thought to herself.

It disgusted Judy, whom found the act to be an appalling display of greed and disregard. Iluka Rombahe, this supposed lover of old history and culture, was ruining The Painted Labyrinth all just for his own personal gain? That wasn't what an archaeologist, or any historian, for that matter, should have done, Judy considered. All the more, it made her want to catch the mammals behind it, if only to throw them in prison where they belong, and to serve strong justice to those that deserved it. She made it her goal to succeed.

Continuing ever deeper into the depths of the earth itself, the raid team witnessed ever the more marks of desolation: Rigid cracks and crushed boulders, undoubtedly the result of the minor earthquakes and tremors caused by the dynamite explosions somewhere in the labyrinth. Despite being an archaeologist, it was clear that Iluka Rombahe, along with his men, held no hesitation in ruining these beautiful caves just to suit their own ends. To Judy, it was all terribly wrong, and perhaps the very embodiment of hypocrisy.

Thousands of years ago, stone-age mammals had set aside their differences and came together, here, to make revolutionary developments in art and culture, and yet it was all slowly being destroyed. These paintings, many of which that had lasted for entire centuries on end, were crumbling before the weight of change caused by greed. It made Judy sick. To herself, she made a personal promise to make Iluka Rombahe and his mob pay for the damage that they had done to this beautiful site of art and mammalian history.

Another twenty minutes of snooping around the caverns passed before the raid team felt their first tremor.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake beneath their feet, causing small pebbles to rattle around and clatter against the hard rock floor of the lava tube. A surprisingly loud and immediate explosive sound resonated around them, some of the officers screaming in surprise and anxiety. Cracking noises pierced Judy's ears, and she looked up to see snaking crevices suddenly break through the walls around them, crumbling rock to dust and causing the earth to shake as the lava tube begun to quickly fall apart before their very eyes.

Without so much as a moment of thought, the rabbit felt a force push her from behind, and a pair of arms wrap around her shoulders as she was suddenly and without notice shoved forward and away from the raid group. Behind her, she heard a horrible crunching sound of a thousand pounds of rock suddenly coming down, and in that moment, a large and billowing cloud of dust and debris roared past, sending chunks of stone flying past their heads and Judy and whoever had pushed her tumbled over and landed hard on the cave floor. More cracking sounds followed suit, but soon enough, the cloud of ash settled, and the noises quelled. The rabbit dared to lift her head up from her place of refuge.

The cave to the behind of them had completely collapsed. Large chunks of rock and rubble formed a massive pile of debris that would have taken a bulldozer to disperse. Judy's head lolled to the side, and she realized that her savior had been none other than Nick, her beloved husband. His heightened senses must've caused him to react to the threat of danger, ultimately pushing his wife forward in an effort to protect her. He had a few scratches visible on his nose, and he was caked in dust, but otherwise, he looked just fine.

Nick coughed a few times as he raised his upper body from the cavern floor. "Did that really just happen?" He muttered through the gags of discomfort.

"Yeah... Looks like we're stuck here. But you saved me, Nick... Thank you." Judy replied, though near moments afterwords, heard a slight voice call out from through the debris;

"Officers! Are you okay?"

Judy sighed hard in relief. The others had survived the collapse! They must have been cut off behind the wall of rubble.

"We're still alive!" The rabbit found herself calling out. "A bit disoriented, but alive."

"And you guys?" Nick shouted back, cupping his paws to his mouth so as to amplify the sound of his voice. A few unnerving seconds of silence until the voice responded again;

"Battered, but could be worse. Officer Yaskson took a pretty bad hit, but he'll make it through."

"Officer Hopps and I are stuck back here. What do we do?" The fox asked as he calmly wiped the layer of dust and ash off of his forearms.

For another few seconds, the voice was slow to respond. When it finally did, it sounded pained. "U-uh, you need to find a way out, immediately!" The voice demanded.

"Is something wrong over there?" Judy questioned, concern lacing the tone behind her words. This time, the voice was quick to respond;

"Yakson got hit harder than we thought! He's bleeding from his forehead. We need to get him back to the surface right away. You two, j-just use your maps! Find a new way out! There's gotta be one of them around there somewhere. Don't wait for help; It'll take ages to get the materials down here needed to clear out those rocks. You'll starve to death sooner than that. Besides, if we're hit with another tremor like that, this is the last place you'd want to be! Go, find a new exit, and regroup with us back at the precinct!"

"Affirmative." The rabbit agreed, standing up to her full height and brushing the dust off of her chest-plate. "We gotta keep moving, Nick."

"The student becomes the teacher." Nick mumbled coyly, referring to how he had instructed Judy of the exact same thing not too long ago.

From there, the fox jumped up onto a large boulder, scrambling his way up with Judy following shortly behind him. Due to the large amounts of rubble and ruin, it took them nearly a half hour to go just a few dozen meters. It was a long and difficult process, but eventually, they managed to reach an area that had yet to be crumbled by the force of the dynamite explosions. These new lava tubes looked as peaceful as ever, as though they hadn't been touched in eons. Yet still, the environment radiated a sense of dreadful uncertainty and danger. Both Nick and Judy knew that if another big explosion rocked the place, they might not be so lucky the next time. They had to find a way out, and fast.

Problem was, they had virtually no idea where they currently were.

Sparing fleeting glances at one of the maps of The Painted Labyrinth that they had been given sometime before the start of the raid, Nick and Judy tried to maneuver their way through what seemed an endless maze of cold, unknown darkness. Time passed, and although they made a few wrong turns here and there, judging by the map and the overall shape of the caverns that they had explored thus far, they reasoned that they must've been getting closer to the very heart of the cave system, where the very lava that carved these tunnels first formed. It was almost humbling, being in the presence of such ancient formations, but the bunny and fox both knew that there was very little time to waste.

Eventually, they decided to stop and take a short break to rest and plan their escape from the labyrinth. Their place of refuge was a long and winding cave, smooth in texture, and with a surprisingly deep stream of crystal clear water running straight through it. The liquid looked just so tantalizingly refreshing, that Judy almost jumped right in. She was very thirsty, and to her, that creek just looked like perhaps the cleanest, most breathtaking body of water in the world right then and there. Nick, however, was much opposed to it, despite his own thirst; He told his partner that the risks of drinking that water were too great to work with, as he'd read somewhere that underground water had acid in it.

It didn't look too acidic to her, but once Nick pointed it out, the rabbit began to notice an almost milky froth developed around the rim of the stream, less clear than the water itself, but foaming with minuscule amounts of bubbles. Maybe the water wasn't so safe to drink after all. The Painted Labyrinth, despite all of its beauty and serenity, was truly a twisting maze of danger and deception. Just about everything in it seemed almost purposefully designed to make exploring the place as discomforting and treacherous as possible.

Choosing to ignore the delicious-looking stream, Judy instead focused her attention on her other senses; Anything but her sudden and rather inconvenient sense of thirst.

Admiring the layout of the smooth rock formations around her, the rabbit mentally took note of just how clean and untouched this particular lava tube seemed to be. Not even a single footprint, claw mark, or piece of litter to be found. It could have stood peaceful for years on end, save for Nick and Judy deciding to take their break within it. There were worse places to be. The bunny also noticed that slimy brown roots dangled from the cavern ceiling, some few crawling right down the side of the cave way like veins to reach the stream of water down below. Wherever there was water, there were plants drying to suck it right up. Judy considered examining one of the roots when she heard a stark noise;

 _Flump_!

The noise sounded almost as though someone had tripped and fallen down hard onto the floor. She glanced at Nick, but he was standing up straight. Another noise followed;

"Bugger! Slippery!"

Something about the voice set Judy off. It sounded distinctly accented: Outback-Island style. A small part of the rabbit hoped it to be a tourist, but since Chief Urzo had alerted the tourism department to restrict public access to The Painted Labyrinth while the ZPD conducted their raid there that day, Judy knew deep down that whoever was behind the voice had to have been a marsupial. Judging by the sound of multiple footsteps and the wheezing chorus of laughter that erupted after the clumsy mammal had slipped in the first place, it was also quite safe to assume that there were multiple marsupials rather than just a single one. They must have been a scouting party on the watch, or something.

Gesturing quickly towards Nick in an effort to alert him to pull out his tranquilizer gun, Judy only had enough time to register the apparent sound of fast, surprised gasps as she turned around and came face to face with a small pack of at least five different mammals. There was a fat little wombat in a sweatshirt, and a tan-colored hound that appeared to be a female dingo, thin and predatory, ready to pounce at any moment. There was a tiny bandicoot brandishing a tiny knife, another dingo, this one being male, and at the very front and foremost of the group of five mammals, a towering, six foot tall male kangaroo with large muscles and a torn up cargo vest wrapped around his broad shoulders.

The kangaroo grinned. "Lookie what we 'ave 'ere." He muttered smugly.

"Fresh meat!" The female dingo growled hungrily, causing Judy to stifle a slight gasp of fear.

Steeling her nerves, the rabbit officer whirled her tranquilizer gun directly towards the pack of criminals, causing them to laugh amongst themselves.

"You can only fire one a' those at a time, missy." The bandicoot exclaimed in a high-pitched and squeaky voice. "It's four against one, and the odds don't look so favorable for ya."

"Actually, it's four against _two_." A voice behind Judy called out to the pack of mammals proudly. The bunny spared a brief glance behind her as Nick waltzed up with his dart gun.

"Nick Wilde." The kangaroo mumbled flatly.

"Ramic..." The fox officer managed carefully. "It's been a while."

"Aye, it has. When I first saw ya at that warehouse in Beaverdam, I couldn't believe me own two bloody eyes. You shouldn't 'ave come here, though." Ramic claimed.

"Sorry old pal, but Carrots and I have a job to do, and that's bringing in guys like you. We may have once been partners, but that was years ago, and I'm a changed fox."

The kangaroo sneered. "Is that so? I guess that'll only make this shindig 'ere all the better." He stated, taking a small step forward.

"Buddy, I'd hate to dart you over this." Nick claimed, raising his tranquilizer gun slightly. "Don't do anything stupid."

Ramic chuckled lowly to himself.

"Don't worry mate, I'm no drongo. I won't do anything stupid." He then gestured to the behind of Nick and Judy. "That's _his_ job."

Nick felt his heart skip a beat as he slowly turned around.

"Wha-?"

There was no one there. Just empty blackness.

" _Now_!" Ramic shouted, signaling his associates to attack.

The fox mentally cursed himself. He had fallen for the oldest trick in the book.

Facing the pack of criminals as fast as he could, Nick knew that if he could take down Ramic, the largest and strongest one of them all, then he and Judy would have a much easier time taking down the rest. The fox officer aimed his tranquilizer gun towards his old partner and fired as fast as he could, though in the moment of action, he slipped on the slick cavern floor and promptly fell on his tail, causing his wrist to veer off from his target and the dart to sail right past Ramic, and end up sticking the bandicoot instead, which wearily fell to the ground and began to snore. Due to the bandicoot's overall size compared to the dart, Nick was worried that he might've accidentally killed it, but before he could think or worry any more about it, one of Ramic's fists came sailing past his head, narrowly missing the fox's cheek as it brushed past the russet colored fur on his jaw.

Nick cried out in surprise, and then scampered backwards in an effort to distance himself from his assailant as fast as he could.

Alternatively, Judy had managed to fire off a single dart of her own, which landed expertly on one of the male dingo's biceps. He promptly collapsed, nearly landing on top of the bandicoot that Nick wound up darting, albeit unintentionally, just mere seconds earlier. With Nick busy trying to scramble away from Ramic, whom continuously tried stomping on him with his considerably large feet, Judy was left to deal with both the wombat and the female dingo, the latter of which rushed her with bared teeth and raised sharp claws.

Back at the Zootopia Police Academy, the rabbit officer, then just a humble recruit, had been taught how to fight with tranquilizer guns, both while they were fully loaded and unloaded. She recalled being instructed to use the dart gun as a melee weapon, if you were being rushed by an assailant, yet didn't have enough time to reload and fire a dart.

Right now, Judy had only seconds to react to the dingo's razor claws and foaming maw.

Shifting her feet into a strong defensive position, the bunny braced for impact as she raised her arm and swung the barrel of the tranquilizer gun towards the canine, striking the creature across the muzzle and causing it to stumble and fall over. She hoped that it had been knocked out, but didn't hope for very long, as the wombat jumped right over the dingo's body and tackled Judy to the ground. The rabbit growled in discomfort as the fat wombat used his weight to try and pin her down. He grabbed her wrists and tried holding her arms away from his face, and although it looked as if the wombat was about to try and headbutt her, she finally managed to throw him off with the force of her powerful legs.

Getting to her feet as fast as she could, Judy spared a lightning-quick glance around the fight between Nick and Ramic, the former of which had thankfully managed to get back up on his feet and begin trying to hit the kangaroo with his empty tranquilizer gun, but due to the creature's great size and strength, he might as well have been trying to take down a brick wall. The bunny had no more time to admire their tussle, as she turned her attention towards her own tranquilizer gun, which had been tossed from her paw when the wombat had tackled her to the floor. She spotted the object lying still on the cave ground just a few short feet away, empty, perhaps, but still a useful tool to work alongside.

Stumbling towards it as fast as she could, Judy was just about to grab the thing when she felt a tug on her leg, causing her to fall over and back to the floor. She stared back and saw that the wombat had somehow grabbed a hold of her ankle, resulting in her balance being effected. The rabbit momentarily tried pulling her leg away, but then realized that she was in the perfect position to kick him in the face. She did exactly that. Raising her other leg up and aiming it with precision in mind, Judy plowed her heel directly into the wombat's flabby face, promptly releasing his hold on her foot and causing him to be thrown back and into the nearby stream, his heavy body splashing loudly against the water.

Judy was about to congratulate herself when that dingo that she had slapped across the face from earlier pounced right on top of her. Being larger and much stronger, she was able to effectively pin the rabbit down without much of a struggle. Smiling and licking her sharp teeth, the dingo snickered to herself as she stared down at a now helpless Judy.

"Not so tough now are ya, sheila?" The dingo hissed into her ear.

As the female dingo's disgusting slobber dripped down onto her twitching face, Judy spared a glance at her foxy partner across the cave, who appeared to be fighting in attrition.

Ramic yelled as he threw another hard punch towards Nick, whom, being the faster and more agile of the two mammals, simply turned to the side and avoided its coming path. However, the action was just enough a challenge to keep the fox from being able to reload his tranquilizer gun with another dart, and even then, shooting his towering kangaroo opponent at such a close range would have been a rather difficult ask to accomplish. The two fighting mammals were now just trying to finish the other off without any trouble.

While they battled, the kangaroo mostly kept his arms close to his torso to protect from strikes, and relied on his legs to try and take out Nick; Kicking at him, trying to stomp on him, or toss him to the side. Judy recalled how in Beaverdam, when she and Nick were discussing the latter's past relationship with Ramic, how the fox had referred to the male kangaroo as an 'expert kick-boxer', and how his apparent street name was 'The Basher'. Witnessing the two mammals locked in combat, the rabbit now finally understood the meaning and weight of those words. Knowing that Ramic had a strong kick only made it all the more painful when he finally managed to land one on Nick, causing him to gag.

"Nick!" Judy called out to him, only for the dingo above her to snarl, demanding her attention, but not receiving any shred of it.

The kangaroo had managed to nail a calf-kick directly behind Nick's legs, causing him to be swept off balance and fall flat on his back. Ramic raised one of his large, thick feet before proceeding to stomp down hard on the fox's stomach, not hard enough to completely disembowel him, as Judy was quite sure that Ramic was quite capable of, but hard enough to cause Nick to jack-knife up and let out a horribly guttural coughing noise. That was definitely going to hurt in the morning. Judy cringed at the sight of the big strike.

Bearing an expression of both frustration and disappointment, Ramic then promptly kicked Nick in the side of his body as if the kangaroo were punting a soccer ball across a field. The fox grunted in pain as he was sent flying across the cave from the force of the strike. His body was stopped as his back collided with the wall of the lava tube, and he then landed in the stream with a splash, and began to sink without a sound. A flurry of bubbles rose up from his body as he started to lose air and steep ever lower into the water.

Judy felt a sudden rage build up within her, and using the power given to her by a brief shot of adrenaline rushing through her veins, the rabbit managed to throw the snarling dingo from her body, and then dove head first into the water and after Nick, hoping that the slight acidic nature of the stream, which in of itself was surprisingly deep, wasn't too much to handle. She grabbed hold of the fox's body, and using all of her might, pulled him up and to the surface, helping him out of the water as he flopped tiredly onto dry land.

Nick coughed a few times before wearily turning around and helping to pull Judy herself out of the acidic mixture and onto the smooth rocky shore. Together, they both glanced up at Ramic, whom leaned forward and jabbed his palms against their chests, pinning the two officers to the ground. The marsupials had won, and Nick and Judy had lost. Badly.

Their radios were cut, their bodies were tied together in ropes, and the two tiny officers were then slung over Ramic's broad shoulder, the other being occupied by the male dingo that Judy had managed to knock out with a single tranquilizer dart earlier on in the fight. Sure enough, the canine was still snoring sound asleep. Ramic checked on the others.

"You alright there, mate?" Ramic asked the bandicoot as he prodded it with one of his feet. It was still lying motionless on the ground from Nick's rouge dart.

"Bloody dart nicked me in the shoulder; Hurts like 'ell, but I'll be fine." The bandicoot claimed, his mouth being the only part of him that could still move properly, apparently.

"She'll be right." That portly wombat added. "Now let's get these dipsticks back to camp!" He exclaimed, pointing towards Nick and Judy as he picked up the bandicoot.

For nearly forty more minutes, the marsupials carried the two captured officers ever deeper into the depths of The Painted Labyrinth. Judy desperately wanted to make a call for help, but since her arms were tied against her sides, and her radio was cut, all she could do was sit back and think, patiently awaiting the fate of whatever these hooligans had planned for she and her husband, Nick. At the thought of the fox, Judy tried craning her head around so as to get a glance at him. Aside from the rigid feeling of his back pressed against her own due to the way that they were bundled up together, the rabbit had no idea what Nick was thinking of, feeling, or acting out. All that she could do was sit back.

Judy absolutely hated sitting back.

Eventually, with her large and sensitive ears tuned in to the world around her, Judy begun to hear soft, clattering, and jarring noises from somewhere deeper within the depths of the caves. Conversation of mammals, the whirring of machinery, and the crackling sound of stone being crushed and blown away. She reasoned that they were very close to where Iluka Rombahe and the marsupials had set up camp here in the cave system, far away from the light of the surface. Soon, the group reached the very end of the tunnel.

Rearing the corner of the lava tube's end, Ramic and the other marsupials pulled a tied up Nick and Judy into the base of a massive cavern, some one hundred feet tall and wide.

Fluorescent search lights and floor lamps have been set up, illuminating the dig site and all of the twisted machinery within it. Rows of grungy tents flanked the outskirts of the cavern, and the largest wall of rock was bordered with digging equipment and even entire cratefuls of dynamite. Broken chunks of stone and dried lava had been blown all over the place, with stalactites that had fallen from the cavern ceiling crushed on the hard rock ground, massive, snaking cracks webbing throughout the area like capillaries, and a thick sulfuric scent lingering in the air, filling the noses of the two tiny officers as they were carried, bound in ropes, by the kangaroo deeper into the heart of the excavation site.

Once Ramic had hauled the bunny and fox to the very center of the tent complex, it was only then that Nick himself noticed the center of attention; A brooding tasmanian-devil, standing over a work table inside one of the larger-sized tents. He had an orange-ish brown safari suit cloaking the charcoal black fur on his body, and sticking out from beneath the yellow construction hat on his head were a multitude of beaded strings, clattering about as their host moved his head while looking over the papers lain on the table. Iluka.

Somewhere from the behind of them, one of the other marsupials that had assisted in Nick and Judy's capture called out to Iluka, whom turned tail and stared them all down.

"Boss! We just 'ad a tussle wit' the coppers! They made it into the tunnels! The ZPD is here in the caves-"

 **" _WHAT!?_ "** Iluka roared aloud, clenching his meaty fists and glaring to the cavern ceiling with rage.

The tasmanian devil harshly choked back another scream of anger. "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm _cool_... I'm fine." He muttered quickly, running his claws through the fur on his head.

As the devil's whittled claws anxiously raked across his scalp, the stringed beads that were tied up in his scruffy hair rattled audibly, like wooden wind chimes in a soft breeze. Exhaling a rather drawn-out sigh of relief, he then stepped forward with his paws on his hips and surveyed the sight before him. He pursed his lips in frustration and asked;

"So the ZPD is here, in the Painted Labyrinth... _Right now_?"

Iluka's words were incredibly calm, yet radiated pure rage and fear with each syllable. The fat wombat swallowed nervously, and then managed to stammer a decent response.

"Yes, _well_ , no, but... Okay, let me start over." He said before clearing his throat. "The ZPD made it into the Painted Labyrinth-"

The wombat timidly trailed off as he noticed his boss's expression harden in anger.

"B-But we stopped them! Well, we stopped them u-unintentionally, but we still stopped them! The last dynamite explosion caused the lava tube that they were in to collapse!"

"Yeah, and we managed to bag these two in the aftermath." Ramic stated gruffly as he slung the lapin and vulpine around and dropped them to the ground at Iluka's feet.

Nick and Judy both grunted in discomfort as their bodies hit the cave floor, with Judy facing Iluka, and Nick facing Ramic. Coughing a few times, the rabbit then glanced up and locked eyes with Iluka Rombahe, whom in turn was staring down at her with an expression of bewilderment. His facial features soon warped into those of confidence and pride.

"My, my... Here I thought I left all of my troubles behind in Beaverdam." Iluka muttered. "I am surprised! I didn't expect to see you two again, and certainly not so soon!"

Judy narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "You recognize us?" She questioned out loud, to which the tasmanian-devil snorted in amusement. He exclaimed loudly;

"Recognize you? Of course! You're the same two blue heelers from the warehouse! Besides, I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who _wouldn't_ recognize the famous duo; Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, the heroes of the ZPD, saviors of the city, and first openly inter-species couple in a position of power. I know all too well who you are, but what I _don't_ know, is what you're doing here: Aren't you two supposed to be somewhere in Precinct One, off protecting Zootopia, and making the world a better place, hm?"

For some odd reason, hearing the same phrase that Judy had stated proudly on TV so many times in the past coming from Iluka Rombahe himself made her feel sick to her stomach. It was as though someone had taken something cherished to her and warped it in a sarcastic and humiliating way. His words bit with contempt and a condescending tone, but the bunny refused to allow herself to give in to the tasmanian-devil: She had no intention on being seen as a weak, frightened little rabbit. Not here. Not anywhere.

Meanwhile, Nick, although his body was facing away from Iluka due to the positioning of the ropes that held him against his mate, craned his head over his shoulder and tried to spare a brief glance at his captor. The fox eyed the tasmanian-devil up and down, taking note of his rugged appearance, scruffy black hair braided with dozens of little wooden beads, and wild orange eyes that shined bright in the inky atmosphere of the cavern. Recalling choice bits of information from the Precinct Seven archives, where he had read up on Iluka's background history and external personality, Nick figured that the tasmanian-devil was a pretty reasonable fellow, so long as he didn't get mad. The fox grinned coyly.

Nick reasoned that since both he and Iluka had a history of cons and criminal ties (Even if his own were considerably less prolific), that he might be able to talk his way to safety.

"What we're doing here, huh? Long story short; There was this nasty rat, some important documents, and a few desperate measures, all mixed together into one big cluster-"

"Rat?" Iluka interjected, promptly cutting off the fox. "You mean Grygorri? Ah, I see what's goin' on here... You two must've fallen into one of his silly lil' traps, aye?"

"Let's just say that desperate times called for desperate measures." Nick stated flatly.

"Nick, why are you talking to him?" Judy hissed in question as quietly as she could. In response, he simply gave her paw a reassuring squeeze; A gesture requesting for trust.

Over on, the tasmanian-devil continued speaking. "So that's why you're here, then. Sounds like fair dinkum to me." He grunted. "Can't say that I was a big fan a' Grygorri..."

Iluka trailed off before gesturing with his paws to a nearby computer system that had been set up atop a small wooden table. On it, a tiny black flash-drive stuck out prominently.

"But he _did_ leave us some leads to follow." Iluka finalized.

The fox thought quickly, thinking back to the old broken piece of wood that he had spotted on the way through the lava tubes. Definitely Ratsputin's cane, but why was it even broken? What purpose did Iluka have with it? He had too many questions and too little answers. If he was going to stall for time to allow the ZPD to rescue he and Judy, then he needed a steady, strong barrage of insightful questions not only to keep the marsupial thugs busy, but to perhaps even gain some helpful intelligence to help their cause as well.

"Say, that reminds me... What are you doing here in the Deciduous-District anyways?" He questioned calmly, all the while giving his mate's paw another soft squeeze.

Though Nick had long since reasoned out the answer to that particular question, he only asked Iluka himself because he wanted to hear the words come right out of his mouth.

"Good question, mate. Most mammals only care about the haves and have-dones, and less about the reason why, so good on ya fer being considerate."

"Ah, why thank you. Just being curious, that's all." Nick claimed, to which the tasmanian-devil snorted in amusement.

"I probably shouldn't be tellin' ya any of this, but since I'm not the one hog-tied in the dirt, and since ya asked so nicely, I s'pose I can spare some details. Consider it chivalry."

The fox nodded, hoping for the tasmanian-devil to go on. Iluka sighed and wrung his claws together almost anxiously before starting;

"Well, you see, though the Outback's got plenty of knick-knacks for my gang to accustom with, the island's been runnin' a wee bit dry, in recent years. It's been harder to find valuable artifacts; Almost everything that's reachable has been recovered by now, and whether they're in museums, households, or bank vaults, there's only so many relics to go around. But, the mainland is a whole new territory, with entirely new markets to exploit! With our expertise and resources, my mates and I can make great things happen!"

"I see... So you're trying to expand your reach of power and influence, right?" Nick interjected in question. The tasmanian-devil grinned wide before continuing;

"Aye. There are plenty of ancient mammalian cultures throughout the mainland to delve into: The Catztec ruins in the Rainforest-District, desert tombs in the Sahara-Square, yet of all the places to choose from, we singled out the Deciduous-District, because here, there is said to be an artifact of legendary worth... An age-old relic infamous for being the subject of many searches, but never having been found before. Elkscalibur, The Sword of Kings, a weapon once brandished by the great Elktic king, Alastrine Brockernos."

"Yeah, we've heard that story before." The fox stated with a single nod. "You remember it, Carrots?"

"I can't believe that we're having this conversation right now." Judy grumbled.

The tasmanian-devil simply smiled, ignoring Judy's previous comment.

"According to Elktic scripture, the sword was buried with Alastrine after his death, and sealed within a tomb somewhere underground. We intend on finding that tomb!" He said.

"You're telling me that you're practically destroying the whole foundation of the Deciduous-District just for one stupid sword?" Judy questioned skeptically, and with frustration.

"It's a sacrifice we're willing to make. The value of these filthy caves is, quite literally, below dirt: Paltry compared to what we could find in that tomb."

"Still seems like a whole lot of trouble." The rabbit muttered. She took note of Iluka's disgruntled expression as he rubbed the back of his neck tenderly.

"Well, there's a bit more to it than that, I suppose... The sword has value, yes, but I also want it for some personal reasons as well."

"Personal reasons?"

Iluka didn't bother answering right away. Judy figured that it must have been a subject that he didn't like to talk about very much. He soon found his words, and spoke out loud;

"Back before I was arrested, the archaeological world looked to me with admiration and hope. I was a museum curator, and a renowned cultural and historical enthusiast. That all changed when the ZPD brought me in, and threw me behind bars to rot for nearly three years before I made my escape. During that time, I was stripped of all of my awards, archaeological titles, and contributions, and was shunned for my ulterior work as the crime-lord of Outback-Island, which I had been posing as behind curtains the entire time."

"That sounds like something that you brought upon yourself, Iluka." Judy stated sternly. "It's only because of yourself that you were arrested and served strict justice."

Although he took in the bunny's words, the tasmanian-devil pretended to ignore them. He continued his explanation;

"With Elkscalibur in my paws, I can finally prove to all of those tossers just how great of an archaeologist I am! Rubbing my discovery in their faces is a real ripper thought."

"But you could go to jail for this! It all will have been for nothing! You couldn't have just stuck with what you had and lain low?" Judy asked.

"I could have done that, true, but I'm an opportunist, and this whole pozzy was too good to let slip. Besides, I got associates to pay and demands to meet, and although tricking university students and other treasure hunters to pay to dig on my land is a good income, it just can't keep with the times. The cons are fun, but not worth pursuing too hasty."

"Cons? Interesting!" Nick exclaimed. "I used to be a hustler myself, you know."

"So I've heard. That pawpsicle scam? Bloody genius!"

The fox actually felt a bit flattered. No one had ever cherished the wit that he had used in his scams before. "Oh, you're too kind." He swooned with a half-lidded grin.

"Just statin' the truth there. You got a gift for riffin'. I, on the other paw, could use some bettering... Probably wouldn't have wound up in jail if I had _your_ assistance!"

"Guilty as charged." Nick said coyly, causing the tasmanian-devil to bark a laugh.

"If only we had you on our side, mate. You'd be a real help. Maybe we'd even be able to use that night vision of yours to scout out stuff for us in the Nocturnal-District!"

"Heh heh, yeah, that might be fun." Nick started, still chuckling from earlier. "Hey, hey, Iluka, while on the topic of evolutionary traits, I've been wondering for a while now..."

The crime-lord raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Is it true that tasmanian-devils can turn into tiny tornadoes? I mean, I've heard stories and seen a few movies where-"

Nick trailed off when he noticed that Iluka's smiling expression had melted into that of stone-cold disapproval.

"Zero to pissed in a moment, my goodness, you have talent." He snarled menacingly.

Nick swallowed nervously. Mentally, he cursed himself for being so vocally reckless: Iluka wasn't his friend, and he couldn't joke around with him so casually. Perhaps he had just subconsciously been hoping to appeal to the tasmanian-devil's more humorous and friendly side in order to help ensure he and Judy's safety, but in the end, it seemed that he had overstepped the line, and only served to anger Iluka. The fox made himself a mental note to always try to stay on the good side of tasmanian-devils, no matter the cause.

Meanwhile, Judy watched as the tasmanian-devil reached into his safari suit and pulled out a brightly painted boomerang. At first, she was worried that he was going to knock them out with it, but suddenly, a thought pierced her conscious, and she simply couldn't prevent herself from blurting out her coming words, only hoping that they stood strong;

"Is that the weapon you used to kill that night watchman at the museum?"

Iluka raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you mean this?" He mumbled innocently, tossing the item into the air a single time before catching it once again. "Unfortunate casualty."

"Why? Why did you kill him?" Judy demanded to know. "You couldn't have just, I don't know, tied him up, or something?"

To the rabbit officer herself, when it came to killing, she had always a bit on the more sensitive side. Of all the things the world had to offer to despite, killing was perhaps one of Judy's most touchy and rather uncomfortable subjects. She did not like the idea of intentionally taking the life of another mammal. She considered it wrong, despicable, and a truly terrible waste. Judy found herself furrowing her brow in frustration as she glared up at the tasmanian-devil standing before her. The rabbit watched as he crossed his arms.

"He ran away. Managed to slip out of the museum and make a break for it." Iluka claimed. "Bloke would 'ave tattled to the bobbies about us, and we couldn't let that happen."

"That's not right... You shouldn't have done that! Once Nick and I are free, and the ZPD puts your tail in jail, you'll be sorry!" Judy stated firmly and with a strong sense of valor.

The tasmanian-devil smiled, almost as though he were proud of her. "You got spunk, rabbit." He said. "I like that."

" _Hmph_!" Judy huffed, turning her head away from her captor, refusing to look him in the eye.

Snorting slightly in amusement, Iluka proceeded to wipe his forearm against his mouth swiftly before turning to Nick with a glint of disappoint in his eye.

"And as for you, though..." He started sternly. "All I see is wasted potential."

"W-What? Wasted potential?" The fox stammered.

"You don't swing it like you used to, _fox_." Iluka growled, all the while twirling the painted boomerang around his whittled claws. "You've moved on to the side of the angels."

He promptly sighed, as if he were disappointed in Nick.

"A croakin' shame, that is. Your street knowledge and quick wit coulda made you a helpful member of our syndicate." The tasmanian-devil shrugged. "Tough luck on ya, foxy."

"We may be on the side of the angels, but don't mistake us for one of them, though, buddy! Once Hopps and I get out of here, you're gonna wish that you-"

Nick started vehemently, but was swiftly cut off by his marsupial captor, whom sardonically finished the fox's sentence on his own;

"Never broke out of jail in the first place, I take it? Typical. You're as thick-headed as a boab tree, yet as easy to see through as water."

"Well, _actually_ , I was _gonna_ say never set foot in the Deciduous-District, but that's a close second." The fox corrected, causing the tasmanian-devil to sigh, clearly unimpressed.

"Crikey, how did Vladzotz have so much trouble killing you?" He growled, pinching at his brow irritably.

"I am very stubborn." Nick retorted flatly.

Iluka sneered. "Clearly." He growled.

The tasmanian-devil then turned around and faced the nearby cavern wall where a number of the other marsupials were still digging and drilling against the hard rock surface.

"Enough of this earbashing. It was a pleasure meeting the both of you in the flesh, officers, though I have a feeling that the next time we meet..."

He trailed off as he glanced over his broad collarbone and eyed his captives with a hardened expression upon his face. He continued darkly;

"I'll be cataloging your parched bones into my curatory collection. Ramic, take them away; Far away, into the caverns, and finish them off. Use your knife."

Judy's ears suddenly straightened out with alarm. "N-Now hang on, don't be doing anything that you'll regret! Killing police officers is a high offense!" She called out hastily.

"Yeah, let's reconsider this!" Nick stammered aloud, visibly starting to tense up in fear as well. "M-Maybe we can talk things out over a pint?" He offered half-heartedly.

Alas, their pleading words were met with deaf ears, for the tasmanian-devil kept his back to the two officers, ignoring their cries as the nearby kangaroo picked up the end of a loose rope connected to the bundle that held Nick and Judy tightly together, and begun to drag them off and away from the ring of tents, towards one of the cavern openings that connected the dig site to the rest of the cave system. Practically face down in the dirt, the rope-bound fox squirmed around, hoping to get some leverage for an escape, but was ultimately left disappointed, as the coils that restricted him were simply too tight. Nick mentally cursed himself before calming down and trying to think of an easy way out.

Meanwhile, although facing up towards the cavern ceiling, Judy herself was able to acquire a considerably decent view of the excavation site, and managed to spot Iluka through the crowding conglomeration of tents, machinery, and marsupials milling about. She watched the tasmanian-devil carefully as a thin dingo approached him and began to speak;

"Boss, one of the motion sensors that we placed at the various entrances to the labyrinth has gone off: It says a large group of mammals has suddenly entered. It's the ZPD."

Judy felt her tiny heart race in anticipation. The ZPD was trying to find another way into the labyrinth to save them! The rabbit desperately hoped that they could manage to find their way through the tunnels and reach them in time, though with the little resources that the raid team had with them, even she doubted the efficiency of that hope. As her mind raced, weighing the possibilities, her sensitive ears listened closely and wandering eyes watched carefully upon the conversation between Iluka Rombahe and the dingo strategist, curiosity pestering her motives. The tasmanian-devil growled angrily, causing the dingo beside him to flinch, despite being over a foot taller than his superior.

"Must be tryin' to recover the two blokes that Ramic and his scouts bagged earlier." He guessed. Despite being a good fifty feet away, Judy heard them loud and clear.

"Aye." The dingo agreed. "The precautions that we set up should slow them down right good, but I reckon that they'll find us in a matter of a few hours."

Iluka grit his jaw irritably. "Do you think that we have enough time to finish the excavation?" He asked hopefully with a tone of menace to his words. The dingo then spoke fast;

"Well, we aren't so sure if the tomb is even located in this sector of the cave system, sir; For all we know, it could be on the complete other side of the map! The data that we've extracted from the flash drive is mostly just info based on speculation, and we've placed all of our bets on the premise that the tomb is hidden right behind that big wall of rock!"

The dingo emphasized his point with a gesture towards the massive wall of stone to his right. He continued hastily;

"Our sources are reliable, but we can't be sure. The men are already beginning to tire, and if they find out that whatever's behind that rock wall isn't what we're looking for, then it could spell trouble. A lot is at risk here, especially with the current situation: The cave wall is beginning to crack, but we still have a ways to go, and it could take a fair while."

Judy watched in both fascination and angst as Iluka's paws clenched into tight balls, and his expression harden by the second. She sensed an outburst on its way, and would have tried to cover her ears, were it not for the ropes that kept her arms bound tightly to her sides. The tasmanian-devil proved her right with a sudden bellow of raging anger.

" _There's no time_!" Iluka roared, flailing his balled fists in the air. "The Painted Labyrinth is _insanely_ huge, and yet _all_ of our resources are limited to this _bloody snot_ of a cave!"

"Sir, we-" The dingo tried to interject, but Iluka was on a roll;

"The ZPD is likely on its way here _right now_! If we don't get this ball rolling, then the only place we'll be trying to dig out of is a _cell-block_ at the county prison! Now go, go _go_!"

Nodding his head shakily in agreement, the dingo then turned tail and rushed off towards the nearby wall of rock, stumbling over his own two feet a few times along the way. Judy witnessed a number of boxes being broken open, and had to withhold a gasp as even more handfuls of dynamite were taken out and set up around the perimeter of the wall. It was clear that with their work being on the clock and the ZPD approaching closer with each passing minute, the marsupials were getting desperate to finish their job. So desperate, in fact, that they would result to using even more explosives to try and break through that towering wall of bedrock, even if it meant a great risk to their own safety.

The bunny wasn't sure what to think. With cracks, sinkholes, and tremors being experienced on the surface, just how much more damage could this ancient cavern take?

She didn't know the answer. The path of destruction that Iluka and his cronies had carved into The Painted Labyrinth was already telling enough on its own, but if they were all truly desperate enough to blow this place to bits just for the sake of finding some old tomb, then whatever was inside of it must have been a trove of true value and wealth. A grunt of discomfort pierced her ears, derailed her train of thought, and earned her sudden attention: Nick, whom had the short end of the stick since he was the one face down in the dirt while being dragged, had gagged aloud and proceeded to spit out a small mouthful of soil. His tongue and lips made smacking noises as he tried to clean out his maw.

"Yuck! Ugh, this couldn't be any worse." He grumbled.

Suddenly, the texture of the ground beneath their twin bodies began to change, and Judy noticed that the surface of the cavern floor began to become more rocky and pointed. Staring up at the ceiling, which was now just a few yards above her instead of a few dozen yards, she reasoned that their kangaroo captor must have finally brought them to the mouth of one of the many lava tubes that stemmed from the excavation site. Now, it was only her, Nick, and Ramic, as he dragged the former two behind him and into the ever darkening depths of the cave before them all. He flipped on a flashlight, and being as deep underground as they were, Judy wondered if it would be the last light she ever saw.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **At long last, the latest chapter of WIF has arrived! I certainly hope that you all enjoyed it, but regardless, I thank you all for reading it nonetheless. Next up, you can expect the coming chapter (86) to be the last chapter of the 6th arc! That's right! It's been a great run so far, but I'm proud to announce that this latest story arc of ours is coming to a close. The up and coming 7th story arc finale is looking to be a pretty long chapter, so I hope you are all ready for it!**

 **I do indeed have plans for the 7th arc of this story, and I think many of you will be pleased to know that I do have big plans coming down the road, including tons more adventure, action, crime, and even some more romance, too. Stay tuned for all the good stuff, everyone, and you won't be disappointed, I'm sure.**

 **Until then, you can expect plenty of new content far and wide, including more fan-art that I've recently posted to my Tumblr and Devientart accounts. You're more than welcome to check those out if you'd like to see various fan interpretations of scenes, characters, and setting that appear throughout this story of ours. That being said, if you are thinking of contributing your own art (I welcome all benefactions) to the art collective, I am open for contact here on .**

 **A special thanks to all who read, review, follow, and favorite this story. We've just recently reached a new big milestone, and I can't wait to see the next! If you haven't already, do feel free to favorite and/or follow this story, as each and every individual one is very highly appreciated. Thank you all for your time.**

 **For all the reviewers out there, what did you enjoy about this chapter? What did you think of the action sequences, the vivid descriptions of the scenery and setting, and Nick and Judy's talk with Iluka Rombahe? What do you think about what's been happening, and what's going to happen in the coming chapters?**

 **I would very much indeed like to know your personal thoughts. :)**

 **Whatever the case, that's pretty much all I got to say for now, really. Thanks for reading, and do stay tuned for the next chapter, coming your way soon.**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	83. Buried

**Hey Everyone!**

 **As you might've guessed by the state of this pre-chapter author's note, I have yet another music suggestion for those interested. You need not listen to it if you don't want to, of course, but I have personally found this particular piece to go very well with the scene where Nick/Judy enter the discovered tomb.**

 **Here it is: Dragon Ball super soundtrack: Dark days are coming**

 **I also have one for the hospital scene at the very end of the chapter: The End- Bowser's Inside Story**

 **Without any further ado, let's jump right in to the 86th chapter of ' _When Instinct Falls_ ', and the finale of the sixth arc!**

 **Do enjoy...**

* * *

"You can't move ahead until you bury the past." - Danielle Steel

* * *

10:33 P.M

So _this_ was how she was going to die.

Judy Hopps had always heralded the concept of death with a full expectancy of dignity and honor: Being a police officer of the ZPD, she knew from day one that her very own life was on the line with practically every excursion that she experiences. Even the most simple and innocent of traffic stops could turn deadly. Whenever she took part in a raid, or stopped a petty criminal, there was always a chance that something could go wrong. Go deadly. It's what made being a police officer such a dedicated job; It took courage to know that any day could be your last. As such, she walked through life knowing that it could end at any moment, though, it didn't stop her from enjoying the little things, of course: There was a pleasure to them that even the cold, cruel hands of death itself couldn't take away, and perhaps, that was what made them so memorable.

But she hadn't expected to go out like this.

Hog-tied in a prison of rope, back against her partner, all the while being dragged through the grimy dirt and sharp little pebbles of a cavern floor deep underground. Here, far from the light and safety of the surface, there would be no help coming anytime soon. Judging from what she had single-handedly managed to detect from that earlier conversation between the marsupials as she and Nick were vacated from the dig-site, the ZPD had found another route into The Painted Labyrinth, and were on their way to its heart, though with how long it took the two tiny officers themselves to maneuver the deep, treacherous caverns, a full-fledged raid team with multiple mammals likely wouldn't have it quite so easy, especially with the abundance of gear that they carried. They came prepared to finish what they had started with those marsupial criminals!

Alas, fate seemed to have other plans for Nick and Judy, respectively: Radios cut. Gear confiscated. Hope nearly lost. It appeared as though there was no escape nor help in sight for the lapin and the vulpine, despite all that they had been through over the past few hours; With the lava tube collapsing from earlier, the fight with the marsupials, and being dragged into the middle of a cavern raving with criminals, it was a miracle that the two of them had gotten this far without dying, or perhaps at least without being seriously injured or hurt. But now, there was nothing that they could do but wait. Before Ramic had begun to take Nick and Judy away and into the caverns, no doubt so that their deaths wouldn't interfere with the marsupial's excavation job, Iluka Rombahe had ordered the aforementioned kangaroo to permanently dispose of his two hostages.

Both Nick and Judy's very lives were on the line.

The former of the two, meanwhile, recognizing their current situation as one that would require smooth-talking and fast words to get out of, begun to devise a plan to try and bolster he and his mate's chances of survival against such overwhelming odds. Having learnt his lesson from his earlier conversation with Iluka himself, Nick made the mental choice of not bringing up anything very touchy, or speaking in too much of a joking manner with his old con partner, Ramic Roofiss, in the hopes of keeping his own temper in check. From what little they had worked together on in the past, the fox understandably hadn't gathered much characteristically important information on the kangaroo, since he seemed an all-around stoic, careful and somewhat quiet kind of mammal, but at the very least, he didn't appear to be the the kind that lost his cool very easily. That's a plus.

Nick hoped that he could manage to at least pull _something_ positive off when dealing with Ramic, though.

Steeling his nerves and his resolve, Nick figured that there was no better time than now to test out that hope.

"Hey, Ramic, buddy... " The fox started with calm words. "You think that we can talk for just a minute?"

"No." The kangaroo muttered flatly and without any detectable hesitation nor emotion to his tone of voice.

So far so good.

"Aw, c'mon, don't be like that! It's been years!" Nick continued. "Think we can't just even take a second to catch up, huh? Just a bit?"

" _No_." Ramic repeated, this time with a much stronger firmness to his tone.

This was going to be harder than Nick thought. Realizing that it would take a whole lot more than that to get his old con partner to crack, the fox began to think up some other ways to perhaps exploit the current situation and to come out on top. With his flashlight pointed up ahead, Ramic momentarily stopped before picking up the two tiny officers in his muscular arms like a sack of laundry, and leaping over a decently sized crevice that must have been preventing the kangaroo from dragging his two hostages any further. While briefly off of the ground, Judy felt a rush of cold air swish past her long ears; The stream of air created when Ramic had jumped nearly five feet forward, and the rush of his body suddenly accelerating. The rabbit momentarily felt as though she were leaning her head out of an open car window, enjoying the whirling winds of an afternoon ride through time. The moment was short lived, however, as soon enough, the smell and the claustrophobic feeling of the cave began to return to her. She sighed.

Virtually anyplace underground was definitely not high on her list of favored environments. Having grown up in rural Bunny-Burrow, a sunny, warm, and expansive farming community, being shoved beneath the earth only served to make her anxious, even if a lot of bunny homes were built underground. She just didn't like the watery smell, the chilling air, nor the confined spaces, most of all. Her brief little trip to the Nocturnal-District with her partner, Nick, certainly didn't help, either; If anything, it just reaffirmed her belief in the superiority of the surface world in comparison to what lied beneath it.

Personal opinions aside, she believed it safe to say that being murdered down here wasn't exactly on her list of high priorities, either.

As Ramic set a tied-up Nick and Judy back onto the cold cavern floor, the fox officer squirmed around a bit and whispered as quietly as he could into his partner's long ears;

"Got any ideas, Carrots?" He questioned in a minute pitch.

Knowing that her husband's ears probably weren't as sensitive as her own, Judy decided to play it safe and just shake her head from side to side instead of replying vocally. She heard Nick grumble a slight growl of seeming disappointment beneath his breath. The rabbit figured that he must've been trying to figure out some way to get them out of their current situation and to safety, but judging by the previous noises that he had produced, she reasoned that his plan was not going as well as he could have hoped for.

Without a word, the movement of their captor came to a sudden and unexpected halt. Another seismic tremor had trembled the caves, and the sound of crunching stone and flying flames echoed down the length of the lava-tube from somewhere far behind them. Iluka and his gang must have finally blown up that big wall of bedrock that had been restricting their excavation into deeper depths of The Painted Labyrinth. Nick, Judy, and Ramic were far enough away that the explosion had no effect on them, but still close enough in that they felt the shaking of the earth and heard the sound of the whirling explosion as it ripped through the confined space of the cave system before fading away.

"Boss must 'ave finally blown up that stupid wall." The kangaroo muttered to no one in particular as he dropped the officers to the ground. "About bloody time it went down."

Judy found herself growing frustrated once more. "Why are you doing this? Those explosions could kill us all!" She exclaimed, causing Ramic to turn around and eye her over.

"Didn't you hear what Iluka told you earlier? This whole shindig 'ere is just one big high-risk, high-reward mission." He told her.

"But are the aftereffects even _worth_ it? It just seems so stupid to me! How could you possibly work with such a reckless plan?"

"Whiskers, let's not get too accusatory, here..." Nick added carefully, a nervous smile pulling at his lips. "You do know that he could easily kill us, right?"

"Yes, Nick, I know, but-"

"Like, _really_ easily. No effort at all."

The two bantering officers both trailed off as Ramic himself barked a loud and crackling laugh of amusement, silencing them effectively.

"You two dipsticks crack me up!" He claimed, leaning forward as he placed his palms on his kneecaps and held up the weight of his upper body.

"It's a pleasure." Nick grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Now, I just gotta ask, Wilde..." Ramic began, still smiling to himself from earlier. "How did a riffin' no-hoper like yourself ever end up on the ZPD?"

"That is actually a really good question." The fox stated.

"Why do _you_ care? Aren't you here to kill us?" Judy called out huffily.

Ramic didn't answer. Instead, he lowered his gaze to the cavern floor and away from Judy's eyes.

"I s'pose I am." Was all that he said before he pulled out a thick bush knife from a pocket in his pants, and flipped open the blade.

The rabbit swallowed nervously, sensing trouble. She closed her eyes shut and braced herself for a knife to the chest, but after a few seconds of nothingness, she reopened her eyelids to the sight of Ramic casually picking at his pointed fingernails with the knife. Due to the digging that he must've been doing with Iluka and the other marsupials back at the dig site, his nails were caked with specks of dirt, sand, and dried mud. Judy watched silently as tiny flakes fell from wherever the knife scraped beneath his nails.

She cleared her throat and sighed in relief, thankful that she wasn't dead just yet. She only hoped that she'd stay that way.

"You two shouldn't have come down here." Ramic told them. "You're lucky that you're even still alive."

 _Tell me about it_... Judy thought to herself.

"Fate must be watchin' over you, Wilde. Thirteen years we followed our own paths through life and now you're tied up on the ground at me feet."

"Long time no see, too, buddy." Nick grumbled.

The kangaroo's facial expression softened. "I never did think I'd see you again." He claimed calmly. "How did you know we were in the labyrinth?"

"You're kidding, right? The Deciduous-District is practically falling apart up there thanks to your little mining adventure!" Judy yelled at him.

"Don't you come the raw prawn with me, rabbit. I've been stuck down here with all those jumped up drongos for nearly a week! The only ones down here that have seen the surface in all this time are the ones that routinely went to go get food for us. To point, we haven't exactly been up to date on all the happenings in the world, so mind you."

Not wanting Judy to get into an argument with Ramic, Nick seized the opportunity to answer the kangaroo's question, if only to keep him from killing them early;

"That platypus that the ZPD managed to arrest in the aftermath of the Beaverdam incident. He confessed to a lot of stuff during interrogation."

Although Judy glared at him with frustration, due to him having revealed information to Ramic, the fox ignored his rabbit partner for the moment, quietly thinking up a plan.

"Aye, Oliver ain't exactly the full quid, so it doesn't surprise me that he ended up gettin' nabbed, not to mention spillin' the beans on us." The kangaroo muttered.

Nick thought back to how informal and ridiculous the platypus had spoke, and the various ways that he threatened, belittled, and frustrated the officers around him during his interrogation. Though he had cracked eventually, his stubbornness and defiance was perhaps his most admirable quality, at least in Nick's own eyes. He chuckled to himself.

"I remember that guy... Tough one minute, too emotionally unstable to talk the next." The fox quipped with a smug grin. "The miracles of high-profile police interrogation."

Ramic grinned. "Look at you, then. Back when I knew ya, you woulda washed out your own mouth with soap for praisin' the ZPD!" He exclaimed with amusement.

"Times change, buddy. I work with the ZPD now, sure, but I admit, those jobs of ours were pretty darn fun." Nick claimed.

"Ripper good income, too." Ramic added. "Outback-Island's ravin' with con-mammals, but you were always the best, Wilde, even if you lived off on the mainland."

"You flatter me. Those skills weren't so easy to give up, but I'd call this a better life than I ever had." The fox concluded as he grabbed a hold of one of Judy's smaller paws.

"I don't know how you ended up getting your lot thrown in with Iluka's gang, but..." Nick hesitated. "You should've used your strength for something better."

There was a moment of tense silence.

"Though there were fun moments, deep down, I knew that being a full-fledged con-artist was too risky to stick with forever. Joining the ZPD gave me a second chance, and the opportunity to use my abilities for something far greater than myself. It allowed me to do and experience amazing things that I never could have even imagined, before."

Nick paused, thinking back to the very first moment that Judy had pinned the badge onto his chest. The shining glow of the pride in her eyes, the cheering of the crowd, and the sensation of feeling truly useful for once in his life made that reception an unforgettable experience. He recalled how Judy's paw had lingered just a little too long on his chest; Long enough to suggest that there was something even more powerful radiating behind her amethyst-colored irises than just pride and pride alone. Something more.

"It was one of the best things to ever happen to me." He concluded, clearing his throat upon uttering the final word.

"Nick..." Judy murmured, trailing off as her husband continued his explanation.

"So you can go ahead and kill us if you want to, Ramic. Carrots and I always knew that there was a risk in the field, and that there's no sense in trying to win a fight that can't be won. But hey, I'd say it was a good run so far... Just know that if you kill us, for as long as you live, until the day that you die, the ZPD will be hunting you down."

Another period of uneasy silence followed upon the conclusion of Nick's speech.

"I've never wanted to kill anyone, Wilde, especially you." Ramic claimed quietly. "You always 'ad a ripper way with words."

The kangaroo stood up slowly, rising to his full height. He twirled the blade in his paw around a single time before sliding it back into one of his pockets. He then reached into another, and pulled out some kind of shiny wrapper. Upon closer inspection, Nick soon deduced it to be the opened wrapping paper of a half-eaten granola bar. Ramic leaned forward and placed the item directly on the ground, right in front of Judy's twitching nose. The kangaroo then sighed and started to carefully explain himself to the officers;

"If I can speak me own mind, then I think that this whole operation is gonna end in failure. Iluka has been off his rocker for days, ever since we came down here. He thinks we're close, and although I do too, there are too many darn gears in this machine, and soon enough, it'll fizzle out like a glowbug on a porchlight's beam. I was against the idea of searchin' for the tomb of that bloody Elktic king, and I'm against the idea of killing you two. I've never, ever taken a life before, and I won't start with an old buddy."

"W-What?" Judy stammered, clearly surprised at her captor's sudden change of mind and tone. The kangaroo continued;

"You ain't dying by my hand, but I ain't lettin' you go, either! This is the part where I leave you here to let you work your own magic. You could make it out all on your own without a scratch to show, or you can sit here in this cave, all alone, until you starve to death. That's not my problem. Neither of those scenarios are. Die if you will, but at least that way, I ain't spillin' blood. Once I'm done here, I'm headed right back where we came from like nothin' happened. I'm sparin' you, but I'm doing this for me. Got it?"

Blinking a few times in disbelief, Nick and Judy both promptly found themselves and shook their heads together in unison, solidifying the pact with the kangaroo, whom had already lumbered off and down the very same path that they had used to get all the way out here. He took his tiny flashlight with him, but eventually, his movements halted.

Ramic glanced over his broad shoulders and stared down at the considerably smaller pair of officers tied up on the ground.

"Half your luck, mates." He claimed one last time before gazing back ahead and disappearing behind a corner of a nearby cave wall.

Judy watched as the light from Ramic's flashlight that was reflecting off of the sides of the lava tube slowly faded away until none remained, and her world was enveloped in total and complete darkness. The kangaroo's heavy footsteps went just as fast. A stunned and deafening sense of quietude was instilled in that moment. The cave was cold, silent, and without light. Judy was worried. She hated being underground, especially when there wasn't any light sources to properly see with. Nick, on the other hand, with his night vision, was doing a bit decently better. Both mammals could smell the cold, watery earthen scent of the caves, and even the granola bar that Ramic had left them.

Of all the times that working on con jobs had come back to bite him in the tail at later points in his life, he could safely say that this was the very first time that one had come back to help him. If he had never met Ramic before, the sympathy and mercy that the kangaroo had displayed might have been nonexistent. This was an ironic first for him. The nature of it nearly made him chuckle to himself, but for the moment, he suppressed his inner thoughts in favor of analyzing his current situation and assessing damage.

Filled with darkness, there was very little that the fox could effectively see, even with his night vision. Here, there was no light source at all; Just an empty, cavernous void of shadowy rocks and inky blackness. Recalling how frightened Judy had become in the lightless depths of Vladzotz's manor all those months ago, he could only imagine how she was holding up now. Squirming around uncomfortably, he felt his back press against Judy's, and after fondling around for a bit, he managed to grab one of her tiny paws.

"Hey, you alright there, Carrot-Cake?" Nick asked quietly.

Silence for a few brief seconds.

Judy sighed audibly. "Could be better." She muttered aloud.

Together the two of them sat there in the dark cave for a few short minutes of silence, the only sounds filling the void being that of their own shaky breaths and bodies.

"Whelp, this stinks." He concluded flatly.

From the behind of him, the fox detected his partner sigh out loud in frustration.

"Nick, we need to work together on this!" Judy insisted promptly. "If we don't, we're going to die here!"

"My night-vision abilities only work so far, Whiskers... At night, the moon still gives off a small amount of light reflected from the sun, but here, it's completely black! There's no light at all! I can still see, but only barely. If we're going to get out of this rut in one piece, it's gonna take time. Bear with me, and let's try to stand up together, okay?"

"That's a workable start, I guess." The rabbit agreed. "Alright, come on, sit up with me."

Both Nick and Judy grunted slightly in unison as they used their combined weight to sit upright upon the cold cavern floor. With his long and bushy tail pushed up against his body, the fox couldn't help but shift his weight around a bit to try and offload the discomforting pressure on his tail. Brushing it against the ground like a paint brush, he felt a few pebbles clitter away as they were pushed aside, and took a moment to listen to them. With his sense of sight nullified, even with his enhanced night vision (He could only imagine the stress that his partner must have been going through right then and there), he took whatever chance he had to get a sense of his surroundings, however small.

Sniffing the air around him, the fox detected a slight scent of something almost sour nearby; Perhaps a puddle of mineral water. He tried focusing his vision to the best of his abilities, and although he could just barely make out the outline of his very own body, he certainly had a lot of room for improvement as well. To escape this big pickle, Nick would have to utilize his other senses in order to assist in he and Judy's escape. Clearing his throat out loud, he shifted his neck and tried staring in Judy's general direction.

"Whiskers, let's stand up now." He told her.

"Alright, on three!" The rabbit replied swiftly. "One..."

"Two..." Nick continued.

" _Three_!" They both cried out in unison, using their legs together as they stood up, nearly tipping over and falling before carefully balancing themselves out.

Steadying out and giving some equilibrium to their combined weight, the two tiny officers slowly shifted around a bit on their feet, feeling out the area around them.

"Okay, t-this way!"

"No no, the exit is _that_ way!"

"Ugh, come on, _ow_!"

"Huh?"

"You stepped on my tail!"

"I'm sorry! I can't see in here!"

Nick sighed. "There's no way that we'll be able to do this, fluff-butt. We need to get out of these stupid ropes!" He claimed.

"But how?" Judy squirmed her bound arms around, testing the strength of the ropes. "These things are too tight!"

The fox pursed his lips in thought. The only thing that Ramic had left to them was a half-eaten granola bar, and even that would not last long between them, if they so decided to eat it. If they were going to survive and escape, their best chance was to get free from the ropes, but for the moment, Nick was at a loss for ideas. He shuffled forward a little bit, one tiny inch at a time, pulling Judy along with him for a few short feet until he stepped down on something sharp, likely a rock or chunk of tone, causing him to yelp out.

"What is it? The bunny questioned, concern lacing her voice.

"Agh, just stepped on a rock, or something. Pretty sharp... I think my foot might be bleeding..."

"Are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me, Carrots." Nick calmly reassured his partner. "I'm fine, I promise."

A sudden thought registered in the fox's mind.

 _Pretty sharp..._ His conscious repeated to him.

"I think I have an idea." He then announced before feeling around for that sharp object once again, although much more carefully this time around, so as to not get cut.

"Really? And what would that be?" Judy inquired curiously.

Not answering right away, Nick bent down as best he could, causing Judy to be lifted slightly into the air from the behind of him. He heard her call out in surprise at the sudden action, but quickly calmed down as she was set back on the ground from Nick straightening himself out again. In his right paw, he held a small, almost oval-shaped object, however, its point had been sharpened as though it were hit with a strong stone many times over. Smiling to himself, the fox realized that he had found an arrowhead.

"Let's just say that we're getting a little help from a slice of history." He finally told his partner, whom furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Huh?"

"Bear with me here." Nick finalized as he squatted down and turned the arrowhead around in the palm of his paw, so that one of the sharp sides was against the ropes.

From there, he began moving his wrist back and forth like a saw as fast and fortified as he could, the arrowhead's razor point beginning to cut through the base of the ropes. It was a slow process, but soon enough, the first three ropes were split, and another three remained, though Nick only needed to saw through one more until they were able to manually remove the remaining ropes due to the slack that had been administered from the loss of the others. Free at last, the two officer then stretched their arms out.

"Oh, it feels good to be out of those!" The fox exclaimed, rubbing his aching wrist, and cracking his neck slightly with an audible popping noise that caused Judy to cringe.

"No kidding." She agreed, ignoring the sounds of Nick's joints being pulled. "So, now what? I still can't see down here, you know."

Nick stroked his scruffy chin in thought. "Hmm... Well, we can't stay here, obviously, yet at the same time, maneuvering back to civilization would be pretty dangerous."

"What other choice do we have? It's like Ramic said; We can stay here and die, or we can forge our own path to victory." Judy stated proudly.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess this was a pretty one-sided choice after all, eh? Okay then, let's get going. Take my paw. I'll lead the way with my night-vision."

"Nick..." The rabbit started slowly.

"Yes?"

"I can't _see_ your paw."

"Oh, right!" Nick stifled. "My bad. Heh."

"Dumb fox, as always." Judy teased, smiling to herself.

"Hey now, you do know that I can just leave you here all alone, right?"

"We both know you wouldn't do that."

The fox shrugged. "Guilty." He muttered out loud.

"Don't we have a job to do?" The bunny reminded her partner, whom nodded silently before reaching out and taking hold of one of his mate's paws.

They started to walk through and into the darkness, but Nick suddenly straightened out and turned tail. He bent down and promptly plucked the arrowhead that had saved their lives off of the stone-cold ground of the cavern floor. He flipped it a single time before slipping it into one of his pockets. Unable to see, Judy asked what was going on;

"What's the hold-up?"

"Just gettin' a souvenir." The fox replied.

At that, the vulpine and lapin officers began their journey back to safety. After what felt like full hours of being underground, the idea of seeing the sun and feeling the fresh, breezy winds of the Deciduous-District whirling past their ears sounded like a dream come true, especially to the rabbit herself, whom despised underground locations very much, indeed. Together, they slowly but surely made their way back in the direction they came from as best they could, with Nick leading the way thanks to his enhanced darkness-oriented eyesight, while Judy followed shortly behind, tethered to him hand-in-hand so as to prevent from getting horridly lost in these inky and confusing caverns.

It took time, but eventually, a very soft light begun to illuminate the way forward, and the two officers quickly realized that they must have been approaching Iluka's dig-site. Despite the close proximity to it, they heard no sounds whatsoever: No humming machinery, no chatting mammals, and no dynamite explosions. Just what had happened?

Soon turning around the corner of the same lava-tube that Ramic had dragged them through earlier, Nick and Judy then came to the sight of the marsupial excavation sight, completely abandoned. Vast amounts of materials had been removed from the full vicinity, and much of the dingy camp had been broken down or destroyed, either from the marsupial's own intentions or the rubble made from the tremors. Creeping around, they managed to find their old gear, and promptly redressed themselves up for a battle.

However, there were no foes to battle there. It was just the two of them in that giant cave, their only source of light being a few weak oil lamps strewn throughout the area.

"Where did they all go?" Judy asked aloud to no one in particular.

"Gees, this is like that time Manches was nabbed by those timber wolves all over again." Nick grumbled lowly. "There one minute, gone the next."

"Do you think that they fled back to Outback-Island?" The bunny asked, remembering how that dingo criminal had told Iluka of the ZPD's entrance into the cave system.

"I dunno. Probably." The fox replied.

Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, Judy crept along the outskirts of the camp, along the edge of the giant wall of bedrock until she came across something that made her gasp.

"What's wrong?" Nick found himself asking as he ran over and joined her side. The bunny then pointed towards a giant hole in the wall of stone.

"That!" She cried out.

Apparently, the marsupials really did manage to puncture through the wall of bedrock, even at the expense of the cave structure itself. The gaping hole in the wall was lined with a few small chunks of rubble, but otherwise looked pretty clean. Farther on in, another system of caves opened up and led down deeper into the depths of the labyrinth.

"That must be where they went!" Judy exclaimed.

"It makes sense. Instead of leaving, they just moved on to the next cave after breaking through the wall." Nick added. "I can see it." He said.

The bunny officer then gestured towards the lamps that had been set up inside the hole "Look at this! This has _gotta_ be it!"

"You're not thinking that we should, ya know, go in there, are you?" The fox asked, chuckling nervously to himself as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"We have our gear back, don't we? Besides, if Iluka really is down there, our best bet at stopping him is to catch up and spy on him." Judy claimed.

"Perhaps, but there's probably a bunch of bad guys down there! The kind with guns. It's only you and me, Carrots."

"Has that ever stopped us before?" The rabbit questioned with a smirk. The fox simply sighed before answering;

"Well, no, but, wouldn't it at least be better for us to just wait for the others to arrive? I mean, I'm certain that the ZPD will come back any minute."

Judy nodded, pursing her lips as she thought over her partner's previous statement. She told him;

"True, true. You're right on that, yet I still think that it wouldn't hurt to do a bit of investigation. You and I are fast and light on our feet; We'll be in and out without a sweat! Just a quick peak in to make sure the marsupials are really there, judge their numbers, power, and progress, before running back here undetected and informing the ZPD."

Nick sighed again, murmuring lowly as he reasoned out Judy's argument. To him, it made good sense, and he eventually replied;

"Oh, alright, fine. You have a point. But we have to be careful, and we're just going in and out, alright?"

"Precisely." Judy agreed as she unbuckled her tranquilizer gun from her newly recovered utility belt. "Let's get going, shall we?"

Once readied and prepared for their next endeavor, Nick and Judy continued exploring the remains of the cavern in front of them with their intentions just and both their own minds and their bodies ready for action. This new cave was one that they hadn't explored before; Triangular shaped, roughly, and much more narrow and crooked. It would be difficult to fit a large gathering of mammals with equipment and weapons down here, so it meant troubles for both the ZPD and the marsupials alike. As the two officers reached deeper depths inside their new environment, of which was illuminated by a few lamps that had been set up, alongside their own night-vision goggles, they began to notice the cave slowly changing before their very eyes. The gooey-looking rocks of the lava-tubes seemed to solidify into true stone, almost brick-like in structure and shape.

Sparing glances at the setting of their adventure, the rocks began to change color too, as well as texture: A dark, almost blue-ish shade of rock and sediment, complete with the occasional crack undoubtedly left over from the dynamite explosions that had shook the earth earlier, fracturing the rock. Soon enough, the passage widened out and spread into a larger cavern, though not nearly as big as the one which held the dig-site. This one was no bigger than half of a soccer field, Nick reasoned within his own mind.

Here, it looked like a secondary camp had been set up, with a slew of equipment, and a small burning campfire positioned in the center of the cavern. Around it, only a few marsupials, no more than six, in fact, sat and spoke quietly to one another, each too distracted by their own squabbling to notice Nick and Judy as they snuck by, slipping behind boulders and eyeing over the scene before them. Looking around, the two officers silently concluded that Iluka and Ramic must have been deeper into the caves still.

Around the small campfire, one of the marsupials, that same wombat that had body-slammed Judy from earlier, was talking amongst the other marsupials;

"Say, do you think it was a good idea for boss to dismiss the rest of the workers an' mobsters an' all that? I mean, not counting the three big cheeses, it's just us five here!"

Judy bit her lip, thinking silently to herself. So Iluka, likely thinking that he was close to his goals and no longer in need of so many mammals, sent most of them back home.

"Yeah, of course it's a good idea, ya bloke." Another marsupial responded to the wombat's question. "We're here to stand guard, while Iluka and his two besties explore."

"That's all he needs right now, so quit complaining and just suck it up, mate." Another added.

"I wasn't complaining!" The wombat retorted.

The bantering marsupials continued bickering amongst themselves as Nick and Judy slipped past and into the cave channel on the opposing side of where they both had first originally came from. Continuing deeper into the depths of the cave, they soon came across another wide open space, though this one had more features to it than the last.

Half the size of what they had seen before, this cavern was considerably smaller than the others, and although it was made of the same material, looked much more ancient than anything that Nick and Judy had seen thus far. Ruinous walls of blocky stones had toppled over like dominoes, filling the room with rubble, but sprouting from a small hill of rock that protruded above the rest of the cavern, an ominous structure loomed with a presence that seemed as though it could fill a thousand minds with fascination.

The structure was a small brick building embedded into the very rock of the cave. Dilapidated stones made up the walls that held ancient pillars and crumbling ruins of rock up like columns. It was an unmistakable tomb, built right here under the surface of the earth, hidden and buried beneath a thousand years of history and conflict, yet it had stood the test of time to this present day, and was open and ready to share its secrets to the world that had long forgotten of its very existence. The fox then swallowed nervously.

"Okay, this is it, we've seen enough. Iluka is in there, and I am _not_ in the mood to see him again, so let's go!" Nick told Judy quietly, though with a frantic tone of voice.

Judy turned around and eyed her partner with a look of disappointment. She told him;

"Not yet! We have our tranquilizers, and more than enough darts to take down three mammals, even if one of them is a big, buff kangaroo. It'll work, trust me."

"Alright, fine, but if I die, I'm gonna come back as a ghost and haunt you for all eternity." Nick grumbled, locking and loading his tranquilizer gun for use.

Picking up the pace, Nick and Judy both ran up to the entrance of the tomb with haste, and stood back against the massive stone doors, one of which had been unsealed and opened, splitting the design of a pair of large antlers that had been carved into the set of doors in half. Jerking her head in a silent gesture to enter the tomb, Judy waited as Nick quickly slipped before following suit, making sure to watch her footing in the ancient structure, as she wasn't sure if it was very safe. She kept an eye out for activity, though the inside of the tomb looked as abandoned as ever. Cobwebs, dust, and rubble had gathered over the centuries of isolation down here, and deeper still, she spotted a hallway sticking out, one that likely led deeper into the actual heart of the tomb, rather than this dusty old mudroom. She gestured towards it before approaching it slowly.

Following the length of the hallway, it eventually opened up into a large room just up ahead, though in it, Judy saw the forms of Ramic, Iluka, and another marsupial, a male dingo, standing before what looked like a large pillar backed up against the very center of the farthest wall. Flanking each side, a row of supporting columns held up the great weight of the roof, and after entering the room without a sound, Nick and Judy both hid behind the same column as they carefully watched and listened to the conversation.

"Alastrine Brockernos' tomb." The tasmanian-devil muttered with awe.

"This sarcophagus was built for a giant, nearly prehistoric elk species that is now currently extinct." The dingo started. "How can we possibly hope to move this thing?"

"We move it together." Iluka replied as he walked up to the massive stone coffin and set both of his paws against one side of the lid. "Now help me with this, you two!"

"Aye, sir." Ramic murmured softly, clearly not in the best of moods, it seemed.

Once the kangaroo and the dingo had joined Iluka at the side of the coffin and begun to push, it gave Nick and Judy a perfect view of the object in question. Staring at the curved surface, it was indeed a clearly built sarcophagus, with some ancient designs carved into the surface, including the shape of a large sword right down the middle of the lower half. With all three mammals pushing on it as hard as they could, their combined strength shifted the lid over, and then it fell over on its side, crumbling to little bits.

Staring into what laid within, Judy's amethyst-colored eyes widened at the sight of one of Zootopian history's greatest relics.

Inside the sarcophagus was a gigantic skeleton coated in thick plates of what looked liked armor pieces, standing vertically along the length of its final resting place. Staring in awe at the white skull of the long-dead creature, the overall shape and cube-like teeth made it very clear that its owner was once a member of the elk mammal family, but perhaps most impressive of all were the massive, bony horns, branching out from the skull's cranium like tree branches; Each one decorated with dust-covered jewels and wrapped in embroidered cloth lines with ancient Elktic art designs. Judging from the slightly hunched over position of the skeleton, and its undoubtedly old age, Nick figured that the only thing holding it together was the set of armor, albeit loosely. The armor set itself was cracked, rusted, and barely held together, but may have once been truly beautiful. Iluka Rombahe and the other mammals soon stepped forward and eyed over the sight of Alastrine's gigantic skeleton and everything held within his ancient coffin.

Grasped in the hoofed fingertips of the skeleton, a humongous pole-looking object was just barely obstructed by Iluka's back, from Nick and Judy's current angle of sight.

Retracting his arm from the old stone sarcophagus, Iluka Rombahe slowly pulled out a comparatively massive sword, or at least, that's what Nick assumed it to be; The thing was coated with dust, flakes of rust, dirt particles, and entire centuries worth of cobwebs. It looked more like a rusted iron pipe than an actual sword, yet Iluka stared at it as if it were the most priceless thing in the world. His orange eyes were wide with disbelief and utter awe, and his maw hung slightly agape at the sight of his new discovery.

"This is it... Elkscalibur... Is real!" Iluka exclaimed, squealing in excitement. " _Is mine_!"

He then brought the sword up to his nose and sniffed along the length of the grimy object.

"After all these years trapped deep underground, sheltered from the elements of the surface world, it is in a pristine condition!" The tasmanian devil nearly shouted aloud.

One of the other marsupials, the dingo, it seemed, begun to interject with a single comment of his own;

"Sir, we should probably be getting out of here... With the ZPD on its way, and the cavern as fragile as it is-"

Another slight rumble gave case to the mammal's point.

Blinking a few times, Iluka cleared his throat audibly before recomposing himself. He turned around and locked eyes with Ramic and the dingo that were standing behind him.

"There's no time to properly bag this right now." He told them swiftly. "We take what we came for, break down the excavation site, and leave. Give the workers ten minutes."

"Aye, boss. Let's get to it, then." Ramic muttered in agreement.

The kangaroo opened his mouth as if he were going to say something else as well, but once again, a seismic event, this one being more powerful than the last, began to begin its rounds; The cavern shook, the ground trembled, and cracks started to appear in the brickwork of the ancient tomb. Dust and other powdery sediment fell from the ceiling. Iluka glanced down between his two feet and stifled a disgruntled cry of surprise at the sight of a large crevice beginning to open up below him. He quickly jumped back, tripping over himself and falling directly beside Ramic's big feet. Meanwhile, the dingo pointed up towards something above them all before yelling out a clear warning;

"Look out!"

Iluka Rombahe shrieked aloud in a mixture of both surprise and pain as a decently-sized chunk of rock fell down from the crumbling ceiling and then struck him directly upon his paw, causing him to instinctively release his hold on the handle of the age-old blade. The grimy artifact flew from his grip and clattered upon the stony floor of the tomb, clanking loudly a few times before being buried by another few heavy rocks and a mound of sediment that had dropped from somewhere up above, completely covering it.

" _No_!" The tasmanian-devil called out, sorrow and anger lacing the undertone of his words. " _The sword_!"

One look around at the current atmosphere was all that Ramic needed to know. "We're leaving, right now!" He demanded before scooping up his smaller-sized boss.

Carrying the tasmanian-devil slung over his shoulder like a big bundle of rags, the kangaroo charged out of the collapsing room, rushing past Nick and Judy without a second thought. Sparing a brief glance at the ceiling directly up above, the fox gasped in disbelief as he witnessed a stringing web of cracks appear along the grimy roof of the tomb.

"This place is falling apart!" Nick shouted aloud in fear.

From there, the fox then whirled around and pressed his paws against Judy's back, steering her towards the nearby exit, all the while scampering along as fast as he could, trying not to loose his footing as he weaved his way around blocks of stone and rock that had fallen from the ceiling and landed upon the floor of the old tomb, creating tons of messy obstacles that only served to provide even more hazards to be on the lookout for. Soon enough, the two officers lept from the tomb's entrance just in time, as the ancient structure finally gave way and fell beneath the overbearing weight of a thousand pounds of rock, rubble, and time. The whole entire tomb site was seemingly razed.

Choking and coughing noises emanated from a few dozen or so feet away, undoubtedly the sounds of Iluka, Ramic, and that dingo recovering from the traumatizing event.

" _Ack_!" The voice of Iluka gagged. "T-The tomb... Is it...?"

"It's gone!" Ramic thundered. "And is it really of any surprise?"

"What?!" The tasmanian-devil growled.

"Aye, you heard me. This mission's scrubbed! We need to leave before the ZPD gets here!"

"And abandon years worth of work? No, we can't!" Iluka spat back. The dingo mobster was looking back and forth between his two superiors, unable to choose who to support.

"Look at the tomb, boss!" Ramic ordered. "It's _gone_! It's in _pieces_!" He roared.

Iluka's fists began to ball into tight and rigid spheres of muscle and claws.

"This is all your fault..." He muttered with a deadly soft tone of voice.

"I just saved your life! Don't waste it trying to scrounge up a broken goal, far less a broken tomb" The kangaroo told him, gesturing to the ruins of the ancient structure.

Biting his teeth together in frustration, Iluka threw his paws up in the air and screamed his head off, flailing around and kicking a few small stones before falling to his knees and then supporting the weight of his upper body with his arms. From a distance, both Nick and Judy could see shiny tears trickling down his snout and plipping onto the soil.

"Everything we've been working towards for the past five years has just gone up in smoke."

Ramic sighed. "Not true, mate. We have other trades, and we can always come back here to dig the rubble out and see if we can find anything." He calmly stated to his boss.

"You're right..." Iluka agreed, sniffing. "We can work out the details later. Now, we need to leave." He hauled himself to his feet before beginning to stumble towards the exit.

"Wait a minute, what caused those tremors, anyways?" The kangaroo found himself asking. "It's just us three and the others down the shaft a few dozen yards."

The tasmanian-devil snarled beneath his breath. "Either one of the lava-tubes collapsed from stressed, or the ZPD has made themselves a shortcut." He muttered out loud.

"What? Would they really blow up this place too, just to reach us?"

"I don't know. Whatever the case, we need to leave."

Another rumble suddenly shook the world, this one lighter and less powerful than the last, but still enough to blur the vision of everyone within its radius. A few small stones slipped down from the mountain of rubble that had buried the ancient tomb, and from the pile, a single, white, and disfigured-looking stone rolled down and landed next to Judy. Staring down at it, she had to resist the urge to scream: It was no rock, but instead the skull of that skeleton from inside the sarcophagus, albeit missing its huge horns along with a few teeth. A large crack had formed along the edge of its jaw. The fractured skull seemed to be smiling up at Judy, as if it were happy to have rolled beside her.

How it had survived the collapse of the building was beyond Judy's imagination. She was more worried about how the rattling of the skull as it landed beside her had finally caused Iluka and Ramic to notice the likes of Nick and Judy sitting in the dirt just a few yards away from them. One of Iluka's eyes twitched, and then he screamed in anger;

"Why are they still alive?!" He roared before turning to Ramic. "I thought I told you to kill them both?!"

"I must have misheard you." The kangaroo lied, picking at one of his thin ears nonchalantly.

Snarling loudly, Iluka ignored his second in command as he jabbed a single pointed claw towards Nick and Judy.

"You did this! _You_ blew up the tomb!" He roared in accusation.

"No no, you got the wrong mammals, buddy!" Nick said in his defense. "It looks like the ZPD must have finally caught up with us."

Judging by the tasmanian-devil's bared teeth, he clearly wasn't too happy to hear that. Farther down the hallway where the small camp had been erected, Judy's sensitive ears detected the sounds of mammals shouting and a few gunshots; The ZPD really had arrived! Whether or not they had used explosives to reach this place was unknown, but a question for sometime later. Suddenly and without warning, Iluka dashed off towards the entrance of a separate lava-tube. Having experienced the bewildering layout of the Painted Labyrinth, Judy knew that if he managed to get away, that there might not be any hopes of finding him, at least not easily, of course. She shouted out to him;

"Stop, you!"

Pointing her tranquilizer gun in his direction, she pulled the trigger a single time, however, the dingo had thrown himself forward and purposefully taken the dart for Iluka. Must have been a loyal associate. Taking aim once again, the rabbit fired once more, this time just barely grazing her target as he disappeared behind the side of the cave and vanished, no doubt running off somewhere into the deeper parts of the system. Judy refused to let him get away. Turning towards Ramic, she shot him in the chest with another dart, if only to keep him from trying anything. She had had enough, and wasn't taking any more chances. The kangaroo gurgled wearily before falling over with a hard thud.

"What the...?" Nick stifled. "Why did you dart him? He wasn't even doing anything."

"He might've, and we need to leave him here for the other officers to find! Right now, our job is to catch Iluka before he gets away!" Judy yelled back at him as she took off.

Following shortly behind, the two mammals sprinted off in the direction that the tasmanian-devil had fled to. After entering the nearby lava-tube, they ran for a ways before reaching a fork in the structure. Using his keen sense of smell, Nick was able to help direct Judy in the proper direction, due to Iluka having left a distinct musk behind him as he ran away, which wasn't very surprising, given the fact that he had been holed up underground for the past few days. Eventually, the lava-tube poured out into another big cave, this one with a huge crevice split down the middle, creating a hazardous obstacle in which there was no way around. For as far as they could tell, Iluka was trapped.

With both his whip and boomerang unbuckled from his belt, the tasmanian-devil stood fortified in the middle of the space, glaring at Nick and Judy as they approached him.

"It's over, Iluka. Give up. We don't want to fight you." Judy assured him carefully yet sternly.

"Yeah, there's no way out. Come clean, and we can put all this behind us." The fox added.

"It's too late for that!" Iluka roared.

"Just come clean! The ZPD is coming right now, so it's not like you can get away. Not this time." Nick pressed.

The tasmanian-devil huffed heaving breaths of frustration, and his orange eyes were wide with anger and disbelief. From across the space, he opened his maw to respond.

"Then I'll just stop wasting my time and _kill you right now_!" He shrieked.

Iluka fought with viscous fury, his ears and lips having turned the color of blood and his large teeth bared in anger. He growled between clenched fangs as he threw one arm forward and lashed out with his whip, just barely missing Nick, causing him to yip aloud in surprise and scurry back a few feet, not willing to to get within striking distance of that rope. Throwing his boomerang at Judy, Iluka's rage was so great that his aim was effected, and the curved item simply sailed past a few feet to Judy's right, shattering against the side of the cave in a shower of splinters and sawdust. The tasmanian-devil roared angrily, his luck having run out. He clearly wasn't a very able-bodied fighter.

He turned around to flee, but there was no where left to run: The cave that they currently fought in had a massive, gorge-like crevice running right through it, after all.

Trapped at last.

Snarling, Iluka whirled back around and faced down his two opponents. His wild orange eyes were simmering with a feeling beyond rage. It was pure, unfettered hate.

Recognizing the fact that Iluka didn't seem to have a firearm with him, Judy had refrained from firing her tranquilizer gun just yet. She watched as Iluka backed himself up against the edge of the pit, his fists clenched and teeth bared in unrestricted rage. Past the fire in his eyes, the rabbit saw a trove of pain and disbelief: Everything that he had worked for had gone up in smoke, and here he was, cornered against a cliff and facing capture at the hands of the ZPD. Judy almost felt sorry for him, but everything that he had done, from the killing of that watch-guard at the museum, to the near-destruction of the Painted Labyrinth, was too unforgivable of a record to pass by so easily.

"This... This isn't right!" The tasmanian-devil started, letting go of his whip and dropping it to the ground. "It wasn't supposed to be like this!"

"You have the right to remain silent, Iluka." Judy sternly told him, to which he growled lowly in response.

"No!" He spat back, clenching his clawed fists. "I'm _not_ going back to jail!"

Nick stepped forward a single time. "Don't make this hard on us, buddy." He stated calmly. "Just come clean, please, and we won't have to dart you."

The fox spoke honest words. Due to Iluka's proximity to the edge of that crevice, he worried that if he darted the tasmanian-devil, that he would slump over and fall, perhaps to his death. One look at Judy and Nick could tell that she was thinking the very same thing. Iluka didn't seem to recognize this, as he continued to rant and fume with rage;

"Five years of work all for this! This... This failure! _You_ are the reason behind it! If it weren't for your stickybeak meddling, I'd be home-free right now! It's all your fault!"

Judy could tell that he was starting to lose it. His jet-black fur was standing on end, his eyes were filled with hate, and he was visibly shaking. He reminded the bunny of what Vladzotz had looked like moments before his manor had collapsed on top of him, all those months ago. He looked like the kind of mammal that had nothing left to lose, and wasn't afraid to bite back at the instigators to his current situation. That made him as dangerous as any weapon, both to himself and to Nick and Judy, respectively. He growled;

"The sword is g-gone, and it's all because of you two! You, you riffing _blue heelers_!"

"Please, calm down, and get on your hands and knees." Judy called out to him.

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" Iluka hissed, raising his forearms and staring at the ground. "For years, all I've wanted was to find that sword! It was my ticket to freedom!"

"Iluka-" Nick called out in warning, having noticed the tasmanian-devil take a small step backwards unknowingly.

"And you _**ruined it**_!" He continued, ignoring the fox's call of caution. "You _ruined it all_!"

Nick took another big step forward. " _Stop_!" He shouted towards the tasmanian-devil one last time.

It was far too late, though.

Iluka stepped backwards in apprehension, but there was nowhere else to go: His heel slipped, the edge of the cliff crumbled, and the crime-lord of Outback-Island fell. In the last moments before disappearing over the edge of the cliff, Judy saw no more anger in his eyes. Only fear. Cursing, the fox ran forward and approached the edge of the cliff.

Staring down, Nick took in the sight of the pit's bottom, some thirty feet down or so. There, Iluka Rombahe lay in a crumpled heap, and was visibly bleeding from the back of his head. He wasn't moving. Shaking his head from side to side and pinching at the bridge of his nose, Nick turned around and faced his mate, Judy, who stared back at him.

"That fall was at least thirty feet, Carrots. We need to regroup with the rest of the ZPD and tell them about what happened here."

Judy blinked a single time before swallowing hard and nodding her head in agreement.

"Right."

From there, the two officers dashed off and back towards the direction in which they had came from, with both of them thinking high on the hopes of their latest endeavor.

* * *

 _One Week Later_ ; 11:29 A.M

As it turned out, curiosity didn't always kill the cat.

After regrouping with the other officers and filling them in on what had happened, Nick and Judy aided in the clean-up and restoration of the area, which included the arrests of all the remaining marsupials (Including Ramic, who Nick had made a silent promise to himself to visit in jail, one day soon) in the Painted Labyrinth, and the recovery of Iluka Rombahe, whom was promptly taken to a hospital in the nearby district of Tundra-Town. He was in a pretty bad shape from his fall, with one of his arms twisted at an odd angle, but otherwise was alive all the way up until Nick and Judy last saw him, so that was a good sign, if there ever was one. He had caused much pain, but they didn't think him worthy of death In the hours that followed, despite growing very tired due to the laborious work that they had been doing with the other officers, both the lapin and vulpine aided in the clearing out of the rubble that had buried Alastrine's tomb, and took part in the salvaging of all that they could find, before leaving the labyrinth at last.

They had indeed managed to find the sword of Elkscalibur in one piece, and promptly took it with them back to Precinct Seven for filing and analyzing. The age-old weapon was cataloged, cleaned up, and was then sent to the very same museum that Iluka Rombahe and his cronies had vandalized as compensation for their losses. The owner was quite shocked to find herself the sole owner of the Deciduous-District's most valuable relic, least to say, and properly thanked the ZPD for their kind work and consideration. Alongside the sword, the broken pieces of Alastrine's coffin, and even his skeleton and armor were donated to various museums across the forest district, all for safekeeping.

More days passed by without much thought, and soon enough, it became time for Nick and Judy to leave the Deciduous-District and return to Precinct One, and their home in Savannah-Central. They knew not what awaited them in the coming future, near or far, but whatever came upon them, they intended on jumping into it hand-in-hand. Before leaving, they had said their goodbyes to all of the officers at Precinct Seven, many of which had grown fond of Nick and Judy, which only made the goodbyes all the more painful, though, there was at least one soul that assured them that they would see him again: Chief Tom Urzo, who personally thanked them for their help and work there.

Embracing the paw of the superior that had both laughed with them and tormented them the past few weeks in a stable and friendly handshake, Nick and Judy then left the woodlands by car and promptly drove south towards Tundra-Town, where the towering trees of the Deciduous-District were soon replaced with thick, sloping glaciers and fluffy fields of snow. More and more buildings began to pop up as they entered the downtown area, and soon enough, they were homeward bound for the first time in weeks.

The woodlands may have had its moments and its memories, but to them, it was good to be home, where they truly belonged.

After settling in, the two tiny mammals were promptly met by their true superior, Chief Bogo, the following day in his office, where he explained his own recent happenings.

Thankfully for them, Bogo had managed to convince the mayor of Zootopia, Blair Lyncoln, to give them a pass for their past involvement with Ratsputin and his schemes. It had been one of the primary reasons that they were sent to the Deciduous-District, after all: To straighten up a little bit and give Bogo time to deal with the mayor efficiently. With the central city government calmed down at last, no one was on Nick and Judy's back for the first time in months, and what felt like years. For some time, they resumed their regular police work at Precinct One, until one day, it was decided that they would pay a visit to the very same mammal that they had battled against: Iluka Rombahe.

From what news they had gathered in recent days, the tasmanian-devil was doing pretty well with his healing, despite the fact that he had broken both an arm and a leg, not to mention lost a few teeth and suffered a pretty bad concussion from the fall. Now, in the present moment, Nick and Judy stood in a simple, silvery elevator as it whirred up to one of the higher floors of the hospital building, where they knew that Iluka Rombahe himself was being held under tight watch while he recovered from his many injuries.

Soon enough, the elevator doors glided open, and the two mammals, both dressed in their casual clothes, stepped out and approached the tasmanian-devil's personal room.

Letting themselves in, they saw that their old enemy had been bandaged up around his head and ankle, and his left leg and right arm were both slung up in full casts that dangled from the ceiling, restricting movement. He wore a simple blue hospital gown, and appeared to have lost some weight, too. Approaching his bedside, Judy cleared her throat audibly, effectively causing the tasmanian-devil's eyes to open up and lock with those of his guests, whom stood across from him with a big bouquet of colorful flowers.

"W-What... Is this?" Iluka muttered weakly, clearly having not used his own voice in a while.

"Hi there." Judy spoke softly, holding out the bundle of flowers. "We just thought that it'd be nice of us to visit you."

"Yeah, we figured that after taking a three story fall, you could use a little bit of company." Nick added.

The tasmanian-devil blinked wearily a single time, softly growling beneath his breath as he watched the rabbit officer set the flowers down on the table beside his bed.

"No! I don't want them!" He claimed bitterly and with volume, trying to sit up, but ultimately giving up and leaning back into the mound of pillows that supported his upper-body.

"Hold on now, before you get upset, just hear us out, okay? That isn't the only thing we came here to show you." Judy reassured him, raising her palms in a peace gesture.

From there, the rabbit reached into one of the pockets on her jeans before pulling out a single folded photograph. Upon unfolding the picture, she walked over to the closer side of Iluka's bed and handed it to him carefully. The tasmanian-devil's paw trembled slightly, hanging in the air for a few brief moments in hesitation before finally giving in and taking hold of the item. Iluka brought the photo to his face, and squinted down at the sight of Elkscalibur, labeled and cleaned, sitting behind a glass case in a museum.

"Nick and I wanted to let you know that the sword was put in a safe place, along with much of what was recovered from the tomb down in the Painted Labyrinth." Judy said.

The fox nodded in agreement. "Right. When we donated it to the museum, they asked us who had discovered it, you see..." He continued slowly.

"So that credit could be given to the proper archaeologist who first found it after nearly two thousand years." Judy finalized.

"Huh?" Iluka stifled, confused at the notion behind the officer's claims. His voice was free of bitterness for the first time in days.

"Well, since we weren't archaeologist ourselves, we decided to give the credit to someone who actually deserved it." Nick stated calmly.

Narrowing his eyes in disbelief, Iluka Rombahe then glanced down at the photograph that he held between two of his whittled claws. He took a closer look down at the plaque that had been displayed alongside the sword, and his jaw opened slightly as he registered and read over his very own name, quoted and credited as the original discoverer.

The tasmanian-devil swallowed hard a single time, thinking back to all the work and effort that he had put into finding that relic. Tears began to build up in his eyes.

"It's... All I've ever wanted. Thank you." He managed as salted droplets began leaking down his black-furred cheeks, leaving streams of moisture along their pathways.

"Least that we could do, really." Nick told him.

After all that they had been through, Judy herself was quite surprised that she and Nick were having such a casual conversation with one of the most wanted and prolific criminals in the city of Zootopia. She shivered thinking about it, and so, divert her attention back to the current moment so as not to let her thoughts get the better of her. Somewhere to the behind of her, the doorknob to the hospital room opened, and the door swung out, revealing a female tasmanian-devil in a nurse's outfit leaning into the doorway. She had pretty blue eyes and smooth, clean fur around her head and neck, and the nurse's outfit clung tightly to her body, showing off its overall healthy structure.

"Hello! I hope I'm not interrupting, anything, but I'm the nurse scheduled for this patient's care, and it's lunch time for him on the schedule." She stated out loud.

"Ah, yes, of course." Nick mumbled. "Have at it."

"Get well soon!" Judy called out cheerily to Iluka before following Nick out of the hospital room and closing the door behind them on their way out.

"I think he'll be alright, here." Nick claimed as they meandered down the white-colored hallway and towards the elevators. "It's the very least that he deserves."

Upon registering the fox's words, Judy then spared a brief glance back at the two tasmanian-devils through the window in the wall of the hospital room. She watched as the nurse spoon-fed Iluka his yogurt with a warm smile on her face, all the while giggling at his futile attempts to chew the creamy substance as though it were solid. The male tasmanian-devil, however, despite seemingly looking a little bit embarrassed, if not almost angry, in fact, soon calmed down and started smiling along with his pretty nurse.

"I think so too." The rabbit replied out loud, nodding her head in approval all the while. "I think so too." She repeated.

Turning around she picked up her pace and caught up with Nick, whom had already entered one of the elevators and pressed the button that led them back to the first floor.

"So, what now?" Judy found herself asking toward her partner, whom rubbed at his chin in contemplation at her inquiry.

"Good question. I'm thinking some lunch at Snarlbucks." Nick suggested casually. "I love their iced tea."

"Sure! Don't see why not." The rabbit responded cheerily.

As the words left her very mouth, Judy took hold of Nick's paw right as the elevator doors closed shut, ending their journey for good, and bringing them to the next.

They knew that whatever awaited them, it would certainly be a true adventure to behold.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Here at last, the final chapter of the 6th arc! Wow, that was a neat ride, I'd say: We saw all kinds of cool places, met new characters, experiences new things, and all around had a fun time, methinks. I hope you all think the same as well! Feel free to tell me what you thought of this particular chapter in a review, and perhaps even to let me know what your favorite part of the 6th arc was! For me personally, I enjoyed the action scene that took place in Beaverdam, at chapter 81. That was a lot of fun to write. A lot happened over the past few months, with new chapter updates and old minor rewrites, but I enjoyed myself very much, and I hope that you all did as well.**

 **Thank you all so much for sticking with me thus far. I appreciate your interest and dedication in the likes of my work more than you could ever know.**

 **With all of that out of the way, I'd like to quickly take the time to address some concerns over the coming chapters of WIF, and what I have planned for the near future. To start, I do indeed have a 7th arc plotted out (Mostly) by now, and am proud to say that it does involve plenty more exploration, action, fluff, adventure, and yes, even some more romance. The next few chapters are going to be more laid back and descriptive, with some exploration to enjoy. It's got a lot to it, and I can't wait to release it! We'll see how that goes when the time arrives, but for now, you can expect the next chapter to arrive soon enough, and with it, the start of the 7th arc, which will follow in the aftermath of the 6th, and bring to light all sorts of new and fun adventures for our favorite duo to embark on.**

 **I do so hope that you all stay with me for what's to come, near and far. :)**

 **Once again, I thank you all for delving into this latest chapter of ours, and I do look forward to hearing what you thought of it! Do feel free to leave a review detailing your thoughts on what's happened, and if you haven't already, you are all more than welcome to favorite and/or follow this story of ours. I would greatly appreciate that, as each and every individual one is fantastically cherished, yet regardless, I thank you all for your time, consideration, and interest.**

 **Last up for announcements, I just wanted to quickly make mention of the fact that I just recently went back and did some pretty major editing on even more of those earlier chapters from the beginning of the story.** **Looking back at what I wrote all those months ago, I can't help but cringe, honestly, but I suppose that's a good thing, as it means that improvement has been found, and that I have achieved personal satisfaction with the current state of my work, and if anything, that counts as a huge win, I say. Still, it didn't stop me from going in and making a few revamps to the old scenes to make them read and flow better. Hopefully this will make the beginning few chapters come off as more appealing to those just getting started on the story. It was a neat experience, and I'll definitely be going back to add more revisions in the future. Just thought you should know.**

 **Anyhow, that's pretty much all that I have to say for now. Thanks for reading, and do stay tuned for chapter 87, the start of the 7th arc, coming soon!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	84. Out of the Woods

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Welcome to the seventh story arc of ' _When Instinct Falls_ ', everybody! Thanks for sticking with me after all this time.**

 **To start things off, we have a music suggestion for your consideration! This one goes great during the scene at the Grand Palm Hotel. Very Vegas-like!**

 **Here it is: Hustle OST - Easy Money**

 **That's all I got for now, really. At that, let's jump right in to the latest new chapter of this story of ours.**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"We are never out of the woods because we are always going to be fighting for something." - Taylor Swift

* * *

6:30 P.M ; _Two Months After the Events in the Deciduous-District_

It was all too good to be home.

Being able to spread your wings and take flight to new and exciting places on adventures to be remembered was a truly wondrous thing, but there had always been something about returning home that made the experience all the more satisfying. There had to be a reason behind the simple, yet hopeful sayings of 'home sweet home', and 'home is where the heart is'. Their meanings may have transcribed worth in the likeness of a homeward bound family, perhaps, but surely there was truth to their words, no?

Judy Hopps believed exactly so.

Having grown up in a very family-oriented, quiet (That being the operative word, given how loud a house of 277 rabbits could get), and culturally conservative residence, Judy herself was long since familiarized with the concept of home ethics, and the importance of the household and its inhabitants. Living in Bunny-Burrow for the majority of her life, she was subject and expected to work in the carrot fields at a young age, and continuously fed ideas about the high value of family and homeliness, so that she could grow up to be just another simple, homebody bunny with little to work for other than the spawning of even more simple, homebody bunnies. It wasn't a life for her, however.

Of course, Judy had always had a more adventurous side to her being, and an appetite for stimulation that was both gnawing and unquenchable.

Said appetite drove her to escape the confines of her hometown and set foot inside the city of Zootopia in the first place. It was ultimately what drove her to become a full fledged police officer, and seize control over the reigns of her own life. It was also what drove her to take heed and enjoy the time that she had spent with her husband, Nick Wilde, in the Deciduous-District during their outings with Chief Urzo and the officers of Precinct Seven. It may have had its tough moments, but was still a memorable time.

After nearly three full weeks of romping around the woodlands, performing work for their superiors, Nick and Judy were, at last, out of the woods.

The initial return was quiet and not very extravagant, with the two tiny officers simply returning to their flat in Savannah-Central before flopping into bed, tired from the long drive back from the Deciduous-District, which was not-so conveniently positioned at the outskirts of the city and stood as one of the outlier city districts, making it a pretty decent drive to and from. Once they had settled back in the following day, the bunny and fox were greeted with a surprise welcoming gathering by their fellow officers over at Precinct One, all of which were pleased to have them both back after so many weeks. The tiger, Officer Fangmeyer, even baked the two of them a frosted cake to take home.

Even Chief Bogo himself, the very same mammal that had temporarily exiled Nick and Judy in the first place, attended the party with a smile on his face and a spring in his step, pleased that his two best subordinates had finally returned, especially since they had made good progress in the woodlands, and had managed to inadvertently capture yet another inner-district crime-lord. Bogo was proud of them, though donned his standard gruff expression as he spoke to the lapin and vulpine officers about his own recent happenings after the party. Thanks to his efforts, the mayor of Zootopia, Blair Lyncoln, was no longer on Nick and Judy's tails, thankfully. It was a great relief to understand.

For the first time in months, they were in the clear. Over the past year, they had been adventuring all over the city; Fighting crime, combating prejudice, and establishing memorable experiences throughout the city. Despite the many different and harrowing dangers that Nick and Judy respectively had endured, they both ultimately came out even stronger than ever before, for each time they were knocked on over, they stood right back up and braced themselves against the forces of whatever life threw at them.

Following their grand welcoming back to Precinct One, life returned to normal virtually overnight for Nick and Judy.

Time passed, and in the duo of months that followed Nick and Judy's return to Savannah-Central, work continued, as expected: Ticketing, speed monitoring, catching crooks, and even the occasional parking duty assignment that squirmed through their schedules, much to Judy's own irritation, and Nick's amusement over said irritation. It was fun.

Being regular police officers again, Nick and Judy felt as though things had returned to normal at last, and although they were content with that, there was still an itching feeling of exploration that irritated the conscious of the latter, especially. She sated her desire for action and adventure by taking part in special investigations, police raids, and virtually anything exceptionally out of the ordinary for her. As long as it gave her that exciting thrill that she adored oh-so much, Judy would do it. She couldn't resist.

Jumping in headstrong to new assignments, however small, had always been a trait that belonged to Judy Hopps.

Despite the work that she excitedly undertook, the rabbit officer still had yet to sign up for another big investigation; One that would lead her on another brave and daring expedition against forces unknown. However, she was more than pleased to be able to take a step back and let the other officers pick up the slack, every once and a while.

More time passed, and with it, new and upcoming events were cataloged for Nick and Judy's work schedule: By the whims of Chief Bogo himself, both Nick and Judy were to attend with him to the annual meeting of the police chiefs, which had been adjourned from its previously scheduled date, and moved to an even closer one - The following week - in an urgent move. According to Bogo, the council usually took place on a fixed date just once a year, but because of the recent string of events involving the city's biggest criminal figureheads, paired with Nick and Judy's own antics, the chiefs had decided to hold the meeting earlier so that they could address any more threats at hand.

Over their years of work at the ZPD, both Nick and Judy had heard stories about this convention of higher authority: All of the city's police chiefs, twelve in total, met at the city hall in Savannah-Central alongside the mayor and assistant mayor to privately discuss recent events and any undisclosed threats to the city of Zootopia. Unsurprisingly, with the death of Ratsputin, the return of Vladzotz, and the capturing of Iluka Rombahe all in the span of eight months, it was no wonder that the meeting was rescheduled.

Since neither of them really had a choice, at this point, both Nick and Judy agreed to come along with Chief Bogo to the meeting, though admittedly, the two officers did have some minor apprehensive thoughts on their minds: Aside from Chief Urzo and Chief Bogo, of course, neither of them had ever met the other district chiefs, before. It simply wasn't a very likely event, given that the ZPD's many officers often kept to their own assigned city precinct, and in turn, district. Because of this, Nick and Judy knew not what the other chiefs were like, and although they were open to meeting them and striking a relationship, there was always the possibility that their kind gestures would go unnoticed: Having gotten in their fair share of trouble in the past, it wouldn't be of a great surprise to find out that some of the other police chiefs didn't like them very much.

Nick and Judy could deal with that, sure; There were plenty of people who didn't like them. However, having someone as powerful as a city police chief as an enemy was not a thought that rested easily on their minds. Nonetheless, the two tiny officers intended on fulfilling their superior's wishes of attendance, and making the best of that situation when it arrived the next week. Until then, the duo simply continued to work, all the while, the stress of such an important and high-profile meeting continued to egg at them.

Soon, the weekend came with a hopeful start, and both Nick and Judy wished to ease themselves of their upcoming task, now only four days away and counting, by treating themselves to a relaxing time off away from home in the Sahara-Square, where together, they planned on spending their weekend off amongst the glimmering fronds of the Grand Palm Hotel, the most luxurious hotel in the entire city of Zootopia itself. There, they planned to enjoy themselves by indulging in good food and fine drink, exciting and colorful casino parlors, and by exploring the heated sands of the desert district. It was to be the perfect little short vacation following their hard work in the woodlands, and preceding their upcoming involvement in Chief Bogo's police meeting. They could only wonder how _that_ would go, so for now, they longed to make themselves comfortable.

Having had their twin salaries docked while working under Chief Urzo and Precinct Seven in the Deciduous-District, it was a bit tough for them to scrounge up the sufficient amount of funds needed to pay for their considerably expensive outing, but ever since returning to normal life in Savannah-Central, Nick and Judy had been steadily saving up for themselves, and with their pay long since having returned to normal, it was a task as simple as waiting. Besides, there was nothing wrong with treating themselves.

In their eyes, they had earned it ever rightfully so.

And so, with their hopes held as high as their heads, and their eyes filled with excitement, Nick and Judy then promptly made their way to the monorail station in the very heart of Savannah-Central, though not before booking and reserving a room at their destination via the internet, of course. They had learned from their past experience in Pawaii that when it came to hotels, it was always a good idea to check and clarify the prices and rooms available online. Better safe than sorry. The last thing that Nick Wilde himself wanted was to reach the steps of the Grand Palm only to find out that there were no available rooms, or that the prices were way too high for his comfort, that night.

Upon making a suitable financial arrangement for a two-night stay at the hotel, in which they would leave the following Sunday afternoon and return back to their own home in Savannah-Central, Nick and Judy left for the station with a readiness for adventure. Now that they were there, they promptly decided to examine the train schedule as they awaited the monorail that would take them directly to the foot of the Grand Palm Hotel, as one of the tracks led right to the front door of its big lobby. Talk about convenient!

"So, according to this thing," Nick started, flicking the side of the map. "The next monorail to the hotel is supposed to arrive pretty much any minute now."

"Looks like we made it right on time, then." Judy added, relief flowing through the tone of her words.

"Thankfully. I hate waiting in lines like nothing else."

The rabbit snickered softly to herself. "Me too. Gosh, you remember that time at the DMV with all the sloths?" She asked to her husband, who donned a coyish grin.

"Ahhh, I remember that." He claimed. "Good ol' Flash, helping us solve the Night-Howler case just by doin' his job. Now _that_ is productive."

"I think that the word _productive_ is pushing it, Slick, since it took us nearly four hours just to run _one_ plate through the system, and we weren't even standing in a line!"

"Yeah, that was fun." Nick stated, his eyelids sinking into that classic half-lidded smile of his. "It was cute watching you struggle."

"Hey now, watch the C-word, Wilde." The bunny chided, wagging one of her fingers at him.

"Cute in both an adorable way, _and_ a pathetic way."

"Okay, you ruined it now." Judy grumbled.

"Oh, you know that I'm just messing with you, Carrots, come on." The fox quipped steadily.

Judy simply rolled her eyes, though not without a slight smile pulling at the edge of her lips. She was about to retort with a comment of her own when the speaker's blared;

"Train to the Grand Palm Hotel, Sahara-Square has arrived."

Straightening herself out and picking up her mobile device, which she had set on the ground near her large feet some time earlier, Judy then rose to her full height before turning around and tugging lightly at her husband's standard green floral shirt, jarring him into movement as he recomposed himself and began headed towards the train.

"Guess that's our ride." He muttered aloud, approaching the doors of the sleek-white vehicle as they opened.

With the doors opened, a decently-sized crowd of various mammals, from zebras to tiny little mice, all maneuvered and flooded out of the train cart until it was nearly empty, save for a few civilians still milling about inside, waiting for the ride to continue to its next destination. Nick and Judy promptly entered the train cart, with Judy's large and sensitive ears twitching in detection as she heard the doors slide shut behind her, locking before the train begun to start up once more and continue its path down the tracks.

"It never gets old, riding on this thing, does it?" Judy found herself asking.

"Not to me, no." The fox replied casually. "Plenty of sights to see."

"Yep! I still remember the first time I rode the train into the city."

"Stunning, I take it?"

"Absolutely!" Judy claimed joyously. "Seeing Zootopia for the first time was so amazing! Having grown up in Bunny-Burrow all my life, it was such a drastic change for me."

"I can get that. I'd be impressed by it too if I grew up in Podunk... I still can't believe that that's an actual town..." Nick mumbled to himself as his ears twitched in hesitation.

"Not so bad of a place, once you get to know it."

Judy sat down on one of the train's seats before continuing her explanation;

"Podunk seems kinda boring, at first, but as soon as you open up to it, it's a pretty fun place!"

The fox chuckled. "Heh, sounds like you." He teased his mate.

"Jerk." Judy grumbled beneath her breath in a playful manner.

"I'm only as much as a jerk as I need to be." Nick claimed, holding up one of his paws in a joking Scout's Honor sort of salute.

"Which is _way_ too often, sometimes." The bunny bantered back.

"Yours truly."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way."

The two of them then leaned forward and kissed very briefly a single time, before turning their heads towards the large glass window and gazing out of it, taking in the many different and diverse sights to see on the Zootopia transit. Conveniently, the train ride from the station in Savannah-Central to Sahara-Square wasn't a very long one, as the two city districts were positioned right next to one another, and so, with another two minutes or so passing by, the train quickly found itself entering the district boundaries of Sahara-Square; The massive air-conditioned walls that bordered the outskirts of the desert district, providing some additional heat and warmth for the big area boxed within.

Having reared another curve on the train track, the gleaming light of the sun glared directly into Nick and Judy's eyes, causing them to momentarily avert their gaze. But as the monorail continued to glide on through the scorching desert, and the officer's eyes readjusted to the current position of the sun, a beautiful, albeit arid land was revealed.

Below and around the tracks of the monorail, rolling dunes of sand as high and wide as apartment buildings stretched on for miles in different directions. The curved tips of each dune shimmered with the light of the blazing sun above, and small flares of hot sand blew from the tops of the sand hills like ghostly hands reaching out across the sky. Every so often, a sand-covered home built into the side of the dunes would appear, but would disappear just as fast due to the current speed of the train. Judy pressed her paws up against the windows that separated her from the world outside, intent on staring over every single tiny detail that she could manage. She lived for these moments.

"This is so cool!" She exclaimed, smiling wide as she gazed far and wide across the desert district.

Meanwhile, Nick just grinned as he casually leaned against one of the interior walls of the train cart. "Nothing I haven't seen before." He stated before digging in his pockets.

"Aha!" The fox cried as he pulled a pair of pure-black sunglasses from one of the pockets on his trousers. "Here we are." He said as he put them on his snout. "Much better."

Momentarily gazing out of the window on his own accord, Nick took note of how the train had finally finished sweeping over the dunes on the outskirts of Sahara-Square, and had at last entered the actual urban part of the district, where buildings of varying sizes stood out against the ever sinking sun in the backdrop of the darkening sky. Unlike the homes and other structures both public and private that were located in the sand dunes, most of the buildings here in the more urban areas were constructed of adobe, sandstone, colorfully painted concrete, and even the occasional cactus-shaped structure of green sheet metal. Alas, as he said earlier, this was nothing that Nick hadn't seen.

After all, there was a time when he lived in the Sahara-Square alongside Finnick in his van. Those were tough times, and he had seen enough of the desert district for one lifetime. It was enough for him. But still, he had never spent a night in the Grand Palm Hotel, before. Not only was there never a real need for it, but he simply never had the sufficient amount of money to be able to afford such a luxurious trip. Everything came at a cost, especially if it was beneficial for you, Nick had long since figured out by then.

But now, with Judy at his side, he was able to enjoy the simpler things in life, and take appreciation in all that came his way, however large or small.

Soon enough, their train came to a stop in the very heart of Sahara-Square, right beneath the towering height of the Grand Palm Hotel. At such a close proximity, the palm tree-shaped building appeared impossibly tall, and the gigantic green fronds that protruded outwards from the very topmost floor seemed to fill nearly a quarter of the visible sky just from their sheer size and perspective. Judy didn't pretend to understand the architecture behind such a unique design, but she couldn't shake the slight anxiety that accompanied the idea of one of those palm fronds breaking off from the gilded center of the trunk and falling down dozens of stories, only to crush her and Nick from above.

Judy cleared her throat audibly, ultimately deciding not to think of such unlikely, but nevertheless scary, worldly scenarios. Instead, she focused on what lay ahead for her.

The coming weekend was expected to be an exciting one, for neither Nick nor Judy respectively had spent very much time in this particular part of Sahara-Square, where the quality of the architecture and the overall formality of the area was greatly increased in comparison to the neighboring urban areas: Everything within a two mile radius of the Grand Palm Hotel was extravagant, shiny, colorful, and likely very expensive. The oddly shaped modern buildings stood out in great contrast against the arid bleakness of the whirling desert sands, and the colorful lighting of the billboards and streetlamps grew ever the more bright and luminescent with each passing minute, as the sun sank lower and lower beneath the sea of hot sand in the distance. These many qualities, instead of the uncertainty of what loomed above her head, was what Judy chose to focus upon.

Walking alongside Nick, the bunny followed her husband inside and into the large main lobby of the building, where a cool, incredibly refreshing blast of air whirled past their bodies, undoubtedly to keep pesky insects out of the interior, and to provide some relief from the blazing temperatures outside, which thankfully, were beginning to decrease due to the encroaching reach of nighttime. Judy had a feeling that the residence of Sahara-Square awaited the coming of night with fervid anticipation and great hopefulness.

She would too, if she lived in a place like this; The bright sun constantly raining down on the back of her neck, whirls of sand catching in her eyelashes, and sunburns on the inside of her large ears. That would be an inconvenient downside to living in the Sahara-Square, though, to be fair, her home in Savannah-Central was still a pretty hot place.

"And welcome to the Grand Palm Hotel!" A voice, of which Judy quickly deduced to belong to Nick himself, exclaimed out loud proudly and with a sense of gusto.

Turning towards the fox and eyeing him with amusement, the rabbit watched as her husband spread his arms before him and continued his rather cynical announcement.

"The very best place to plunk down a few grand for the privilege of renting a bed so soft that you'll suffocate trying to get a good night's sleep in it." He concluded.

"You best enjoy it, Slick, since it's coming out of our paychecks." Judy reminded Nick.

"I'll do my best, ma'am." The fox stated.

Judy herself, however, just barely even registered Nick's words, as her full attention had been taken by the magnificence of the hotel lobby that stood before her.

The circular-shaped room was lined by gilded designs of swirling shapes along its walls, complete with smooth rims and a floor so shiny that you could see your reflection in its considerable luster. Potted plants flanked the corners of the room, and soft orchestral music emanated from somewhere out of sight. Most impressively of all, however, was the massive jungle tree that sprouted from the center of the room, where the front desk stemmed from. The tree was elevated by a gigantic vine-covered block of gold that dripped streams of water from small falls along its sides. The trees branches stretched wide, encompassing nearly the entire circumference of the ceiling above. Hidden amongst the leaves, radiant orbs of light provided an ample amount of visage for the inside of the hotel, like rays from the sun beaming through the canopy of the rainforest.

" _Wooow_!" Judy fawned, staring up at the size of the tree.

"That's gotta be the second biggest plant I've ever seen." Nick quipped, gesturing to the branches above his head. "Must be an absolute nightmare to tend to, though."

Sure enough, the lobby itself was crystal clean and shining with the luster of the swirling golden wallpaper that lined the walls. There wasn't a single stray leaf from the tree to be seen, of which even Nick himself considered to be quite impressive, especially considering how nightmarish he figured it to be to maintain the thing at its current size.

Approaching the front desk of the lobby, which was shaped somewhat like a curved 'M', the lapin and vulpine, met up with and spoke to the giraffe receptionist, whose head nearly scraped against the tree branches high above. They received a smooth and shiny plastic card - Their room key - with which Nick kept in his right breast pocket before headed towards the row of elevators on the other side of the lobby space. There, they ascended to the twenty third floor of the building, and began searching for their room.

The hallways, much like the lobby down below and the elevators that brought them there, were lined with golden colors and shiny metals that accentuated the full opulence of the hotel. Swirling wallpaper designs lined the walls of the hallway that Nick and Judy continued through, accompanying them as they finally reached their assigned place of residence that would serve as their temporary home away from home for the coming weekend that awaited them. Fitting the key card into its rightful place, the big yellow doors swung open, revealing the entrance to the hotel room. Stepping inside, Judy led Nick into the room before closing the door shut behind them both and looking around.

It was perhaps the single most illustrious, if not excessively expensive, room that they had ever laid their eyes upon.

The room was exactly that: One big space, with no other smaller rooms branching off of it. On the other side of it, a small stone ramp led up to an elevated bed in the shape of a circle, like one big cushion. Removable curtains surrounded it, no doubt to allow for further privacy. Lying atop the pillows was a complimentary box of chocolates paired with a salt-lick stick, and beside the bed sat a large bowl of extravagantly colored fruits ranging from red apples to curved bananas. Patches of actual live grass boxed inside ledges shaped like terraces stuck out here and there, and there was even a small palm tree sprouting up from one of them near the very center of the room. It was amazing.

Vibrant plants lined the walls, of which were carved with ornate designs of palm trees and leaves, and were blanketed with soft-looking curtains and fabric. Nick even spotted a grand piano tucked away on the other side of the room. A curved sofa was situated in a circular depression lined with steps and pillows. And Judy could see right out of the balcony from where she stood: An open hole in the side of the building that led out to a large balcony that overlooked the Sahara-Square, complete with a telescope as well.

Stepping forward and into the room, Nick and Judy noticed that the floor beneath their feet consisted of soft green moss, and almost had a ticklish feeling to it. Exploring the other side of their living quarters, tucked away in an almost pocket-like side room was a large pool-like bathtub with three different sizes that all trickled down from largest to smallest like a miniature waterfall, the two animals found. There was even a big fur-dryer with rotating metal rolls that were large enough to evaporate the water off a zebra.

"This... Is... _Amazing_!" Judy nearly shrieked aloud, throwing her arms up into the air with the last word.

"No kidding." Nick added as he slowly turned in a circle. "How much did this cost again?" He asked quickly.

The bunny had already ran off towards the balcony when the fox finished his question, and so didn't exactly register his words. Judy leaned out over the stone railing, gazing out over the Sahara-Square. Since their room was on the southern side of the building, they had an excellent view of the Zootopia Sound and the beaches that bordered it. Down below, the roofs of the many different and gorgeous buildings that surrounded the Grand Palm Hotel were in view, and great fountains of spewing water could be seen.

"Oh, wow..." Judy murmured quietly to herself.

So immersed was she in the sights and sounds of the Sahara-Square that the rabbit was considerably startled when she heard Nick whistle from the behind of her so as to get her attention. Judy whirled around and locked eyes with him, watching as he silently gestured to a small complimentary wine bottle that was sitting atop a tiny table out on the balcony. The bunny then smiled, knowing what the fox was hinting at. For the next hour or so, the two mammals enjoyed the taste of the wine while watching the sun set ever lower on the distant horizon, coloring the water of the Zootopia Sound with a deep red and purple haze similar to the very wine that Nick and Judy had drank from.

Eventually, the two of them decided to find something to stave off their hunger for the night, and settled on a small restaurant that they found on the Grand Palm Hotel. Judy ordered herself a salad while Nick settled for some salmon drizzled with fried crickets and ground up meal-worms. It was a decently expensive, but ultimately delicious dinner experience that neither of them regretted a single bit at all. From there, they decided to do some exploring of the area that surrounded their hotel, and then promptly set out.

At night, the city district truly came to life. Packs of different mammals in all shapes and sizes roamed about the nighttime streets, from towering giraffes to tiny mice. Both Nick and Judy noticed this as they set out from the lobby of the Grand Palm Hotel and begun to adventure out and explore the surrounding area. Vibrant flashes of colorful neon lights streamed throughout the streets, with billboards, advertisements, buildings, and signs all bearing that distinct glow to them. It lit up the night with a true vibrancy that couldn't be found anywhere else. Spotlights cut through the night sky like beams from a non-existent sun, and iridescent splashes of color market the ground all around.

Together, Nick and Judy explored fancy buildings, watched dancing fountains, and even witnessed a spectacle of dazzling fireworks over the night sky of the desert district. The former often found himself lecturing the latter about various tips and pointers involving night-life in Sahara-Square. The fox pointed out streetside card games, warning the rabbit about the dangers of being pick-pocketed in areas where you could be easily distracted, such as the dancing fountains, or at card displays. He even explained that sometimes, the games were set up to pickpocket mammals on purpose by a group of thieves working together! This, of course, didn't stop their enjoyment of it all, however.

Soon enough, the two off-duty officers found themselves venturing into one of the casinos near the base of the Grand Palm Hotel. Royal colors consisting of red carpets and purple drapes were visible throughout the building, and when paired with the brightly yellow-blue painted ceiling and the glorious marble statues covered in ivy vines, the full grandiose experience was available to enjoy. Nick and Judy witnessed rinks of card-players playing a wide variety of games, all much more formal than the raggedy old DIY stands that had been set up outside. Here, professionals gambled and bet and risked the big bucks for the sake of personal glory. Nick could respect that. He adored playing cards, and watching others play wasn't half-bad, either. He and his mate settled down at one of the parlors and enjoyed several rounds of Black-Jack, and even a short game of poker before they set out for something else to have fun with. There were bright and cheesy arcade games paired alongside old-fashioned slot machines and pool tables.

It was an unforgettable experience to behold, especially for Judy herself, whom never could have imagined that there could be so much color in the world.

After a long night of exploration, fine drinks and slot-machine style fun, the bunny and fox promptly decided to retire back to their hotel room at the Grand Palm three hours past midnight. Walking around the downtown of Sahara-Square offered much to see and much to do, but at that moment, all Nick and Judy wanted to do was get some good sleep. Tired from all of the strolling and the rush of the games that they had played, the two off-duty officers both collapsed into bed upon reaching their new room, not even bothering to strip themselves of their clothes, as they usually did when they slept together. Soon fast asleep despite the sounds of the music down below and the glares of the flashing lights from outside, Nick and Judy could only wonder what the coming days would bring them, though deep down, they expected nothing less than good times.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I once again welcome you all to a brand new story arc! I had a whole lot of fun writing this chapter, and I certainly hope that you all can say the very same for reading it, too. As I mentioned in the previous chapter, there is a ton of new content coming your way soon, with new settings, new characters, new stories to tell, and a great big pile of new stuff for all to enjoy in the fullest, including the likes of more action, adventure, comedy, drama, and even some more friendly romance, I might add.**

 **Yup, these new and upcoming chapters will be as fulfilling as ever. I thank you all for sticking with me thus far, and I hope that you stick with me to the end. I've got plenty of more fun content planned out for the days ahead, and from here on out, it's only gonna get even better. Expect more updates soon!**

 **In the coming chapters, you can expect all of the above and more, but also the likes of some very interesting new developments coming your way: Topics such as work ethics, personal rights, and boundaries of the law will all be addressed soon enough. As mentioned in this latest new chapter of ours, the various police chiefs of the city of Zootopia are assembling for a great meeting to discuss the actions of our favorite duo, and the dangers that await them all in the future. It should be very interesting describing such a scene, and because of it, I am very much looking forward to writing it when the time comes.**

 **Until then, Nick and Judy's short little weekend break in Sahara-Square will continue for your enjoyment.**

 **Next up, I just wanted to take a moment to thank all who have ever even so much as even taken a glance at this story of ours, for just now, I realized that it has hit over one million and a half views! To be specific, the current number of views stands at 1,643,892.**

 ** _One_ story with over _one and a half million_ views. That is absolutely incredible. **

**Thank you all so much for your interest and consideration. So far, the experience has been astounding for me, and I hope that it has been as well for all of you, as well. We've come a long way, but now, the future awaits us with a proud passion.**

 **I cannot emphasize enough the gratitude at hand here. Thank you.**

 **Lastly for announcements, you can find a trove of new fan-art on both my Tumblr and DeviantArt accounts, and a brand new poll here on FanFiction.**

 **Anyways, that's about all that I have for you lot today. Thanks for reading this latest chapter update of ours, and do be sure to stay tuned for the next one!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	85. Afterclaps

**Hey Everyone!**

 **I have another music suggestion for you, this time around with one perfectly fitting of the scene where Nick and Judy explore the Canyonlands!**

 **Here it is: Cool Ranch: Main Theme**

 **And this second one fitting of the scene with Duke Weaselton. You'll know it when you see it: Cool Ranch Battle Music**

 **That's all for now, everybody. I apologize for yet another sudden author's note, but I just thought I'd drop that here. Let's start reading, shall we?**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"No amount of thought can ever reveal what comes unexpectedly." - Arthur Erickson

* * *

9:23 A.M

Peeking delicately through the drawn-out curtains of the luxurious hotel room, the warm rays of the sun beamed down upon the eyes of those inside, causing them to open.

Through hazy retinas, Judy found herself staring out at the environment around her. She took in the sight of her private room in The Grand Palm Hotel with Nick, and all of the expensive glories that it had to offer within its residence. After a fun night of exploration throughout the luxurious town that had sprung up around the very base of the hotel, both Nick and Judy respectively were all too willing to give in to the desire to sleep when they had managed to make it back to their room. Now, it was time to awaken.

Stifling a brief yawn of her own, the bunny leaned over and lightly nudged her husband's shoulder in an effort to wake him from his slumber. Her sensitive ears detected a slight grumble from him in response. Rolling her eyes with a delicate smile, Judy then turned around and took a brief glance at the small digital alarm clock that was placed next to their bedside. It was nearly half-past nine in the morning, that day, and far beyond their usual waking hours, not that it bothered either of them though, of course.

If her and Nick were going to enjoy the day while it lasted, there was no better time than the present, as it was said.

"Hey, Nick, it's time to wake up." Judy murmured softly as she tapped the fox's forehead a few times.

"Urgh... Do we have to?" He replied groggily. "It's the weekend, isn't it?"

"It is; And we should enjoy it." The bunny stated as she gave him one last nudge before excusing herself from the bed and claiming;

"I'm going to go and take a quick shower. You're welcome to join me, if it'll wake you up, at least."

"Now that's more like it." Nick quipped wearily, effectively causing his wife to snicker with amusement.

"Dumb fox." She muttered under her breath, though not without a slight grin egging at the edge of her lips.

From there, Judy held firm on her earlier promise, and proceeded to take a nice warm shower in the nearby bathroom, filling it with humid clouds of steam. Nick soon joined her, perhaps having finally decided that seizing the day was an opportunity worthy of his time and energy, or perhaps he was simply inclined to be with his mate in the warm shower. Whatever the case, the two mammals were soon cleaned off, with Nick in particular taking advantage of the many complimentary soaps and shampoos that had been provided by the hotel, giving his bushy tail a new and glossy coat, and were ready to take on what the day had to offer, though not without a good breakfast first, of course.

While traveling down in one of the hotel's elevators, Judy caught sight of her husband's appearance and promptly commented upon it;

"Smooth sight, Slick." She claimed, emphasizing the alliteration with each word.

"Oh, you're too kind." The fox replied, clearly eating up her statement with pride.

At the ground floor, the two tiny mammals made their way to the primary restaurant that was available for hotel guests that morning, where a very wide selection of delicious foods and drinks were served for their enjoyment. Judy found herself a healthy plate of various fruits, including grapes and strawberries, alongside half a whole-wheat bagel, while Nick got his paws on a bowl of mealworm cereal, paired with a few small and juicy blueberries thrown in for added flavor. As they ate, the two of them idly chat about all manner of topics, from what their day plan was, to the current state of the Zootopian economy. With their great chemistry, no conversation was too boring to undertake.

Once they had had their fill, Nick and Judy decided that it was time to enjoy their weekend, and explore the Sahara-Square.

Promptly departing from the more luxurious part of the area that surrounded the base of the Grand Palm Hotel, Nick and Judy soon found themselves back into the somewhat dustier, less extravagant backdrop in the Sahara-Square, complete with sand-soaked buildings and an ever-present heat pressing down upon the backs of their necks. Here, the true face of the desert district was revealed: A far greater consistency of poverty, and not nearly as many flashy lights. However, there were still plenty of diverse colors abound for the watchful eye to catch sight of, with bristling, pink and green cacti blooming prominently on rusty street corners, and a crystal blue skyline hanging high above.

With the Grand Palm Hotel being located right in the middle of Sahara-Square, surrounded by delectable fountains and luminescent street lights, the thought of a day stroll throughout the desert district seemed quite convenient for the two tiny mammals; No matter where they went, the journey back to the hotel grounds would be roughly the same distance, for the most part, and that made their endeavors all the more conventional for them. Now that their day was set and ready, all that was left for the two them to do was to come up with a steady and reliable plan to fill the vacancy of their weekend adventure with activities abound, whatever those may be. Soon enough, they begun.

The only problem, though, was narrowing down their many compelling options to choose from.

The Sahara-Square offered much to see and do, ranging from exploration of the sandy desert hills of the district south, to the likes of the Naturalist Oasis and its body luxury. Despite Nick's pestering, Judy ultimately refused to return to the latter of those two places, though, as she never really forgave her husband for taking her there one time on her birthday, a few years past. _That_ was an experience that she hoped to forget soon. Nonetheless, the fox eventually gave up on his suggestion, instead going for the more common, if not generic tourist route: Exploration. Having already gotten a pretty good view of the southern dunes on the monorail that took them to the district in the first place, they both promptly decided on checking out one particular area that held much interest to the both of them due to their lack of familiarity with it: The Canyonlands.

An aptly titled sub-district, The Canyonlands served as the largest semiarid-themed desert in the Sahara-Square, where unique animals such as coyotes, bobcats, bighorn sheep, and armadillo reigned as the population majority. It was similar to Outback-Island and The Docks, in that it housed a certain collective of mammal species that were found more prominently in that particular area than anywhere else in the district, giving it the title of a sub-district. Outback-Island, however, despite being similar in species demographical layout, was a fully fledged district of the city of Zootopia, unlike the Canyonlands, whose population had a stubborn reputation of wanting to apply for the title of a true city district, yet ultimately never achieved their goal, and oftentimes retaliated by threatening to secede from the city. They never managed to succeed in seceding.

Nick himself always found that a funny topic to think about. There was no way for The Canyonlands to be able to properly sustain itself as a fully-fledged district of its own. It simply wasn't large enough, and didn't have the resources nor the population size that made places like Tundra-Town and the Rainforest-District oh-so effective; Those places deserved their title of a true city district, so for now, those in The Canyonlands would just have to suck up their honorary sub-district dubbing and deal with it while they can.

Regardless of its history and population, however, The Canyonlands was a very beautiful terrain, and as such, rightfully earned Nick and Judy's desire to explore it that day.

Unlike the majority of the Sahara-Square, which was a hilly and true arid desert environment, The Canyonlands contained no sand dunes, with most of the structures being carved into and out of the rocky cliffsides that made up a large network of gorges, tunnels, and ravines, some so deep that the sky itself just barely peeked through! Even despite its name, this wasn't to say that the entire sub-district was nothing but canyons, of course: There were plenty of buildings, both tall and wide, that could be found throughout the territory of The Canyonlands, though admittedly, none were nearly as big as The Grand Palm Hotel. _That_ was the largest structure in the entire desert district.

What wasn't built into the rock of The Canyonlands was made from other materials such as adobe, sandstone, and even the occasional wooden building, though those were more commonly found in other districts, as the heat in the Sahara-Square made certain building materials far less efficient than others in certain ways. As such, most of the many structures that could be found in the desert district were made from harder, stone-like materials, creating a much more effective environment for habitation and work.

Hidden within the twisting gorges were shops and small business carved out into the orange-ish-yellow colored rock. Some were fancy, and others could have used some big work, least to say, but all had their own unique theme and culture to them, creating a surprisingly neat and extravagant display of color and worth there in the middle of the rather bland desert. Alongside the roads that winded through the ravines of The Canyonlands, small shacks and bazaar-like markets had been set up, showing off tantalizing items ranging from juicy fruits such as iced mango and sliced banana, to little gemstones and other trinkets and charms, all offering much for the large crowds of consumers.

At the thought of the thick crowds around him, Nick eyed a few random passing mammals here and there, taking note of their clothing, species, and overall appearance. As expected, The Canyonlands really did have quite a lot of semiarid desert creatures; The fox counted at least half a dozen armadillos, and twice that many sand shrews all in the space of a few dozen yards! It didn't surprise him, though, as this part of the district was understandably a bit more tightly-packed than the expansive dunes of the far south. Here, everything was smaller, less dusty, and more crowded, but he reasoned that all of those traits simply came with the package of being within The Canyonlands.

Entranced by the shining beauty of an olive-colored peridot gem strung on a necklace, Judy decided to treat herself by forking over the money to the vendor of the small gem stand, though in the end, didn't regret her decision whatsoever, as she found the new piece of jewelry to be a fitting addition to her current wardrobe, despite its more casual nature. Turning towards Nick, she jumped up and down in excitement as she showed off her new purchase, to which Nick then gave her his approval with a solid thumbs-up.

"You look great!" He told her, earning himself a swift kiss on the cheek before she excused herself to go look for a nearby washroom.

Later on, hunger began to claw at Nick's being once again, having not been fully quelled by his earlier breakfast at The Grand Palm Hotel. Seeking himself a small snack for the road, he soon encountered a tiny little stand tucked away beneath an over-reach ledge of rock that jutted out from the side of the canyon wall, blocking out a vast portion of the sun's heated glare. The stand displayed a multitude of foodstuffs, but what caught Nick's eye in particular was the selection of insects and other bugs stuck upon sticks.

"Anything catch your eye?" The merchant behind the stand questioned curiously. He was a small sand-cat with the fur on his upper-lip curved into a swirly-black mustache.

"Yes, actually!" Nick claimed, pointing towards the fried scorpion impaled on a thin skewer. "I'll take that one."

"Coming right up. That'll cost ya two bucks."

Nodding his head in approval, the fox handed the merchant the proper amount of money before walking off and away form the stand, all the while admiring his new purchase with a look of hunger dancing within his eyes. The scorpion had been pierced through the abdomen, and was long since dead, of course, but it still glistened in the light from the sun, almost as though it were alive. Nick also noticed that it had a few grains of what looked like salt sprinkled here and there, probably for preservation, but no doubt of great aid towards the flavor and taste of the meal as well. Eyeing over the delectable-looking tail, he also took note of how the creature's deadly stinger had been removed.

In that moment, the fox momentarily recalled a memory from the past: His tussle with the criminal Shahaz 'The Stinger' Pholmok in his desert warehouse, here in this very district. He remembered how the sleazy pangolin had gotten his aforementioned street name; Many of the scales on his back and tail were sharpened like knives, turning him into a living weapon, though, Nick secretly wondered how uncomfortable that must have been. Nonetheless, Shahaz also had been noted in the past by the ZPD to use live scorpions in the interrogation of his captured enemies, with those two traits assisting in the dub that became his street name. Nick's fight with him had been a bit humiliating.

 _Not so tough now, are you?_ The fox thought to himself as he sunk his teeth into the scorpion's thick and juicy abdomen.

Soon enough, Nick met up with Judy once again on a small stone bench in the corner of one of the larger ravines that functioned almost like a public park. Here, the sky was highly visible, filling the sights above their heads, and the expansive desert market before them was as busy as ever, with large crowds of various mammals milling about as they inspected what the bazaar had to offer, mingled, explored, and rested in the cool spots of shade that were present here and there around the edges of the dusty gorge.

Having almost finished his scorpion, which was just a few bites away from being fully devoured, the fox took a brief moment to savor his current mouthful as he took another glance around at his surroundings, all the while his mate sat beside him, tapping away at her phone. Past the beautiful, rocky features of the ravines, the blooming bushels of cacti, and the thick crowds of mammal pedestrians and tourists, Nick singled out and spotted a lone homeless mammal sitting at the edge of boulder, far away from all of the activity in the market and the stores that seemed to take all the attention. He was a scruffy hyena with matted fur and torn-up clothing, easily identifiable as less fortunate.

Nick's ears sank down a bit in thought. There was a time when he had been like that too, albeit better dressed, as he still took care of his physical appearance in those dark and uncertain days. He could sympathize with the hyena in a multitude of ways; He understood the feeling of being a lost and pitied soul on the unforgiving streets of this city. It could be dangerous, sometimes. Ruthless. He was lucky to have found Finnick, who ended up being one of his best, if not only friend for entire years of his life on end.

The Sahara-Square was truly a district of many faces. Some parts of it were luxurious and expensive, while others were dilapidated and poverty-stricken. It served as a good, if not rather cynical reminder that for every pretty sight to see, there was an ugly one hiding right behind it. Back in his youth, Nick had grown up in one of the worst places in the city: A neighborhood ironically dubbed as Happy-Town. That area was the poorest neighborhood in Savannah-Central, if not the whole entire city of Zootopia, and had almost a one hundred percent predator population. Almost. It was where Nick had lived before his parents had divorced. Still, though, that place had its share of memories.

Above all else, Nick remembered the care of his very mother, whom still lived in the same house that she had raised him.

"Say, Carrots..." The fox began out of the blue, earning the bunny's attention.

"Yeah? What's up?" She asked.

"Think that you'd be up to stop by my mom's old place with me, sometime soon?"

"Of course! We can visit her tomorrow, if you want."

"Thanks, fluff-butt." Nick stated. "I appreciate that."

"No problem."

Smiling, the fox leaned forward and pecked his mate a single time on the cheek in a careful kiss as a gesture of his thanks. Judy smiled back at him warmly, but as Nick tilted his head back and a little bit to the side as they parted and stared past her, he caught the sudden glance of a sight that nearly caused him to throw up in his very own mouth.

"Ugh, _him_ again." He muttered lowly with distaste.

"Huh?" Judy found herself piping out in question. "Who? What's wrong?"

"Four o' clock, by the gem stand."

Craning her head around so as to get a good look at just what Nick was truly referring to, Judy stared around for a bit before finally locking sight upon none other than Duke Weaselton, her least favorite petty criminal. She despised him above all others of his class simply because he never seemed to learn from his many mistakes, and was always winding up getting tossed in jail for his minor offenses, the list of which was likely so long by now that it must have stretched halfway around the circumference of the city. For as often as he wound up in jail, he always seemed to be back out and on the streets within a few months time, and that always managed to irritate Nick and Judy greatly.

Squinting her eyes in suspicion, Judy resisted the urge to gasp aloud as she watched the shifty-looking weasel swipe a few rings and necklaces from the counter of the gem stand while the owner wasn't looking, before slipping away and into the thick of the crowd, gone from sight and mind. That no good thief had just robbed in broad daylight!

Judy growled irritably. "You think he would have learnt his lesson by now." She grumbled.

"No kidding." Nick added.

"I'm going after him." The rabbit claimed. "That crook needs to be taught something for good this time!"

The moment the words left her mouth, she was already off of the bench and stepping forwards in the direction that she had last seen the weasel slink off in. Nick called out;

"Whoa, now hang on a sec there, Carrots! Is that really a good idea?"

"Absolutely." She stated firmly as she took a few more steps and stood on the end of her toes, eyeing over the crowd as best she could as she scanned for Weaselton.

"I dunno about that." Nick mumbled, staring at the ground as he nervously rubbed at the back of his neck. "We're off duty, and this even isn't our assigned district."

When he turned around once again and tried looking at his wife, she was already gone.

"Oh _come_ _on_ , and we _just_ got back from-" The fox cried, his voice cracking as he threw his arms in the air before recomposing himself. "That bunny is too dumb to believe."

Sighing out loud, Nick hopped off of the bench and set off in the direction that he had last seen Weaselton, hoping to catch sight of his wife as well, if he was lucky. He tried sniffing at the air, hoping to get a lock on her scent, but the aroma of the food stands, the dusty gusts of wind blowing throughout the sky, and the musk of a million other mammals filled his nostrils instead, rendering the concept of finding Judy through scent near useless. Growling in frustration, the fox shook his head and decided to use his sense of sight instead, relying on his own vision to find Judy as fast as he could manage; At least before trouble brewed. He could only hope that nothing too bad happened.

Meanwhile, up ahead and past the thick of the crowd, the off-duty rabbit officer had managed to corner Duke Weaselton, who hadn't noticed her just yet. Judy approached him cautiously from behind, despite knowing that he wasn't a truly dangerous individual. He was fast, though, and if he got out of range, he would get away with the gems that he stole, and perhaps even cause a scene, and that was the last thing that she wanted right now. The bunny had indeed learned her own lesson since her first showdown with Weaselton all those years ago, but she figured that it was about time that Weaselton himself learned his. The area that they were in now was less crowded, and didn't have any obstacles to damage or pedestrians to really interfere, though Duke did have a straight shot out. Once she was just a few yards behind him, she called out to him;

"Hey, Weaselton! You gonna give back that jewelry you just stole?"

Judy smiled proudly as she watched the weasel suddenly seize up in shock before whirling around and locking eyes with her. His expression was that of fear and frustration.

" _Gah_! You again?!" He sputtered.

"That's right. I saw you steal from that gemstand over there. You gonna do the right thing and return what you took, or do we have to do this the hard way?"

"Why do you always have to rain on my parade, Cottontail?" Weaselton growled.

"Just kindly return what you took, please, and we won't have any problems."

"Carrots!" Nick's voice called out from somewhere in the near distance, momentarily causing Judy to avert her gaze in the voice's direction.

She cursed herself, realizing too late how bad of an idea that it was to take her sight off of Weaselton while she had him cornered like this. Sure enough, when she looked back where she saw him last, he was gone. Steeling her resolve, the rabbit dashed forward and took off down a nearby alleyway built into the crevice of the big canyon walls, where she had just moments before spotted the weasel's spindly tail disappear behind a corner to her left. Once she reached and reared it, Judy came to the sight of another few branching tunnels that led into the inner rock of the cliffs, no doubt usually functioning as simple pathways for civilians, but also serving as an aid to Duke in his escape.

Sprinting faster and accelerating her current speed in an effort to close the decent amount of distance that the weasel had gained with his earlier head-start, Judy sucked in a big breath of air, fueling her muscles as they worked harder to speed her up and bring her closer to her goal of catching the fleeing weasel. As she chased after him, the tight little canyon tunnel that they had been running through opened up into another expansive space with a few small adobe households and brick structures. She then bellowed;

"Stop, you! Stop in the name of the law!"

In retort, Duke spat back;

"I need what I need! Now bug off, Flatfoot!"

Furrowing her brow in irritation, the rabbit lunged forward and nearly grabbed hold of his grimy white tank-top, but slipped and fell, sliding a few inches on the pavement before coming to a halt. She stood up as fast as she could manage, but when she did, Weaselton had already reared another corner and disappeared behind the canyon wall.

"Get back here!" Judy shouted as she took off.

Once she whirled around the corner herself, she came to the sight of an alley full of broken wooden boards and overflowing trash bags. Farther down, she could see Duke as he plowed into a garbage can while checking over his shoulder, causing him to trip and fall over much like Judy had just mere moments earlier. Smiling to herself, the rabbit closed the distance as fast as she could while avoiding the obstacles around her, and by the time that Weaselton had gotten himself to his feet, she was right on top of him.

Tackling into his side, both Judy and Duke tumbled over into a pile of smelly garbage bags. Being the stronger of the two, the bunny officer then grabbed his wrists and tried holding him down as best as she could, even despite not carrying any handcuffs or other restrictive gear to help in her arrest. She would have to manage with her own two paws. Growling in anger, the weasel squirmed and tried to wriggle away to freedom, but Judy grabbed his forearms and pulled them behind his shoulders, locking his arms in a rather discomforting position that proved all too effective and quelling his attempts at escape. Duke, no doubt tired out by now, sighed and ceased his stubborn struggling.

"This bites." He muttered to himself.

"You have the right to remain silent, Weselton." Judy told him.

"It's _Weaselton_!"

Eventually, the local police arrived, alongside Nick, who had called them in the first place, and had finally managed to catch up to Judy, albeit winded and weary. Taking note of the distinct uniform color - A light, sandy beige - of the other officers, Judy realized that these policemammals were from Precinct Three; The Sahara-Square's police head-quarters, and one of the various precincts dotted throughout the city districts. Once Weaselton was placed under custody and the damage had been assessed, Judy and Nick were informed that they were to be given a brief interview over the happenings with the weasel in a few minutes. While they waited, Judy heard the other officers mumbling;

"Hey, aren't those two the famous duo from Precinct One?"

"Yeah, but they're not wearing their uniforms."

"Off-duty officers from Precinct One catching a perpetrator in a different district?" One of them mumbled nervously. "Chief Latran isn't gonna like this."

Chief Latran. That was a name that Nick had heard before in the past, but he couldn't place a corresponding face to it; He had never met the mammal before, but with that aforementioned police chief meeting coming up quickly, he had a feeling that he would be soon enough. Not wanting to focus on work related duties while on break with Judy, especially after just _performing_ a work related duty while on break with Judy, Nick decided to turn his attention towards his wife as he pat her reassuringly on the shoulder.

"You did a good job, Carrots."

"Thanks." The rabbit replied warmly. "You did too."

"However, next time, it might be better to leave the work to the officers here, don't ya think?" Nick pressed.

Judy cringed before taking another brief glance around at the scene. Officers from Precinct Three still milled about as they recorded the data about the offense and made sure that Duke was safe and secure for yet another trip back to jail. Noting the apparent sub-par expressions and moods of the other officers that were on duty at the scene, the bunny finally realized that perhaps some acts were better left to those that truly owned them. It wasn't her place to go after Duke. She didn't have to; It wasn't her job at all.

Yet she had gone after him anyways, despite the odds. Why?

"Perhaps." She finally responded. "But sometimes, justice can't wait."

The fox barked a laugh of amusement.

"And by that, you mean you just couldn't resist, I take it?" He teased.

"One or the other." Judy admitted rather sheepishly.

Nick pursed his lips. His voice took on a more serious tone. "We have got to be careful with this kind of stuff, you know." He explained to his partner.

The bunny shifted her weight around uncomfortably.

"I know, but... It's just that... I-" She started, but was cut off when Nick raised his paw in a gesture requesting for silence.

"Carrots, we know eachother too well by now." He claimed with a half-lidded grin. "It's okay; I understand."

Judy sighed in relief. "Thank you, Nick." She muttered aloud.

"No problem. But like I said, we do need to keep our limits in mind, Whiskers, and to know when the boundary isn't ours to overstep."

"Coming from the fox who can't go an hour without taunting Chief Bogo." The bunny quipped in addition.

Nick rolled his emerald-colored eyes. "You really _do_ know me so well." He grumbled, though not without amusement. "I guess we both have things to work on, huh?"

"No kidding."

"Okay, look, the point is, there's nothing wrong with stepping back and giving the slack to others, agreed?" The fox finalized swiftly, after sensing a loss in pace.

"Right." Judy agreed, nodding her head.

Nick then smiled. "There we go, then." He concluded. "Let's not be forgetting that anytime soon."

"Right." The bunny repeated.

"Well, it's probably gonna take a bit for the other officers to interview us over what happened here with Duke, but you wanna find some lunch afterwords?" Nick suggested.

"Sounds like a plan."

"Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps?" A gruff voice called out from the behind of them, causing them both to turn around and lock eyes with a camel officer sporting a notepad and pen.

"That would be us." The fox confirmed before leaning down and quietly whispering into one of Judy large ears; "Try to give me more credit than I deserve."

Judy laughed, her visible amusement lifting the mood around them effectively.

"I'll see what I can do." She retorted with a smile.

"Come with me, please." The camel officer spoke out once more. "I have a few simple questions that I'd like to ask you both about what transpired with the offender."

Sharing one last reassuring glance of comradeship amongst themselves, Nick and Judy stepped forward proudly and followed their host with much productivity held in mind. Sometimes, accidents happened, but no matter the cause nor outcome, the two tiny officers had no intentions more greater than sticking by one another's side, near and far.

And that fact, if anything, was what made their work all the more meaningful.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Thanks for checking out this latest chapter of ours. It was a fun one for me to write up, and I certainly hope that the same can be said for your viewing of it, as well. I would very much appreciate seeing some reviews from you all, delving into your thoughts on the chapter itself. I do like me my reviews, after all.**

 **I know that this particular chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but it's been quite a while since the last update, so I wanted to get you all your latest chapter. Besides, I also wanted to put a particular focus on the events in this chapter: They are going to effect what happens to Nick and Judy in later chapters of the story that are coming your way soon. The events that took place in this one may have seen rather trivial, but you'll see what I'm planning soon enough.**

 **The next chapter (89) will more than make up for it in terms of length. It will take place directly after the events of this latest chapter of ours, and should prove quite the insightful experience, least to say. You'll see it all soon! I can't wait to release it, but until then, I hope you enjoyed what this chapter gave.**

 **If you haven't already, do feel free to favorite and/or follow this story of ours. I welcome all new readers accordingly, and appreciate the act in its entirety.**

 **That being said, I'd like to personally extend a thanks to Berserker88, Mind Jack, Drummermax64, Cimar, and Bluelighthouse, all of whom have provided fresh and helpful ideas to me over the months, helping to fuel my writing resolve and ultimately keep the story going strong. I appreciate all of your help.**

 **Last up for announcements, I'd like to make mention of the fact that you can find some new pieces of fan-art on display on my Tumblr account, if you'd like to take a look at them. If anyone out there is considering an artistic contribution to the story, feel free to let me know. I appreciate the interest regardless.**

 **Whatever the matter, I thank you all for your time and interest in my work.**

 **Anyhow, that's pretty much all that I have to say for now, really. Thanks for reading, and do be sure to stay tuned for the next chapter, coming soon! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: Just for clarification, The Canyonlands actually is canon, and is based on North American desert biomes. Cool stuff.**


	86. Retribution and Remembrance

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Quick author's note here with another music suggestion, this time for a rather tense scene involving Nick and Judy and the police chief of Precinct Three.**

 **I believe this music empowers the theme and atmosphere perfectly: Cool Ranch Tense Theme [HD]**

 **That's all that I have to say for now. Thank you all for your time, and without any further ado, let's jump right into chapter 89 of ' _When Instinct Falls_ ', the events of which take place directly after that of the previous chapter, which isn't something that happens very often in this story. Normally I supply plenty of exposition in a nice and wordy introduction, but this time around, you all will get to experience a completely clean scene transition in this latest chapter.**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"There is a law of retribution in all things, direct or indirect." - Miles Franklin

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"The test of enjoyment is the remembrance that it leaves behind." - Logan Pearsall

* * *

10:57 A.M

Usually, Nick and Judy were the ones giving the interview to crime-scene witnesses, and not the other way around. Guess there was a first time for everything, after all.

After being pulled aside by a camel police officer - Undoubtedly a subordinate working under the Sahara-Square's Precinct Three - Nick and Judy were asked a big barrage of simple questions relating to their involvement with the chase and apprehension of Duke Weaselton, who by then had already been carted off the closest holding area. Though knowing him, the fox had a bad feeling that that weasel would be back out on the streets again within no more than a month or two. He seemed to have a bad habit of that.

Among the many diverse questions that were bestowed upon the two tiny mammals were those such as 'What is your relationship with one another?' and 'Are you aware of the perpetrator's criminal history?' to name a few. It was a rather tedious experience, since both Nick and Judy respectively knew the process of witness interviewing, as they had not only practiced it in the past, but had also performed it as well. It wasn't anything that they weren't familiar with, and that made their turn under the spotlight all the more unvaried and monotonous. Alas, there was nothing that they could do but sit back and comply, as the Precinct Three officers had complete control over the situation.

Eventually, after the standard cop procedure was concluded, the vulpine and lapin both gave their names and credentials to the camel officer, as instructed, and were at last relieved of their assignment. It may have been a rather repetitive process, especially since that camel had an irritatingly monotone and dull voice, but their work here was finished. Bidding their interviewer a personally well-desired farewell, the two of them turned tail and were prepared to leave the area, that was, when they heard a voice call;

"Officers Hopps, Wilde; I'd like to have word with you."

The bunny turned tail to take in the sight of a thin coyote, standing roughly a foot taller than Nick, due to the size of his species. The coyote was lean, with a bony physique and shadowy, somewhat sunken eyes, as though he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in a while. His fur was dusty and coarse, colored the hue of dried grass. It stuck up around his cheeks and tail, making him look a bit bigger than he really was, judging by his lithe features. A pair of dark-yellow eyes stared out from the brim of a mud-brown cowboy hat with a flat brim and rounded corners. The coyote also brandished a standard beige-colored police uniform, the top of which was tucked beneath a thin bullet vest.

However, what personally caught Judy's attention the most weren't the clothes on his back or the hat on his head, but the pair of quadruple golden stars that were pinned to his collar, glittering in the beams of the afternoon sun; Reflecting rays of light directly into her eyes, which quivered and watered as the beams pierced her corneas. Whoever this coyote was, it was clear to the rabbit officer that he was one of the police chiefs of the city council, but just what was he doing here, and what did he want with them?

To her side, Nick seemed to have noticed the pair of stars on his collar as well, since he momentarily seized up in apprehension before straightening himself out. Judy chose to follow her husband's example, and swiftly brought up her right arm in a steadfast salute. She watched the coyote grin ever so slightly, but also noticed an underlying sense of arrogance to it; As if the smile wasn't a result of seeing Nick and Judy, but instead, a result of pride born from the conditioned respect that they both bestowed upon him.

That prospect worried Judy more than it should have.

"As you were, officers." The coyote stated aloud. "This shouldn't take very long."

Both Nick and Judy dropped their salutes and slackened their postures, but still kept a cautious demeanor to themselves, recognizing the raw authority of the mammal before them. Neither of the two tiny officers knew just what exactly this coyote wanted from them. It wasn't very often that a police chief came down to the scene of a crime on their own terms, oftentimes leaving the grunt-work to their subordinates in favor of more important tasks back in their precinct of influence, though, Judy recalled how Chief Bogo himself occasionally showed up at decently important crime scenes, like the capture of the savage jaguar, Manches, or the fall of Vladzotz's old manor, Castle Fangpyre.

But was Judy's excursion with Weaselton really that big of a deal to have attracted the attention of the chief of the Sahara-Square's ZPD establishment, Precinct Three?

"The name's Jesse Latran, chief of police 'round these here parts." The coyote stated firmly.

"Nice to meet you, sir!"

Nodding her head with a big smile on her face, Judy reached out with her left paw, hoping to shake her superior's hand. She was left hanging for several seconds, with the coyote instead choosing to narrow his eyes and blow a stream of air out through his nostrils. Pursing her lips in disappointment, but otherwise getting the message, Judy then relaxed her arm. She realized right then and there that Chief Latran wasn't here to make friends, or to meet Nick and Judy. He was here for something different; Something personal, and far from casual. The way that he looked down on her and Nick gave off a strong aura of displeasure. Whatever the reason behind his arrival, he wasn't happy.

"Let's skip the pleasantries, officer Hopps. I didn't come all this way to shake your hand, I'll have you know."

"So you're familiar with us, huh?" Nick interjected.

"I wasn't talking to you, officer Wilde." Chief Latran said sternly while glaring down at the fox. "This here rabbit is the one I came to see." He claimed, gesturing toward Judy.

"What is it that you need, sir?" She found herself asking.

"Retribution." The coyote replied simply, though with an undertone of apparent malice.

"Retribution?" Judy repeated. "What are you talking about?"

Chief Latran's brow furrowed in seeming anger, and his slowly lips started to curl back as he spit his coming words with harshness and disappointment;

"No more than a half an hour ago, I got word that two officers from Precinct One, _both_ off-duty, engaged in a reckless foot-chase through public property, while out of their assigned jurisdiction lines. Sahara-Square is _my_ turf, and its streets belong to _my_ officers; Not a pair of wannabe heroes. You have better things to do than this kinda stuff."

Judy blinked a single time in apprehension. "Is that what this is about?" She found herself asking.

The rabbit recalled that although ZPD officers were allowed to perform work in districts that weren't of their own precinct jurisdiction, off-duty cops still had much higher standards to perform to, since their own objectives tended to come in unexpected ways and places, and as such, were subject to higher scrutiny. Admittedly, Judy hadn't considered the consequences of interfering with the work of Sahara-Square's Precinct Three, and now, she had to bear the brunt of her rashness. She listened in on Latran;

"Yes'am, it is indeed. I want to know exactly why you took off after that thieving weasel knowing _full well_ that it wasn't your call to make, officer Hopps." Jesse confirmed.

"Not my call to make?" The rabbit repeated again. "Sir, with all due respect, I saw the perpetrator, and acted on my instincts as a cop. That's what we do at the ZPD, right?"

The coyote shook his head from side to side in disagreement.

"No. That's what heedless individuals do: Act without any forethought. You only gave chase after that weasel for your own selfish desires. Coming into my precinct's territory intending to start a scuffle to show up my subordinates is bad enough on its own, but your reckless actions also served to prove just how terribly impulsive you really are."

"What do you mean? I didn't come here to _start a scuffle_ , much less _show up_ your subordinates!" Judy retorted.

"And yet you did exactly that."

"I'm on break here with my husband! And when I saw Weaselton taking that jewelry, I acted under perfectly reasonable cause."

"So you say."

"Sir, is this really what you came here to talk to me about? This is just ridiculous!"

"I'd watch your mouth if I were you, Missy." Chief Latran warned before taking a large step forward, closing the distance between he and Judy. "I won't tolerate rudeness."

 _Must be easy to see from that glass house of yours_. Nick thought silently to himself, having still not yet seized an opportunity to add his own two cents to the conversation.

Judy sighed. "Look, sir, I'm just trying to explain things to you. Why are you even here?" She stated.

Chief Latran straightened himself up before crossing his arms across his chest and explaining his motivations for showing up in the first place;

"I was told that two off-duty officers from Precinct One interfered in a police investigation being conducted by my officers here in The Canyonlands. You two fit the bill on that claim, and judging from what I've heard here, I'd say that that statement has a truth to it. The both of you are highly-respected public figures, and since you impeded the work of my officers by inciting a scuffle, I decided to come see things for myself. I've heard stories of your past accomplishments, officers, but also, of your past failures."

"Failures, sir?"

"Yes, failures. Retribution for your many reckless actions. Off the top of my head, I can recall reports of how a train cart, along with an entire trove of evidence relating to the Night-Howler case from three years past were destroyed in an explosion beneath the Natural History Museum, and how an entire mansion belonging to a criminal syndicate was burned to the ground, resulting in several unnecessary casualties, and even how Mister Wilde over here engaged in a _sword fight_ with a suspect of political blackmail!"

"That was actually kind of fun." Nick added casually, though trailed off and silenced himself when Chief Latran administered a smoldering glare his way. He continued;

"So yes, perhaps I am being a _little_ upfront with you, but when I received word that those very same mammals that had done all of those reckless and senseless things, had _also_ incited a scurry in my jurisdiction of influence, well, I'm sure that you can understand my reasoning, officer Hopps. Standard protocol or not, this needed my attention."

"I see..." The bunny mumbled in a soft tone of voice. "But I can assure you, sir, that there wasn't any destruction of property, or unintended casualties, or anything like that!"

"Precisely." Nick interjected. "She was just doing her job. There's nothing to worry about."

"Perhaps not, but I can't take it from you, Wilde; You weren't the one who caught that weasel, nor the one who started this mess, either." Jesse claimed.

At that, the coyote chief of police then turned back towards Judy, staring her down from his eye level with a look of distrust on his face.

"Tell me everything that happened." He grumbled.

"Permission to speak freely, sir? I'm sure that with a little bit of elbow-room, we could-" Judy began easily, but was suddenly cut off before she could even finish her request.

" _Permission denied_ , officer!" The coyote snarled loudly. "You ain't here to defend yourselves; You're here to _explain_ yourselves! I work with answers, not _excuses_." He hissed.

"Y-Yes, sir." Judy stifled, clearly somewhat taken aback by Chief Latran's continuous hostility.

It was now clear that Chief Latran was getting very impatient. All that he wanted was a personal explanation from her on what happened. Judy mentally cursed herself for not providing it to him sooner; She was unintentionally making an enemy out of him, and that was the last thing that she wanted. She started to think up ways to explain herself.

Meanwhile, the fox that stood beside her, on the other hand, was far from lenient.

Nick felt his heartbeat accelerate in anger. Police chief or not, there was no one who spoke to Judy like that. No one at all. She may have been a strong-willed soul, but when it came to her choice of career, she was understandably sensitive. Anything that tarnished her reputation or shattered her hopes was something that she didn't take lightly. He remembered all too well how depressed she became when Chief Urzo had gotten on their tails back in the Deciduous-District: Even though he had turned out to be a nicer guy than they first thought, that grizzly bear had put a pretty big dent in Judy's motivation. If this condescending coyote wanted an answer, then that was exactly what he'd get.

"Alright, Chief, you want answers?" The fox began. "Then tell me if _this_ story sounds familiar..."

Clearing his throat with an audible grunt, Nick took a moment to moisten his lips before continuing the likes of his rather sardonic explanation to the chief of Sahara-Square;

"Two innocent mammals with a biting hunger and a prestigious lawyer on speed dial, I might add, decide to stop by The Canyonlands to get some lunch, if only to shut up the growling of their stomachs for another few hours, when they suddenly spot a shifty-looking weasel stealing some _very_ expensive-looking jewelry from a nearby gem stand."

"Officer Wilde, if you're even so much as-" Chief Latran started, but promptly cut himself off when Nick simply raised one of his paws in a gesture of silence.

"It's rude to interrupt. Please save all questions, comments, or concerns until the conclusion of the story, please. Now, where was I? Oh yes!"

The fox spread his paws out calmly so as to emphasize the openness of his actions as he continued his monologue;

"Seeing that there were no other officers in the area, one of the two innocent mammals that I mentioned earlier decided to take actions into her _own_ paws, and went after the shifty-looking weasel on her _own_ terms. However, unlike the _last_ time that she took such a field trip, she made sure that her roundabout with the weasel was safely away from any public areas or bystanders, and managed to apprehend said shifty weasel without _any_ injury or financial damage, all before _your_ officers even _made it to the scene_."

An unnerving silence encompassed the three mammals for a few short seconds. Judy couldn't believe the fact that her husband had just chewed out Chief Latran like that, but, when she thought about it, Nick seemed to have a rather unorthodox talent of swiftly pointing out the flaws in others, even if they were higher up in the pecking order than he was. He teased Chief Bogo himself all the time, and the same went for the other officers, including Chief Urzo as well. This shouldn't have surprised the rabbit, but in the end, she thought that it was too sweet of Nick to come to her defense, even if it meant risking punishment by talking back to to one of the city's highest-ranking officers.

The gratitude at hand was so great, that it almost negated the chilling fear that Judy felt as Chief Latran grit his pointed teeth together and uttered a guttural, wolfish growl.

"Is this insubordination?" He snarled lowly. "You may not be under my jurisdiction, but I am _still your superior_."

Nick simply shook his head from side to side as he made _tsk tsk_ sounds with his tongue.

"Don't blame me, I was just doing what you told us to, Chief: Explaining ourselves to you." The fox promptly told of his superior with an innocent tone to his words.

Chief Latran opened his maw once more as if he were about to retort, but as Nick's words sunk in and registered, the coyote seemed to realize that he was right. Nick wasn't in the wrong, for even though his previous explanation was a bit on the sarcastic side, least to say, he had still done what the chief had asked him to do. Jesse then rumbled;

"You're a real smartass, officer Wilde."

"Just doing my job, sir." Nick claimed.

"I can respect the courage, but the audacity best be left to the curb." The coyote warned.

"As you say, sir."

Jesse blew a stream of air out from his nostrils. "My business here is concluded... But don't think for one second that I'll be forgetting you two anytime soon." He muttered.

Niether Nick nor Judy replied, with both instead choosing to silently nod their heads in understanding, if only to avoid talking with the coyote for any longer than they had to. He had heard what he wanted, and if he was ready to leave, than Nick and Judy wouldn't stop him. For the moment, they both listened carefully to his departing monologue.

"The chief council meeting is just right around the corner, and I heard that you both will be attending. You had better hope that the other council members view you as less problematic than I do. The ZPD, and the city of Zootopia, for that matter, has no need for cops that don't set the cause above renown. Don't forget that. We will meet again."

At that, the coyote chief of police turned tail and begun to walk away. Judy noticed how he folded his paws behind his back as he paced about, and drew comparisons to Nick. The rabbit slightly shook her head. Chief Latran was _nothing_ like Nick; Nick was calm, collected, and cool, while Chief Latran was temperamental and openly pessimistic. Not to mention the fact that he seemed to be a pretty rude mammal, too, though, Judy wasn't one to judge. Both Chief Bogo and Chief Urzo started out similarly when she first met them, and they both turned out all right over time, at least. If the coyote's words were true, and they really would meet again soon, Judy would be sure to eye him over.

She didn't want any enemies, but if that coyote had it out for her, she had no intention on backing down. But still, that whole experience with Chief Latran came with a great lesson: Chief Bogo wasn't the only one out there with the power to do real damage to her and Nick's career and reputations. She would have to tread carefully from now on.

Beside her, the fox exhaled heavily in a sigh of relief, all the while scratching at the back of his scruffy head.

"Glad that's over. Man, that coyote needs to lighten up. You successfully caught Weaselton, after all. If anything, that's worth some points."

"No kidding." The rabbit replied easily.

In that moment, her eyes narrowed, and her long ears twitched in suspicion.

"We have a prestigious lawyer on speed dial?" Judy found herself asking curiously.

"Beats me." Nick admitted. "I just said that to get Chief Latran off of our tails."

"You sly fox, you!" The bunny exclaimed, heaving a sigh of seeming disbelief. "You're terrible, sometimes."

"Like I said, I'm just doing my job."

Judy snickered as she wrapped her paws around her husband's torso, momentarily surprising him before he recomposed himself; Clearing his throat and patting her back.

"Thank you for defending me, Nick." The rabbit exclaimed graciously. "That was a... Frustrating experience."

"And exactly why we need to keep our eyes on ourselves, Carrots. Things from a long time ago are coming full circle, it looks like, and not in a good way." The fox told her.

"Agreed. We need to be smart about this. I'm sorry for chasing off after Weaselton earlier, but I promise that it won't happen again! Promise!"

"What, with Weaselton specifically, or just in general?" Nick quipped. "Big difference, you know."

Rolling her eyes in amusement, Judy released her hold on her partner's chest. "Both. No matter how tempting it is."

"I'll hold you to it. Sometimes, reasonable cause isn't enough for some mammals." The fox muttered, glancing off in the same direction that he had last seen Chief Latran.

"Sounds like a plan to me."

The moment that the words left her mouth, Judy's stomach rumbled aloud, catching the attention of the two mammals.

"I think I could do with some lunch, right about now." She said sheepishly.

"Sounds like a plan to me." The fox replied, intentionally repeating the use of his wife's previous statement.

Together, the two mammals excused themselves from the scene of Weaselton's capture, both all the more wise from their efforts, and intent on learning only more.

* * *

12:46 P.M ; _The Following Day_

Life was good.

If Nick himself had ever learned anything from all his years on this earth, it would be that enjoying the current moment was a critical experience. In such a day and age when phones and computers made life so much simpler, for example, there were those that would lose themselves in the ire and allure, and so too, themselves, in the process. But, there were also those that seized opportunity when they could, enjoyed the moment, and lived life to the fullest. Even when he was homeless, living on the streets of the city, scraping by on every last dime that he accumulated, Nick had managed to find pleasure in the little things, whenever they arrived, and even more so when he met Judy.

Living by a personal code such as that was what helped mold Nick into the mammal that he was today. Being careful-minded, not getting wrapped up too much in the many worries that came with life, and simply enjoying the moment, as it was, as _he_ was, made every tick of the clock worthwhile, in his eyes. Granted, such beliefs could come off as self-centered, excessively carefree, or even ridiculous, to some, and those very beliefs also aided in the growth of cynicism and self-superiority in the fox's heart, but those were nothing more than the traits that came with the prospect of enjoying oneself to the fullest. Sometimes, morality could afford to be cast aside in favor of one's own path.

Those that tallied the days of their life were only serving to waste the very thing that they sought to preserve. Nick had no intention of falling into that terrible trap.

And so, the fox lived life day to day with as much enjoyment as he could, even despite the deep and buried burden of grief that he held in his heart for the crimes that he had committed in the past. He didn't allow those thoughts to obstruct with his current mindset, and because of that fact, his little weekend with Judy was all the more memorable.

After excusing themselves form the crime scene where Duke Weaselton had been apprehended, Nick and Judy then enjoyed the rest of their day exploring the wonders of the dusty Canyonlands, venturing through tunnels, meeting new mammals, and yes, satisfying their hunger by eating lunch out on a savory barbecue restaurant known as the 'Chappagrill.' Soon enough, though, they returned back to their hotel room in the Grand Palm, if only to get a good night's sleep before whatever the next day brought fourth.

Luckily for them, they knew exactly what: After two years of near-complete silence, they would visit Nick's mother, Olivia Wilde, in the neighborhood of Happy-Town.

The aforementioned community was located on the outskirts of Savannah-Central, and so, when the time came for the two tiny mammals to disembark from their grandiose hotel, checking out at last, though not without a good breakfast beforehand, they both promptly made way to Savannah-Central on foot, ultimately deciding that they could use the extra exercise, and might as well get out and enjoy what the day had to offer them. It took a few hours, what with squeezing through thick crowds of mammalian pedestrians and other passerby, and waiting at street corners for traffic lights to clear the way, but eventually, they reached their intended destination, and now stood ready.

Once they reached the border of the poverty-stricken neighborhood, the two wandering mammals were greeted with a large, peeling billboard that proudly stated the words;

 _WELCOME TO HAPPYTOWN!_

The billboard was designed with appeal in mind, complete with cutout buildings and painted trees, but time had worn away the grandeur of the sign, and now it was just an old, peeling mess of splintering wood and dried-up paint. Although choosing to ignore the sign as he crossed its boundary, Nick still found the effort to lean out and spit at the grassy ground where the billboard was rooted. He had never liked that sign, nor what it stood for: Deception. It painted Happy-Town as a colorful and bright place, just like the very name, when in fact, it was nothing but a run-down ghetto. The very poorest neighborhood in all of the city of Zootopia, and the majority that lived in it were preds.

"What'd you do that for?" Judy found herself asking.

"Oh, that? Don't worry about it." Nick told her. "Just an old tradition that the kids around here used to do."

"I see."

The fox's words bore no falsehoods: As a child, he and his friends would often go on walks around the area, visiting nearby parks, checking out the highway that bordered the neighborhood, and sometimes even doing a bit of vandalizing. However, every single time that they went outside, they would always take the effort to pass by that deceitful sign if only to spit at the ground beneath it. Many adults that lived in the area had picked up on that habit, too, as Nick recalled: It was seen as a bid of defiance and protest against the city government that refused to scrounge up the funding to make Happy-Town anything more than a rotting ghetto.

Much like the Nocturnal-District, and even The Docks, too, Happy-Town was a place that wasn't prioritized by the city government when it came to funding, resources, and financial aid. Though, Nick himself was at least grateful that the government didn't let the place succumb to pure chaos, as the Nocturnal-District had several centuries ago, when it was first founded. The fox had heard stories about the vampire bat population taking on some major damage during those dark times, and although they were just rumors, Nick had no intention on asking old Flappy-Bat if they were true or not. In the end, Happy-Town got the short end of the stick from the city for just about everything.

That was, until Judy, along with Nick and Chief Bogo's help, managed to get the city government to divert more time and energy into helping out those hurting places, and rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure that plagued them. Looking around, though, little seemed to have changed since the fox's youth. He would have to remind Chief Bogo to further press the city council into keeping up with their promises, when he got the chance to. Until then, all he could do was look around and admire his old neighborhood.

Despite being one of the poorer regions of Savannah-Central, the interior of Happy-Town still had a decent amount of flora on display, mostly just savanna trees and bushes, though still more than the Sahara-Square, at least. Most of the buildings were built of colorful brick, painted so as to make the run-down area look less dull than it really was. As Nick and Judy both walked among the crackling concrete sidewalks, the blades of grass that poked out from the fractures tickled against the soles of their feet, and around them, the warm air smelled of a peculiar mix of garbage and wet fur. It was a stench that Nick had gotten used to in the distant past, though now, it terrorized his nostrils.

The fox began to remember just how dumpy this place could get. He thought back to nights where he would hear gunshots from his bedroom window, and be able to see the orange glow of fires, either from lighters or from mammals too poor to afford electricity for light and warmth. Nick then looked down to Judy. Grinning wide, he said out loud;

"Don't worry, this place isn't too shady during daylight hours, but come nightfall, don't be surprised if you see a trash fire or two."

Nick snickered to himself, as though the thought of encountering burning garbage was amusing, but the bunny that strolled beside him felt her ears droop in shame.

Judy thought back to her work on the Night-Howler case all those years ago, and just how ignorant she truly was. She had believed that the city of Zootopia was just this perfect, shining place where nothing could go wrong. As it turned out, it was far from perfect, just like her. Everyone made mistakes, and having a bit of pessimism in your life was no act of shame, the rabbit often told herself. Just like people, places could have darker spots to them as well, and the city of Zootopia was no such exception. It was no surprise that the locality of Happy-Town was one of those darker places. Many different predators, including families and children, lived in conditions like these, and worse.

Everyone was born in ignorance, and that ignorance could grow depending on one's lifestyle, but even now, as she recognized these prospects, Judy felt disappointed in herself. For so long, she had held on to a subconscious fear of predatory mammals. She simply couldn't help it. It was wired into her brain, deep down in a place where change was rare, and evolution ruled with an iron grip. Such fears rarely surfaced nowadays, but Judy had a sinking feeling that they were still there, somewhere. Hidden.

The bunny then briefly felt the need to apologize to Nick once again for how she had used to view predators, even though it had been entire years on end, since then. Soon enough, though, she shook those thoughts from her head: Nick wouldn't want her pity, nor her apology. Those times had passed, and now, they had nowhere to look but the future. That was what Nick would want, and that was what Judy wanted, right then and there. Exhaling a small sigh of relief, Judy turned towards her husband and inquired;

"So, where does your mom live, again? It's been a while since we last visited her... I kinda forgot." She admitted.

"No worries." The fox replied easily. "She isn't too far from here. Just a few more blocks. I'll lead the way."

Together, the two of them explored the expanses of Happy-Town as they made their way towards the address of Nick's old home, a nearby apartment complex in which his mother still resided to this very day. As they strolled, gusts of warm wind from the nearby Sahara-Square would find their way to Happy-Town, sending lightweight junk flying around through the air. The ground was littered, and the concrete was broken. It wasn't a total dump, but it certainly wasn't very high up in terms of quality. Whatever dilapidated brick buildings weren't covered in vines, were covered in graffiti. It gave some color and life to this sad section of the world, even though it was still vandalization.

Savannah trees sprouted up here and there, and passing mammals, all predators, would eye Nick and Judy as they walked by; Some with mistrust, as though the idea of a rabbit romping around the area was too suspiscious, and others with looks of surprised pleasantry, undoubtedly recognizing the two tiny mammals as the heroes of Zootopia, and champion fighters for predator rights. Aside form the occasional wave and stink-eyed glare, Nick and Judy were mostly left alone on their journey to the former's home.

Cramped brick buildings flanked the two of them for a few more blocks, that was, until they came across their first truly open space in all of Happy-Town: A tiny public park.

Nick never thought that he'd be back in this place again. Years of dusty memories buried beneath his time spent with Judy were beginning to resurface as he looked around.

The fox's old stomping grounds were just a few blocks from the park in the middle of the neighborhood, where the grass was dying and the playground was rusted. Fun place. His father, despite owning one of the only tailor shops in town, never made a very good income from it, but it was enough to keep himself and his family afloat, that was, until the day that he abandoned them, of course. Nick was just a cub, back then, and barely remembered any of it. Nowadays, he mostly thought of his father as a selfish animal, though past that, he knew deep down that he was a charitable and understanding individual. Losing his family after that one heated argument must have truly broken him.

Whatever the case, Nick wasn't here to think of the negative aspects; He was just here to stop by and say hello to one of the few positive aspects: His mother, Olivia Wilde.

Beyond every tear-soaked experience, waiting with warm and open arms for Nick to embrace within, had been Olivia Wilde. Every single time. Nick had heard the concept that nothing was as pure nor unrelenting as a mother's love, but he had never realized as a child just how true that statement was to that of his _own_ mother. Unconditional and unwavering, her kindness and care helped him through many dark times, and had carried with him for years to come. Despite his father's absence, his mother made him feel whole. Feel appreciated. Loved. There was nothing that they couldn't discuss together, and there was nothing that they couldn't do together. Such was their relationship.

And it was a damn shame that Nick had taken advantage of it all.

Years ago, past all the love and care and attention that his mother had given him, a young Nick had ran away from home. Deep down, he knew that he had spat upon the privileges that had been bestowed upon him, but alas, there was no way to change what he had done. No way to rewind the clock, if only to enjoy those dwindling childhood years before they were gone. He had left his mother alone and abandoned for so long; And there wasn't a single day that went by where Nick didn't regret that very choice.

But of course, not all had gone completely south with his departure. He had met Finnick during those dark years, after all, and the small sand fox had taken him under his wing. Sure, he may have been a bit foul-tempered and somewhat disagreeable, but he still made a good associate, good friend and a good partner in such uncertain times. The two vulpines had worked together to achieve their own goals and personal satisfaction, even if it came at the expense of others; Swindling, hustling, and conning their way to success, though, they did still live in borderline poverty, despite the big fortunes that they had amassed over their years of working together on the streets of the city.

However, past every pretty penny and every merry memory that he made, Nick had always lived with the harrowing guilt of abandoning his dear mother, all those years ago.

"You're pretty lucky, you know, having a tight-knit family." The fox suddenly muttered to his wife, who donned a quizzical look across her muzzle, though she kept walking.

"I wouldn't completely agree to that, since dealing with two hundred and seventy five siblings can be a real pain in the butt." She responded.

"Haha, yeah, I guess that can have its ups and downs, huh?" Nick admitted. "But still... At least your family is together. It must be nice knowing that."

"Well, sometimes being one in a thousand isn't always a blessing. You were an only child, right? You got all the attention!"

The fox smiled to himself, thinking back to his youth. Those were much simpler times. He had many cherishable memories, such as the time that he and his mother had gone fishing in a nearby pond, or that time that he had helped his father out in his tailor shop. The little moments like those were always the ones that appeared to stick the most.

"You're right. Maybe being on the far side of the spectrum, compared to you, when it comes to family isn't all that bad."

"That's the spirit!" Judy stated proudly. "Bunny culture is all about family life! The home, the heart, and the hearth, all bound by the roots of the burrow."

"Well look at you, junior philosopher. And here I was thinking that bunny culture was all about carrots, carrots, and more carrots, right Carrots?"

"Oh, stop it, you." The rabbit chided her husband, though not without a cheerful smile tugging at the edge of her lips. "Bunny culture is so much more than that."

"Really now? How so?"

"We also have onions, blueberries, radishes, pumpkins-" Judy began, listing each additional statement on her fingers, that was, until Nick interjected with his own comment;

"You're hopeless." He teased.

"Am not!" She retorted.

"Are too."

" _Am not_!" The bunny repeated.

"Case in point: Hopeless."

Judy groaned aloud to herself. "You're such a jerk sometimes, you know that, right?" She told him with a smile across her face.

"You know you love me." The fox replied easily.

The two mammals momentarily stopped walking.

"Do I know that?" Judy feigned in question before locking eyes with Nick. "Yes; Yes I do."

From there, the both of them brought their lips together in a brief, but loving kiss. Once they had parted, Nick and Judy held paws all the way up to the address of Nick's old home, a dingy apartment complex not too far off from the center of town. His mother had lived in that same apartment complex ever since Nick had first been born. It looked just like Nick remembered it: A bit on the shabby side, but not too dilapidated. Small, but cozy. Perfect for a family of three medium-sized mammals. Inside, the fox knew that even though he had paid visits to his mother in the past, that she would likely still try to baby him, to an extent. He was prepared for that. It was the least he deserved.

"So, you ready to go visit her?" Judy asked him as she stared up at the apartment building.

Glancing down at his wife, the fox locked eyes with her and smiled coyly, happy to have her with him on this new endeavor of theirs. So much had transpired since they had last visited Olivia Wilde, and there was most likely going to be much conversation. Nick was ready to tell it all, though. Eventually, he spoke out, his words true to the core;

"Ready as I'll ever be."

At that, the two mammals nodded in unison before setting their sights forward and onto their final destination.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Thanks for reading this latest chapter of ours. It was fun for me to write up, and I can only hope that you can say the same about your experience reading it. A lot took place, that's for sure, from the introduction of new characters, to the exploration of new settings, this chapter was certainly filled to the brim with plenty of content to enjoy. I for one have wanted our favorite duo to pay a visit to the poorly named Happy-Town for quite some time, by now, and so, it was all the more interesting for me to finally get around to writing about it, as it is a lesser-known concept that was abandoned from the plot of the original movie, much like The Docks, and the Nocturnal-District, but hey, at least that leaves us writers with all the more ideas to play around with, huh?**

 **This is FanFiction, after all: What else does one do here?**

 **For all those reviewers out there, tell me what you think of Chief Latran, and the scene that he took part in. Just for fun, I'll have you know that when I designed his character, I intended for him to fit into the "arrogant jerkass" archetype, least to say: Unlike both Chief Bogo and Chief Urzo, who are nice guys hidden behind gruff exteriors, Chief Latran isn't supposed to be like that. He's not exactly Mr. Nice Guy. He's volatile, very strong-willed and somewhat unforgiving. He's everything bad about Chief Bogo/Urzo _without_ the good parts hidden deep down. Bogo is a gruff guy with a big heart, Urzo is a mammal just trying to follow orders and discipline his officers, but Chief Latran is, quite frankly, a true hardass. If you had those thoughts, then I did my job well.**

 **So yeah, I hope you enjoyed that particular scene! It was fun for me to write up, and I'd love knowing all your thoughts on the chapter as a whole, along with the overall design and personality of Chief Latran. I can promise you that when the aforementioned police chief meeting that Nick and Judy will be attending comes around, you'll be meeting several more unique and interesting characters, each with their own traits and ideologies. Stay tuned to find out!**

 **Next up, I'll have you know that much like this latest chapter of ours, the next chapter (90! Can you believe it?) will take place immediately afterwords.**

 **Last up for announcements, I'd like to make mention of the fact that even more amazing fan-made art is available for viewing on my Tumblr and DeviantArt accounts. Feel free to check them out, if you'd like, and do know that if you ever consider the idea of contributing any fan art, you need only to contact me.**

 **Anyhow, that's pretty much all that I got for you lot as of right now. Again, thanks for reading, and feel free to leave some reviews detailing your thoughts!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	87. Commemorence

"The purest meaning of the word unconditional can be found in a mother's love." - Anonymous

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"Guidance requires action, but does not guarantee safety." - Caroline Myss

* * *

1:00 P.M

Stepping through the lobby entrance of the old apartment complex that was once his first and only home, Nick Wilde couldn't quite describe how he felt in that moment.

He wasn't very prone to much emotion, as he always knew. To him, there was never much to get emotional about in the first place. But as he set foot in his former home, he simply couldn't shake the feeling of regret. He had ran away from this place at a young age, forever scarring his relationship with his mother, Olivia, whom he had betrayed and left hurting while he took to the streets. Nick didn't like the feeling of regret, as he didn't like making mistakes; Both of which often came hand-in-hand. Alas, there was nothing that he could do about it save for bucking up and taking responsibility for his actions, and the feelings that ultimately came with them. This was no time for moping.

Rather, it was time for retribution, just as Chief Latran had told him. But instead of giving it to that condescending coyote, he planned on giving it to his very own mother.

He owed her that, at the very least. He hadn't seen her in years on end, despite living just a few miles away, in the very same district as her, albeit different neighborhoods, but still very close and understandably unworthy of excuses. Nick, who had all the time in the world to spare and all the regret in the world to flee, had left his own mother hanging for far too long. He owed her retribution, and had every intention on giving it to her. Today, he would visit her in their old apartment, and atone for his personal sins.

It may not have been that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, but to Nick, it was of the utmost importance. He felt as though he owed a debt to pay to his mother, and longed for nothing more than to pay it. Perhaps it was a residual inkling of guilt from abandoning her all of those years ago that drove him and his current actions, but whatever the case, he knew that this meeting would end as good as he could make it. This wasn't just about retribution, but also about consideration. To her, it was his duty.

Nick didn't even need to ask the receptionist where her room was. He had lived there for most of his childhood, after all. With Judy following shortly behind, the fox led his partner up a set of stairs to the second floor of the building complex, where the room was located. Eyeing around the hallway that spread out before them on the second floor, Nick felt a big pang of nostalgia surge through his body, causing his russet fur to stand on end. He was home. Now, it was time to talk to the mammal that made it one.

As they paced forward, the bunny officer took note of the peeling floral wallpaper, and made comparisons between it and Nick's favored type of shirt. It all made sense now.

"I still find it hard to believe that your mom has lived here for nearly her entire adult life." Judy found herself stating aloud.

"Sure, it can be a little bit surprising, I guess, but she's always been fond of the place." Nick replied easily. "It works for her, and that's as good enough as anything."

Continuing down the dilapidated hallway, the pair eventually reached a room titled as the number 213. The door was made from dark wood, and had a small golden peephole implanted at about Nick's eye level. Exhaling a single time, the male fox steeled himself and his resolve as he lifted his paw and rapped a slew of knocks upon the small door.

"Just a moment!" A female-sounding voice called out from behind the wooden barricade.

Nick swallowed. He recognized the voice: It was definitely his mom. No doubt about it, whatsoever. Clearing his throat, he straightened himself out a little bit in preparation.

Soon enough, the door opened, and both Nick and Judy locked their twin gazes upon the sight of an old female fox, likely in her early or mid sixties, staring out at them from across the space where the door had once stood firm, separating that little room behind it from the great big outside world. The old fox was adorned in a simple, dark green dress and stringy wool coat. Her long, foxy tail was a bit scruffy from age, but still held the visual appeal of those that looked at it. Her russet fur had strands of gray within it here and there, and her curious, peering eyes were as green as Nick's very own. She held the gaze of the male fox that stood right across from her for a few tense moments.

Olivia slowly blinked a single time, stepping forward slightly as she eyed over the two mammals standing at her doorstep.

"N-Nicholas?" The old fox stammered. "Is that really you?"

Smiling wide, Nick simply spread his arms in a gesture of greeting. "Surprise!" He then exclaimed out loud jovially.

"Oh, it really _is_ you!" Olivia cried out before lunging forward and capturing her son in a tight hug. Nick was surprised, at first, but soon found himself embracing her back.

"Yeah, it is." He muttered quietly with a slight chuckle to himself. "Nice to see you too, mom."

Standing quietly beside them both, Judy began to feel herself smiling warmly. To her, it was nice to see Nick make a connection with his mother. He didn't talk about her very much, but whenever he did, he always spoke nothing but praise. He clearly held her in rather high regard, and the way that they acted around one another definitely showed for it. The rabbit was happy the her foxy husband was finally able to see her again after so long. Judy had always held family values with great cherish, and as annoying as dealing with 274 siblings could get sometimes, she still loved them, and the parents that sired them all, including her. Nick never had much in his life, but this made him full.

If anything, that was what made this whole adventure of theirs worthwhile.

Eventually, the two vulpines separated from their embrace, though the female still held her offspring's shoulders as she inquired him of his sudden appearance;

"What are you doing here?"

Nick shrugged nonchalantly. "It's been a while, so, we just thought that we'd stop by." He replied with ease.

"Oh yes, of course!" Olivia exclaimed as she waved her arms toward the entrance of her apartment. "Come in, come in! I have some tea brewing, too. Come in!"

"With pleasure."

Grabbing hold of Judy's right paw, Nick pulled her along into his old family home as Olivia shut the door behind them carefully.

Staring around the interior of his mother's flat, Nick felt even more nostalgia than he had in the hallway just outside. Here, it was a bit small and cozy, with a creaky wooden staircase leading up to a tiny second floor where Nick's old room used to be. All around, the wallpaper still had that green floral pattern to it, though was starting to peel and flake with age. A small living room with dusty furniture and a scratched up wooden floor occupied the center space of the apartment, and an even smaller kitchen was tucked away in the back, nearly out of sight. Right at the base of the staircase hung an ovular mirror with a dirty surface, as though it hadn't been wiped clean in a very long time.

It was the same mirror that Nick had once looked into with pride, all the while sporting his newly purchased Junior Ranger Scout uniform. He smiled to himself, recalling how his mom had tied the red handkerchief around his neck just before tickling him. The incident with the muzzle had happened just hours later, as he remembered. Nick sighed.

"This place hasn't changed one bit." He muttered aloud, almost longingly.

"I've never had the heart to change it, since you left." Olivia replied. "Besides, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

"See! Told ya!" Nick stated proudly to his wife.

"Words worth living by." The rabbit admitted with a casual shrug. "My dad always used to say that a whole lot, back when I lived with him and my family in Bunny-Burrow."

"Yes, I do recall meeting him at my Nick's graduation ceremony. Nice mammal." The female fox claimed.

Judy silently swallowed. She reminisced to the moment of her partner's graduation from the Zootopia police academy; Colorful confetti, blaring trumpets, and flying caps amongst the cheering crowd. Pinning that shining badge on his chest was one of her proudest moments, not just for herself, but for Nick as well. Her own family may have attended, but it was actually the very first time that she had met Nick's mother. Introducing her father to Olivia had been stressful, as Judy believed that his disdain of foxes might have impeded his social etiquette, but in the end, he showed his softer side: Befriending the female fox and congratulating her on her son's success at the academy.

Overall, it had been an unforgettable experience, but back to the present, the bunny officer took note of the older fox before her; Watching as she poured three cups of tea.

"I can't believe you two came all this way just to see me... I'm very grateful." She stated aloud.

"Least we could do. Like I said, it's been a while, so we thought we'd take a moment to stop by."

"Well, your consideration for me is most appreciated, my dear." Olivia claimed. "Here, have some tea!"

Smiling warmly as she handed a small cup of steaming brown liquid to Nick, the female fox then turned to Judy and gave her her own sample of the stuff. Bringing the cup to her lips, the rabbit took a quick sip, savoring the heat and taste of the substance a little bit at a time. Upon relishing all of the flavor that she could, she promptly swallowed.

Meanwhile, Nick himself decided to try taking a much larger quaff of tea, only to scald his tongue and lips due to the heat that it gave off. Nearly spewing out a mouthful of hot liquid, the fox painfully gulped down his share before panting wearily and clearing his throat with an audible slew of grunts. As he did, he pat the center of his sternum.

"Shouldn't have done that." He managed to spit through his coughs, causing his pair of female associates to snicker amongst themselves.

"You never were a very patient mammal, were you, Nicholas?" Olivia mused.

"Tell me about it." Judy added.

"Yes, I remember when he was just a kit, how he'd always pester me about when dinner was supposed to be ready."

"He did that back then, too?"

Judy and Olivia shared a slew of laughter, much to the male's personal dismay.

"If you two are done humiliating me, I think it's safe to ask for a change in conversation." Nick grumbled.

"Oh, we're just teasing, and you know it." His mother claimed as she took a sip from her teacup. "No reason to be ashamed of memories."

"Alright, alright; Whatever you say, ma."

"So, Miss Wilde-" Judy then started, but was rather politely cut off when the old fox interjected with her own comment;

"Please, call me Olivia."

"Okay then! So, Olivia, I just have to ask: Why stay here in Happy-Town? We all know that this place is a total dump, and I'm sure you have the means to relocate, right?"

Sighing, Nick's mother lowered her gaze a little bit in thought.

"It's easier said than done. It may be low in quality, but the rent is affordable, and I've made myself a home here. I don't think I could leave it even if I had to." She said.

"Yeah, plus the housing market in the neighborhoods around Happy-Town aren't exactly top tier, either, if I do say so myself." Nick added on top of Olivia's statement.

"But you like it here, at least?" Judy asked.

"Oh yes, very much so!" Olivia exclaimed cheerily. "As I said, I've made myself a home here, and if anything the nostalgia keeps me from leaving. I'm perfectly content."

"That's good to hear, mom." Nick muttered. "Last thing I'd want is for you to have been stuck here for all these years without a reason to stay."

"Heavens, no! If _that_ were the case, I would have packed up and abandoned this rotting old ghetto _decades_ ago!"

The two foxes shared a laugh with one another, though Judy didn't join in. To her, there was little humorous about the prospect of living in a place like this. Still, she didn't allow her personal thoughts to ruin her mood, nor affect those around her, and chose to don a facade of a smile, if only to seem as though she were in on the previous joke.

"This place may suck, but it's home, I guess." Nick finalized, all the while staring around at the walls of the old apartment.

"Indeed it is." Olivia said.

What followed was a brief moment of silence as the three mammals took a second to drink their tea and think about their current lifestyles. It was clear to both Nick and Judy that the former's mother was well enough on her own, and that was good enough for them. Soon, the silenced was broken when Olivia set down her teacup and stated aloud;

"Enough about me, though; Tell me about what you two have been up to! Surely, the work of a pair of prestigious police officers has some good stories to tell."

"You have no idea." Nick muttered, thinking back to all that he and Judy had accomplished together over the years.

"Where do we even start?" Judy asked nervously, scratching at the back of her neck. "Nick and I have been through a lot."

"That's putting it lightly." The fox added.

"How about you start with what happened in the Nocturnal-District." Olivia suggested.

"Yeah, that's a good-" Nick began, only to falter over his own words. "Wait, how did you hear about that?"

"It was in the news, at the time. You two are practically celebrities, so it's no surprise that your biggest case since the Night-Howler incident was picked apart by the media."

"Oh, right..." The male fox muttered. "All this traveling and chumming around, these past few months made me forget just how nosy the press is with Carrots and I."

After Nick had trailed off, Judy then promptly took it upon herself to fill Olivia in on their underground adventures;

"What happened down in the Nocturnal-District was far from fun, least to say. We can't tell you everything, since it's against ZPD protocol to share classified information, but what we can tell you is that one of the city's most notorious criminals decided to target Nick, and it resulted in a whole lot of chaos. In the end, most of the bad guys were captured, and we all turned out okay, thankfully. I wouldn't exactly say that the Nocturnal-District is a very nice place to visit, but it was definitely a memorable experience."

"That's putting it lightly." Nick purposefully repeated.

"I recall all of those protests that followed... Nasty business. At least you two made it out of that mess safely, though." Olivia said softly. "What happened after that?"

"Just some more police work, for a while, until we went undercover in a big banking company Downtown. That was pretty fun..."

Nick hesitated, sneaking a glance at Judy. Her long ears were dropped down, and she had a look of disappointment on her face. The fox finalized;

"For the most part."

Although his mother didn't seem to notice the previous inkling of tension in the air, both Nick and Judy quickly recomposed themselves as they turned their attention back towards, and listened in on the former's mother as she huffed aloud in amusement before taking a long and drawn out sip of tea from her cup. Afterwords, she stated proudly;

"Those big corporations can't be trusted! I'm not surprised that the ZPD's finest two officers were sent to set things right!"

The male fox barked a laugh. "Well said." He muttered out loud.

"All of that in the span of three short months... Truly impressive work, I must say." Olivia continued.

"Thanks, ma." Nick said.

"But what happened after that? Surely, that isn't where your adventure ended, no?"

"Not by a long shot." The younger fox confirmed. "Once we settled back in after finishing our undercover work, we went on a little private vacation; Just the two of us."

"A _paid_ vacation, to be exact." Judy added with a grin.

"Ooo, sounds exciting!" Olivia exclaimed. "Where did you two go?"

"We got a lot of different suggestions from a friend in Tundra-Town, but eventually settled on stopping by Outback-Island before heading to the Pawaiian islands."

"Exotic!"

Nick found himself smiling. "Very! We went sailing, hiking, exploring, sightseeing; All kinds of fun stuff." He explained to his mother.

"Must have been fun! Did you see the volcanoes there?"

"Indeed we did. Pretty awesome stuff, even with all the deadly smoke and all that. After we got back home from Pawaii, we worked on a blackmailing case, got sent to the Deciduous-District for, uh, some extended training, and finally wound up here, looking for you. Judy and I have been all over the place, these past few years, that's for sure."

Upon concluding the conversation, Nick sat back in his chair before finishing off the last pool of tea from his cup. As he did, he listened in on his mother's rambling.

"Wow... All these adventures, and I've been sitting on my own tail here in Happy-Town for the past decade..." Olivia stated before following her statement with a slight sigh.

There was a very brief moment of silence, that was, until the old fox recomposed herself and concluded her previous statement;

"But if my boy is out there living his life, then that's the only achievement I need."

Judy nearly let out an unscripted 'Aww!', fawning over Olivia's sheer compassion for her son, but held it back at the last second.

"That's very considerate of you." She eventually settled on.

"Hence why we came here to pay you a visit." Nick added. "Least we could do."

"And that, in turn, is considerate of you, my dear." Olivia retorted appreciatively. "All these world-trekking adventures and you still spared the time to stop by and chat."

"Like I said: Least we could do."

Nick's mother smiled, her expression radiating great gratitude and appreciation. Noticing this, Judy found herself getting giddy inside; Seeing the connection between her husband and his mother, whom the former spoke about with such reverence and passion. Having always held family values to heart, Judy saw this as a true social wonder.

The trio of mammals continued to chat for some time about all manner of topics, ranging from more recent happenings, to the current state of the city economy. For a full hour and a half, sweet and simple conversation ensued, with each party getting their fair share of convergence, that was, until a very particular conversational topic arose.

"You two seem to have experienced everything out there except parenthood." Olivia exclaimed.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Nick asked.

"Well, you and Judy here have seen everything! Been everywhere! You have eachother, but..." The old fox hesitated. "Have you ever considered having children?"

Judy's eyes sank low in thought, and she felt her heart race in anticipation: It was a topic that she had had a feeling would be brought up sooner or later. It was inevitable.

The last time that her and Nick had openly spoken about the idea of having children of their own was on their way to Outback-Island, riding with that cantankerous narwhal, John Haddock, in his dingy old ferry. Judy snickered to herself. Ironic: John Haddock was perhaps the last mammal on the entire planet that she'd ever associate with youth.

"We've thought about it..." The rabbit finally admitted. "Though it isn't even possible for us to have any kids of our own, adoption _has_ crossed our minds before, right Nick?"

The fox nodded in agreement. "Right on. As much as the idea terrifies me, it also excites me at the same time, admittedly." He claimed.

"How precious!" Olivia swooned, clasping her paws together.

Nick felt his face heat up a little bit in embarrassment. He quickly found himself stifling;

"But that still isn't set in stone, as of yet. Just an idea. Nothing too serious."

"Well, I don't think I'd call the idea of raising kits a simple one!" Olivia retorted.

"You raised _me_ , didn't you?" Nick quipped, earning a roll of the eyes from his mother.

"Maybe adoption is something we can consider, Nick." Judy interjected, causing the two vulpines to stare her down.

"You really think so?" The male questioned.

"Yeah, if you want, we can look into it."

Nick chuckled nervously a single time. "Clawhauser would be squealing so hard if he heard us talking about this kind of stuff." He joked.

"I can see that." Judy claimed with a coyish grin.

"But wow, yeah, that's definitely something we'd have to think about, if we got around to it."

"Who is this Clawhauser mammal?" Olivia asked aloud, breaking the moment of sympathy between husband and wife.

"A friend from work." The bunny answered cheerily. "He's a big ol' cheetah, and works the receptions desk at Precinct One, the ZPD head-quarters."

"You two would probably get along quite well together." Nick added.

"Perhaps, but oh, I can imagine the headlines: Hero cops adopt orphaned kit! It's adorable! I've been expecting grandkits for a while now, but _that's_ on a whole new level."

While Olivia continued her exposition, Nick and Judy both locked eyes with one another. They smiled, knowing that it was a topic for another day. As the conversations continued and the clock kept ticking, the bunny and fox soon found their energy dwindling, and found it upon themselves to be excused for the night, as they had a big day tomorrow, preparing for the city council meeting the following day. After one final, heartfelt discussion with Olivia, she gave one last piece of advice for her beloved offspring;

"Just remember, Nicholas..." She began calmly. "No matter what happens out there in the big wide world, you'll always be my son."

Nick felt a small smile grow on his face. "Right back at you, mom." He replied with ease and appreciation.

With their final goodbyes bid at last, the old fox closed the door to her apartment shut. From there, Nick sighed longingly before turning to his wife and simply stating aloud;

"Well, let's head back home, shall we?"

Judy blinked a single time in apprehensive curiosity before sporting a coyish grin of her very own. She then replied;

"Indeed we shall."


	88. Destiny Calls

"Watch your character; It becomes your destiny." - Lao Tzu

* * *

3:00 P.M , _City Hall_

Destiny calls.

Throughout her entire life, Judy Hopps had been training to become a police officer of the ZPD. It was her passion. Her dream. To her, it meant the whole world to become an officer of the law; To protect and serve the citizens of Zootopia. She had learnt and accomplished much over the years, from completing the academy to taking down entire criminal syndicates, but there was nothing to prepare her for what she faced now. Perhaps the greatest challenge of her entire career lay waiting at the end of this hall-way.

But she preferred not to think about that too much.

Ever since she and Nick had returned home from their little getaway in Sahara-Square, the bunny herself had been counting down the days until the upcoming city council meeting, of which she was being forced to attend alongside her partner and even Chief Bogo. There, all twelve of the city's police chiefs would meet to discuss the events that had taken place over the past few months, Nick and Judy's involvement in them, and just what it meant for the future of Zootopia, and the two officer's respective careers.

Indeed, it was quite safe to say that everything that they had ever accomplished throughout their careers as police officers has been leading up to this very moment in time.

 _No pressure_. Judy thought to herself. _This is just like any other meeting... Only with high-ranking superiors that could terminate your career on a whim, instead of coworkers._

The rabbit shook her head from side to side, clearing her head of anxious thoughts. _Get a hold of yourself, Judith! Just relax, and go with the flow._ She mentally settled upon.

Breathing out a considerably relieving stream of air through her mouth, Judy felt her heartbeat slow down a little bit. There was nothing to be so darn worried about. She had everything to gain from this upcoming meeting, and nothing to lose... She hoped. Shaking her head again, the bunny spared a brief glance at her partner, husband and mate, Nick Wilde, who strolled calmly beside her with his paws folded behind his back. With him at her side, she could not possibly fail. Straightening herself out a little bit, Judy proceeded to clear her throat aloud before looking up to her large superior officer, Chief Bogo, who himself had asked her and Nick to accompany him on this meeting of his.

"Say, why did you want us to join you in the first place, Chief Bogo?" She asked, if only to further distract herself from her own anxiety.

The buffalo was silent for a short time. "This meeting needs the insight of mammals that are more active out in the city. Officers. You two were the best pick." He finally said.

"That's not it though, is it?" Nick added, to which Chief Bogo sighed. He continued;

"No, it isn't. Since you both were the ones who witnessed the confrontation in The Painted Labyrinth, and have a better understand of the city's crime-lord's than just about anyone else, the city council ultimately decided that you needed to attend the meeting to explain yourselves, and help us brainstorm some sort of solution for our problems."

"Problems?" Judy asked curiously.

"Yes; Problems. What happened in the Deciduous-District was a heavy reminder for us all, especially since it was nearly destroyed by that reckless tasmanian-devil. With the archive at the ZPD head-quarters having been burnt to a crisp, Iluka Rombahe expanding his range of influence into other city districts, the death of Grygorri Ratsputin, and Vladzotz Fangpyre's sudden return to the criminal underworld, the other chiefs and I have come to realize that we need a plan of action. There are still more foes out there for us to deal with, and we have to be ready for whenever that happens. This emergency meeting was scheduled, and we were all summoned to city-hall in order to discuss the possibilities for that plan, you two included. But don't get your hopes up too high, now: We're also here to discuss you and your rather particular antics of engagement."

"Right." The bunny glumly muttered.

"Well, this should be fun." The fox claimed with an undertone of sarcasm to his words.

"Just don't screw anything up, and I'm talking to you especially, Wilde!" Bogo growled. "Speak only when spoken to, don't interrupt, and keep your answers to the point."

"You got it, boss." Nick stated with a half-hearted salute.

Soon enough, the trio of mammals reached the end of the corridor, where a large set of wooden double-doors blocked their path. Behind it, muffled voices could be heard.

This was it. Moment of truth.

"I'm so nervous!" Judy stifled.

"Hey, don't worry, Whiskers," Nick reassured her. "This'll be nothing but smooth-riding from here on out. Relax, and enjoy yourself!"

Staring up at his smiling face, and registering his honeyed words, it was hard not to give in and believe. Judy tried doing exactly that. Exhaling once more in an effort to calm herself, she felt a satisfying chill work its way up the full length of her spinal cord, causing her gray fur to stand on end, and her large ears to perk up towards the ceiling and tingle with sensation. It was now or never: This smallinkling of courage likely wouldn't last too long, so it was all up to her to soldier through and do what needed to be done.

"Alright. I'm ready." She stated with confidence.

From there, Judy, along with Nick and Chief Bogo, pressed against the doors and entered the space before them. Each mammal proceeded to take in the fantastic sight.

The room was large, and circular in structure, with a massive, smooth-wooded table with twelve sides ringing the perimeter; Each individual side brandishing a single chair, a glass of water, and a shiny name plate. Nick and Judy both noticed that the side farthest away from them sported Bogo's personal name-tag, and had two smaller, additional chairs flanking the larger seat, undoubtedly brought for the two tiny officer's special visit. It reassured Judy that she would be sitting right beside Chief Bogo, a familiar face, rather than being singled out amongst the crowd of superior officers. Nick would be on the buffalo's opposing side, but still just close enough for added comfort, thankfully.

Those two facts, if anything, calmed her electrified nerves more than any self-motivation possibly could, and for that, she was truly grateful.

Admiring the large table, which had a twelve-sided cut-out center, the fox officer himself noticed that on each of the name plates, a small number was gilded so as to inform onlookers of the district behind the name. Chief Bogo's plate, which displayed the number one, was a symbol for Savannah-Central, along with all of the other numbers, each one rising in a clockwise order. The plate with the number twelve, which was directly to Bogo's left, held the name _Gabi Euchor_ , and was positioned next to a minuscule chair on the surface of the table; Clearly the seat of Little Rodentia's chief of police, which was reserved for only the smallest of mammals, it seemed, judging by the chair's size.

Nick took note of the chair's occupant; A tiny female jerboa, who smiled and waved upon locking eyes with him. He chuckled before returning the simple gesture of greeting.

"All twelve police chiefs of all twelve districts are here." Bogo stated proudly, surveying the room.

Both Nick and Judy had their eyes filled to the brim with different mammal species, and so, to get introductions underway, Bogo began pointing out each of his counterparts;

"Sitting beside us to the right of our seat is Chief Tarrak Hadfield, of Precinct Two's Tundra-Town." He informed.

The two tiny officers took in the sight of a bulky musk-ox, whose massive amounts of fur nearly obscured his uniform and ZPD-issued windbreaker coat from sight. His eyes weren't visible behind the piles of fur, but his horns, which were much like Bogo's, except longer and more droopy in shape, jutted out prominently. The musk-ox sported a considerably sizable beard, with three bundles of fur weaved together in pillars that dangled beneath his neck and chin. The very tip of each bundle was enwrapped with a small, circular ornament that held the fur together. This mountain of a mammal was as large as Chief Bogo was, but appeared even more so due to his thick winter fur coat!

As Nick and Judy registered the sheer might of the musk-ox, Bogo continued to explain his particular position in the ZPD;

"Not the brightest bulb of the bunch, but his 'officer lives first' strategy has earned his district of operation the highest officer mortality percentage in the city. Tundra-Town has low crime-rates in comparison to the rest of Zootopia, and that's in no small part to Tarrak's work as chief of Precinct Two. He's a fine mammal with a fine track-record."

"Pretty big guy... He could probably give you a run for your money in the fine art of arm-wrestling." Nick quipped, to which Bogo snorted in distaste.

"I'd like to see you try arm-wrestling someone a fraction of his size." He retorted.

"Is that a confession of defeat?"

"Okay, enough of that, you two." Judy intervened. "Let's just find our seats, okay?"

"Right." Bogo agreed flatly before clearing his throat with an audible grunt.

Leading the trio of mammals to their rightful spots at the table, the water-buffalo pulled out the chairs for his two guests, allowing them to sit down first before finally seating himself, the chair creaking slightly beneath his weight. Once the three of them had settled down, he took the time to resume his introduction of the other mammals present.

Bogo then pointed towards a scrawny coyote leaning against the corner of a nearby wall, with his arms crossed broodingly against his chest, and his condescending gaze set upon Nick and Judy: Chief Jesse Latran, of the Sahara-Square's Precinct Three. The water-buffalo cleared his throat before continuing his introduction of the other city chiefs;

"Chief Latran; Though, I'm sure you're already familiar with him by now, if the phone calls that I got the other day were truthful with their claims."

"Yeah, we've met him before." Nick confirmed in a quiet voice, if only to keep the coyote from eavesdropping on them. "Not a fan."

"Being a predator in a large-prey majority field, and one of only _two_ predator chiefs, I'm sure you can understand the pressure that he deals with." The buffalo explained.

For a moment, Nick actually found himself sympathizing with the coyote. He himself had been victim of workplace discrimination in the past, and being a predator himself, truly could understand the pressure that Jesse must have dealt with throughout his career as chief, especially since he was such a high-ranking officer in comparison to him.

The fox shook his head, clearing the thoughts that clouded his mind. "Isn't an excuse to be so rude, though." He grumbled lowly.

Nodding his head, Chief Bogo seemed to understand Nick and Judy's apparent disdain for the coyote.

"His volatile personality makes him hard to get along with, but he does his job well. He was actually in the running to become chief of Precinct One, some time ago, but being a predator in a prey-majority field, especially during such divisive times, well... They hurt his chances. He's been the police chief of Sahara-Square ever since, which is a very demanding title, since that desert is one of the most crime-riddled regions in the city, alongside being a highly-populated primary district. You should give him some slack."

Taking one last glance at the coyote, who sneered back at her with a distasteful expression, Judy sighed before steeling her resolve.

"He doesn't seem to like any of us... Yet you've worked with him for years." She began. "How do you put up with that?"

"Having lost to me in the appointment of Precinct One, I'd guess that Jesse holds a bit of a grudge. He frequently pesters the mayor about my decisions as chief, but she never gives in to his complaints. Chief Latran and his supporters have always been my biggest critics; Voicing in opposition of my choices during every council meeting. I put up with him, as you put it, because he's a colleague of mine and a trusted member of the ZPD. Don't forget that. Jesse is more than worthy of his title as chief: His tough policies and long-term social reforms have drastically reduced the crime rate in Sahara-Square since he first took office. In fact, _he's_ the one that forwarded the raid on the sundries compound that Shahaz Pholmok was using in his racketeering schemes. Remember that? Without his help, we never would have caught that pangolin so easily."

Judy pursed her lips, and her long ears drooped in shame. "Maybe we _should_ give him some slack." She softly admitted.

Her foxy partner, on the other hand, didn't show any visible signs of guilt, but deep down, he shared her beliefs to the fullest.

"A wise choice." Bogo concluded calmly.

Once the tension had smoldered down, the water-buffalo singled out another associate of his, this mammal being a lean-looking anteater with stringy brown fur and healthy green eyes, much like Nick's very own. The anteater had a long snout, as expected of his species, and wore a floppy red beret hat. His police uniform was tight-hugging and formal, blue in coloration, with a thick black belt wrapped around the waist. He sat quietly at his assigned seat, delicately sipping away at the glass of water he had received.

"That's Chief Roberto Myreme, from the Rainforest-District. Precinct Four, to be precise. He's one of the ZPD's finest: Cunning and deliberate, inquisitive and optimistic, all traits that are needed when having to deal with the drug industry, of which his district of residence harbors nearly fifty percent of all exports. Because of this, he's a very busy mammal, and a considerable workaholic, always trying to stay one step ahead of Al Catpone. Also a bit of a perfectionist, too. He and the mayor get along quite well."

"Neat!" Judy exclaimed. "Sure sounds like he's got his work cut out for him."

"Very much so. As I said, one of our finest." Bogo concluded before gesturing towards a nearby female koala dressed in a standard police uniform. The buffalo continued;

"The koala over there, Louise Koobor, reigns as the chief of Precinct Five over on Outback-Island. Very nice and friendly, she does the best job that she can on an island isolated from the mainland city, and raving with con-mammals and treasure hunters. Always the calming voice in the room whenever these meetings get too confrontational, which happens more often than you think. With her criminal counterpart, Iluka Rombahe, having been brought down by you both two months ago, she's begun to focus more of her efforts toward the mainland precincts, now that her biggest adversary is finally defeated; Helping us deal with our own criminals by sharing resources, and intelligence."

Staring over the koala's overall appearance, Nick took note of the quadruple golden stars that were pinned to her collar: The mark of a police chief. She was a rather short, very fluffy, and considerably pudgy sort of mammal, but if she was as qualified as Chief Bogo claimed that she was, then Nick wasn't one to judge. He nodded a single time.

"So, who's next, then?" He inquired of his superior, whom promptly directed his attention towards a mammal that was perhaps among the strangest in the animal kingdom.

Nick and Judy's eyes gazed over the form of a plump little creature, that was possibly just a little bit shorter than Judy herself. Undoubtedly male, it took a few moments for the bunny to finally realize that she was beholding the likes of a creature that was rarely seen on the surface: The star-nosed mole. Usually residing in the Nocturnal-District, star-nosed moles had one of the most peculiar noses on the planet, hence their name. Slimy and pink, a total of twenty-two fleshy tendrils ringed the circumference of the mole's nostrils. They quivered and slightly twitched about like the tentacles of an octopus out of water. Supposedly, they were supposed to help them feel around in the dark.

Despite their evolutionary advantage, Judy thought that they were absolutely disgusting. Nick, on the other hand, couldn't have been more amazed.

"Wow, they're almost hypnotic..." He mumbled, effectively causing Judy to elbow his rib-cage.

"Nick! You can't just stare at a star-nosed mole's nose like that!" She chided quietly. "And don't talk too loud; He might hear you."

Not wanting to continue looking at the mole's rather unorthodox proboscis, the bunny officer diverted her attention toward his other physical features. Just below his chin, the star-nosed mole chief sported a small, pointed goatee of fur, and he brandished a pair of large, circular glasses that covered his tiny beady eyes, which appeared much larger than they really were due to the magnification of the considerably sizable lenses. His fur was dark gray, and he wore an all black ZPD overcoat with furred collars around his flabby neck. The secondary collars above his sternum displayed his shining chief stars, and he brandished the insignia of the Nocturnal-District's precinct on his left arm: The only true colors visible on his uniform. As expected, the mole's claws were large and built for hard digging, with the bare flesh on his paws glistening pink just like his nose.

One of the arms of the chair that he lounged in held an oil-black officer's hat, the very middle of which showed off the same logo that was patched onto the left sleeve of his jacket. He must have taken it off once he had entered the building out of courtesy, and judging by the calm and collected that way he sat in his seat - completely still, with his large claws folded across his lap - Judy reasoned him to be a more gentle, quiet sort of mammal. And from the order of the chiefs that had been introduced thus far, she thought it safe to assume that he was the head chief of Precinct Six, down in the depths of the Nocturnal-District. Definitely not her favorite place, but she respected the job.

"That's Chief Bertolt Condy. He is an honest, and very intelligent mammal, but unfortunately, incompetence mars the quality of his work: Lazy, and indecisive, he's practically let his district become one of the most crime-infested places in the entire city of Zootopia, though, being underground and difficult to support from the surface world, the Nocturnal-District itself is partially to blame. His officers are low in number, morale, and motivation, and Bertolt himself is seemingly terrified of Vladzotz and the power of his Nocturnal-Mob. He constantly asks for support from the city, though seldom receives assistance due to budgetary restrictions, and prioritization policy on part of city-hall."

"Prioritization policy?" Judy inquired curiously.

"Yes; The focusing of resources and finances toward the primary districts of the city; The ones with all the glitz and glamour. There's a reason why they're so well-developed compared to the secondary districts, like The Docks, or the Nocturnal-District. It's a damn shame, but ever since the plight of the Night-Howler crisis all those years ago, the city government has begun to step up its game, and direct more money into the lagging districts. Because of that fact, they've started growing more financially robust and visually appealing, too. In a way, they all have you two to thank for that. Your open-mindedness has shown the city the error of its ways, and the true power of its potential."

Nick felt his left eyeball twitch in a brief moment of irritation. He realized that if this mole would have done his job better, then Vladzotz would never have been able to rise to power so easily, far less commit all of those criminal atrocities throughout the depths of the Nocturnal-District. The fox suddenly felt the urge to slap that mole across the back of his ham-fisted head! Thankfully for him, though, Nick managed to keep his cool, and quickly recompose himself: Assaulting a superior would definitely be a big no-no.

"If he's so incompetent, then why is he still in office?" He found himself asking in a quiet yet strained voice.

"Bertolt may have his weaknesses, but the sparse and rare times that his job is done to the fullest, he does it with viciously effective results; His smarts crafting all kinds of clever strategies that result in the bad-guys getting caught with minimal negative aftereffects. It's almost unbelievable. Chief Condy's record of efficiency is nearly spotless and his propositions at these meetings are always well-thought out and innovative. He's a vital and very useful member of this team, and we all do our best to aid his cause."

The fox sighed. "Whatever you say, Chief." He suddenly perked up. "Wait a minute... If the line-up is in order, then the chief proceeding Precinct Six would be-"

"Chief Urzo!" Judy called out with volume across the room, towards the other side of the massive table.

Proceeding Bertolt Condy the star-nosed mole, the rabbit officer smiled wide and warmly as a large male grizzly bear came into her field of attention.

 _And there he is. It's nice to see him again after so long_. She thought to herself. _Precinct Seven comes after six! Of course Tom Urzo would be here._

"Precinct Seven; Chief Tom Urzo." Bogo dubbed simply. "Enough said."

The grizzly bear waved at his old associated with a big smile on his face. He guffawed heartily as Nick proceeded to shoot him a single slick finger-gun gesture in return.

"Glad to see some familiar faces, at least." The fox then stated.

"Chief Urzo certainly seems to have warmed up to you two." Bogo muttered observantly. "Not the original intention, as you likely know, but I see no reason not to approve."

Nick snorted in amusement at the buffalo's comment. He found it somewhat ironic that Chief Urzo, the very same mammal that had been assigned to torment them during their stay in the Deciduous-District, was now a dependable associate of theirs. If it weren't for the excursions of Iluka, the duo never would have gotten to know him so well.

Turning their attentions away from their grizzly bear ally, Nick and Judy observed intentfully as Bogo pointed out the next mammal in the large ring of police chiefs.

"Next is Chief Abraham Pinnip, of Precinct Eight, over in The Docks on the south side of the city. He's almost as big a cynic as you, Wilde." Bogo stated aloud.

Nick and Judy admired the form of a chunky sea-lion in a blue police uniform. His long whiskers were combed in an orderly fashion, and the soggy fur around his mane curled forward down the length of his cheeks and over his upper lip to form a sideburn mustache. He looked older than the other mammals, judging by his wrinkled facial features.

After eyeing over the sea-lion's appearance, Nick turned towards his boss with the intentions of retorting to his previous comment.

"As if." The fox quipped.

"You should give him more credit, you know: He's an old-timer here at the ZPD, and is responsible for the creation of the precinct in his home district." The buffalo retorted.

"Really?" Judy asked softly. "That's amazing!"

"Indeed. Before The Docks was a full fledged district, albeit more of a secondary one, nowadays, it was a simple shipping port. A sleepy fishing town. Problem was, the crime was atrocious. Once the place got big and important enough to be granted the title of a sub-district, Abraham worked tirelessly to establish an eighth precinct; To store ZPD marine equipment, train new officers, and most importantly, to protect the inhabitants of his hometown. He's a hardy and generous mammal. Among the ZPD's finest cops."

"Impressive." Nick mumbled.

"So cool!" The bunny officer nearly shouted, clearly having some trouble on holding back her excitement. A few of the other mammals gave her dirty looks, Jesse included.

She giggled nervously, her ears drooping in embarrassment. "Sorry." She stifled softly.

"It's alright, but please; Try to stay composed when the meeting begins." Bogo said.

"Sorry." Judy repeated. "It's just so cool!"

The water buffalo actually smiled: A minuscule quiver of a grin pulling at the side of his lips.

"I can understand the enthusiasm. You've always had a strong love for police work, haven't you, officer Hopps?" He questioned.

"Does that even _need_ an answer, by now?" Nick interjected jokingly.

Bogo snorted. "Granted."

"Yeah, I guess I always have. I just think it's so fascinating that all these high-ranking officers have accomplished so much in their lives... Practically creating whole districts."

"Chief Pinnip certainly earned his worth. His reforms have allowed The Docks to become a vibrant, peaceful sub-district inhabited by the city's marine mammal populace."

Bogo sighed, as though he had just remembered something rather unpleasant. He voiced his thoughts;

"Despite that, Abraham has a very strong distrust of the central government, including Precinct One, and in turn, _me_ , because of our tight-knit ties to city hall."

"What?" Nick muttered. "Why?"

"Same reasons as Chief Condy: The city government and its incompetence. Much like the Nocturnal-District, The Docks has had some, er... _Problems_ , in the past."

"What kind of problems?" Judy asked.

"Outside prejudice. Failing infrastructure. Lackluster maintenance." The water-buffalo replied in a quiet tone of voice.

"Oh... _Those_ kind of problems..."

Bogo nodded. "Compared to the primary districts, places like The Docks and the Nocturnal-District are severely wanting of improvements." He claimed.

"I thought that after Bellwether was arrested, the new mayor promised to help funnel more funding toward those places when she was elected? Why haven't they?"

"Like I said: Outside prejudice. The past three mayors have all had hidden agendas of some kind, including our current one, as you know. It's easier said than done to keep campaign promises, so skepticism is always a must-have when dealing with these sort of mammals. After all, why waste time and money on things that aren't yours to own?"

"In short, not everything is fine and dandy in Zoo-City." The fox added cynically. "And in conclusion, we really need to get on the mayor's tail over this, sometime soon."

Judy's ears drooped even lower. Sometimes a cold, hard slap of reality right to the face was definitely _not_ what she needed. Bogo, noticing this, chose to lighten the mood.

"Though, that's not to say that achievements haven't been made. A few months ago, city-hall began some major road renovation work in the Nocturnal-District, you know."

"This is depressing." Nick grumbled. "Can we please get back to the roll call?"

"Yes, of course." The water-buffalo agreed, all the while clearing his throat awkwardly. "I'll make it quick, since the meeting is about to start."

Finally, the last four seats, all of which were occupied, in the order of a lanky muskrat, sturdy bighorn sheep, pudgy beaver, and tiny jerboa, were explained by Chief Bogo.

"And the last four seats belong to Chief Zibeth, from Precinct Nine, Chief Denard; Precinct Ten. Chief Castor, eleven, and Chief Euchor, twelve." He told to his subordinates.

Bogo paused for a moment, thinking over the four mammal's corresponding districts, before at last, he finalized;

"The Marshlands, Meadowlands, Canal-District, and Little Rodentia, respectively. All may be secondary districts, but they still play their part accordingly."

"Lotta new names and faces to remember." Nick mumbled to no one in particular.

Every single police chief in the room was now sitting at the big table; Even Chief Latran, who had been broodingly leaning against a nearby wall when Nick and Judy had first walked in. Each of the mammals had a golden row of quadruple stars pinned to their collars, signifying their status as high-ranking officers in the police department. Leaders.

The amount of political and social power crammed into this one room was almost unbelievable. Each and every one of the mammals that sat before Nick and Judy held a great amount of influence in their respective districts, and overall field as a whole. Judy herself had spent nearly her whole adult life training to become a police officer, but never could have imagined that she would become prominent enough in her line of work to be summoned before the city council itself. Perhaps she really had wound up accomplishing her longtime personal goal of making a difference in the world around her, to have attracted the attention of all these high-ranking officers and their opinions.

Now, she could only hope that said opinions were favorable.

Judy recalled how that confrontational coyote, Chief Latran, had accused her of being reckless, and departed with a bitter warning: That the other city police chiefs might not view her and Nick in a very positive light, for whatever reason. Sure, Judy had long since acknowledged the fact that she had a bit of an impulsive-action problem when it came to dangerous and risky situations, but she always did what she thought was right; For the greater good, and to catch the bad guys that threatened her and the city. If Chief Latran couldn't see that, then Judy would just have to deal with it as best she could. Not everyone in this world was easy to please, she often found out the hard way.

Hopefully these other police chiefs wouldn't add to that list.

However, amongst the crowd of mammals, it felt as though someone were missing...

"Say, where's the mayor in all this?" Judy found herself asking. "Doesn't she attend these meetings too?"

"Yeah, I'd think this meeting would have started by now. Where is she?" Nick added.

Bogo hesitated, almost as though he didn't want to answer that question. Eventually, he gave in;

"Mayor Lyncoln won't be attending this particular meetings. The other chiefs and I decided that the topics we intend on going over are less of her concern."

The bunny wasn't so sure what to make of that, but before she could decide, her water-buffalo superior cleared his throat loudly and addressed the room once more;

"Officer Wilde does bring up a good point. It's time to initiate what we came here for."

At that, the room quieted down almost instantly, with entire conversations coming to a halt before silence enveloped the room and all of the mammals within in.

"As you all know, this meeting was scheduled for us to discuss the possibilities of the future, and what it holds for us all. Within the span of a mere eight short months, two high profile criminal figureheads, crime-lords, have been captured, both by the same two officers, who are here with us now. Officers Hopps and Wilde, introduce yourselves."

Judy felt her face heat up in slight embarrassment. Clearing her own throat with an audible grunt of discomfort, she waved to the other mammals in the room.

"Hi." She greeted simply.

Meanwhile, Nick gave a lazy salute to the crowd. "Pleasure to be here." He proclaimed nonchalantly.

Chief Bogo nodded, clearly pleased with his subordinate's introduction. Once the attention had faded away from Nick, he decided to continue his explanation.

"With the near-destruction of The Painted Labyrinth in the Deciduous-District, I've come to realize that our enemies are far more technically capable than we first thought. All these years, the crime-lords have been building their empires in the criminal underworld right beneath our noses, and there may come a day when we'll regret not being as upfront as we could have been. That being said, there are two crime-lords safely behind bars, Shahaz Pholmok and Iluka Rombahe, and another two, Vladzotz Fangpyre and Mr. Big, that are showing relatively little criminal activity, at least, according to our sources. That leaves one mammal as the center of attention: The jaguar, Al Catpone."

An uncomfortable silence followed the water-buffalo's monologue. All of the mammals present knew of Al Catpone's power and influence. If there was any criminal figurehead likely to step out of line next, it would be him. They all recognized this concept, and so, further discussed the many possibilities of preparation for when that day finally came.

The conversation went on for some time. Having never dealt with Al Catpone, both Nick and Judy had little to say in regards to the current topic, and so, kept themselves quiet, save for a few simple questions that slipped their minds here and there. Having learnt a thing or two about not crossing her boundaries by now, Judy herself especially refrained from painting herself as a target for these police chiefs to pick apart, especially that nasty coyote, Chief Latran. The last thing she wanted was him calling her out.

Names were thrown, questions were asked, and answers were given. Although Nick and Judy had relatively little to add in this particular discussion topic, it was clear to them that all of these other mammals had their fair share of experience dealing with crime and politics. They had all been in the force for entire decades on end; Completely overshadowing Judy's mere five years of service to the ZPD. Here, even despite being one of the department's best officers, she felt very, very small. Exposed: As though her whole career could be brought up and dissected by these powerful police chiefs at any moment. It unsettled her, but she kept calm by focusing on Nick and Bogo's presence.

Time passed, and before she knew it, a whole half-hour had slipped by, yet it only felt as though she had been present for a few short minutes.

As the bunny officer mentally wrapped her head around the current topic, which had apparently moved on from Al Catpone, she listened in carefully on Chief Koobor's voice.

"Chief Condy, have you anything to add over this?" The female koala asked the fat mole that sat beside her. He swallowed nervously, thumbing his palms before speaking;

"There are so many things that need to be addressed... Al Catpone is still out there, along with Mr. Big, and my own arch-rival, the vampire bat, Vladzotz Fangpyre..."

Bertolt winced as though the thought of dealing with his criminal counterpart made him somewhat unsettled. Quickly recomposing himself, he proceeded;

"The crime-lord Vladzotz Fangpyre went missing for some time, as I'm sure you all know, but what's most worrying about that is not his absence, but his _return_! My officers have been returning with r-reports of criminal activity believed to be linked to the Nocturnal-Mob, which had been dormant during that cruel vampire's leave, yet is all of a sudden rising back into power, albeit slower and more conservative, undoubtedly in an effort to refrain from attracting too much unwanted attention. This is very worrisome."

Chief Myreme leaned forward. "Could you elaborate on that, please? I am not very up to date with the work involving Vladzotz." He stated, tilting his head slightly to the side.

The anteater had a discernible accent behind his words, much like Iluka Rombahe, but somewhat more exotic, and tasteful. It was almost soothing to listen to. Bertolt said;

"Certainly. The Nocturnal-Mob lost a lot of power with the vampire bat's sudden disappearance, and from what my sources claim, the group nearly wiped itself off the map from the chaos that followed. But Vladzotz returned, and took control once again. The syndicate is now just a shell of its former self, but still a force to be reckoned with."

"True, but we should still focus our resources on the biggest threats." The beaver - whom Nick identified as Chief Castor of the Canal-District's Precinct Eleven - added.

"Agreed. The last thing the city needs right now is an upfront threat." Bogo verbally approved. "Though that's not to say that we should completely ignore the lesser ones."

The musk-ox "Prioritization is key. My officers have already been having enough trouble dealing with that confounded shrew!" He bellowed lowly.

Upon registering Tarrak's previous comment, Judy felt her ears dip slightly in shame. Being a Godmother in the Big Family was a secret that she hoped never got out. It would cost her _everything_ : Her career, her life, and her reputation as a whole. The fact that she had collaborated with him and his cronies back when she was trying to wrap her head around the Night-Howler case was a crime that wouldn't be punished lightly. Just like Nick's arson accident, she had her own demons that needed to be restrained.

She then shook her head from side-to-side, clearing her conscious from the thoughts that ailed her: Best not to zone out for too long, especially over such depressing topics.

Meanwhile, Chief Bogo's booming voice acquired her attention once more. If anything, the bunny was grateful for the distraction from her own hidden guilt.

"Has there been any notable progress with Mr. Big?" He asked flatly.

The musk-ox sighed heavily. "Nothing worth bringing up. Just more dead-ends and false hopes. Big is a real slippery one." He broodingly grumbled.

"At least that shrew is one of the less violent crime-lords." Bertolt the mole added. "Vladzotz is incredibly dangerous, making him difficult for my officers to pursue."

"Perhaps. As we agreed upon, prioritization is key. I'd be happy to temporarily displace a few of my officers to aid the two of you with your troubles." Chief Koobor claimed.

"Bless your heart, Louise!" The musk-ox cheered. "Ever since that devil went behind bars, you've been nothing but helpful to Precinct Two. Thank you."

"Your consideration is most appreciated." Bertolt said simply.

"Okay, so we've covered Mr. Big and old Flappy-Bat, but what about that jaguar dude in the rainforest?" Nick interjected inquisitively. "Al Catpone, right?"

"Thank you for speaking up for me, Mr. Wilde. I was hoping that we'd be able to cover him soon enough" The nearby anteater claimed.

Nick nodded. "Just figured that we should cover all of our bases, here, right?" He stated.

"Good plan." Chief Condy said. "Roberto, I understand that you've increased monitoring on Al Catpone, no?"

The anteater nodded in confirmation. "That is correct."

"Anything out of the ordinary?" Judy found herself asking.

"Not as of yet, but I am keeping watch alongside my officers to the best of our capabilities."

This back and forth conversation continued for some time. Options were weighed, possibilities were discussed, and conclusions were suggested, all in the name of progress.

Throughout the meeting thus far, Nick himself had noticed that the loudest voices in the council were those of the primary district chiefs: Bogo from Savannah-Central, Tarrak from Tundra-Town, Latran from Sahara-Square, Myreme from the Rainforest-District, Koobor from Outback-Island, Condy from the Nocturnal-District, Urzo from the Deciduous-District, and Pinnip from The Docks; Precincts one through eight, respectively. Perhaps they all spoke more often than the other chiefs because their assigned districts of operation were more populated and prominent, and thus, had more to cover. It made sense, but Nick couldn't help feeling as though some mammals at the table weren't getting the proper chance to speak up and address what was on their minds. Maybe they just didn't care, since all of this big-district stuff had little to do with them.

Whatever the end case, it was quite clear that the loudest voices had the highest say, and in turn, the greatest power. Nick wasn't too sure if that was a good thing or not.

Eventually, the discussion about the crime-lords and Nick and Judy's recent achievements began to dwindle down. All of the chiefs seemed to agree that they did a good job capturing Iluka Rombahe, among other accomplishments, such as bringing in Shahaz Pholmok after a successful police raid, solving a hedge-fund plot in one of Zootopia's largest city banks, putting a stop to Ratsputin's nefarious schemes once and for all, and disrupting the Nocturnal-Mob's criminal empire in the depths of the Nocturnal-District.

With steadied minds and even steadier results, the council agreed that for now, there was little that they could do about the remaining crime-lords, save for waiting for a given opportunity. Until then, the entirety of the ZPD's forces would continue work as usual, unless something extraordinary or considerably special came up to deal with.

But there was still more to discuss. Despite all of the successes that the two tiny officers had bestowed upon the world, there were still the opposing failures that enticed talk.

"It's settled, then." Chief Latran decreed. "Now that our first topic is concluded, I'd like to take a moment to address the elephants in the room."

The other chiefs looked around, seemingly searching for elephants even though there clearly weren't any.

Jesse growled. "Not literally, you mouth-breathers! I'm talking about Chief-Bogo's little accomplices; Officers Hopps and Wilde."

"What's on your mind, Chief Latran?" The koala chief of police asked.

"I haven't forgotten that little ruckus that they fired up in Sahara-Square; _M_ _y_ district of operation!"

 _Oh great, this again_. Judy thought to herself.

"A laceration of protocol over assigned jurisdiction lines can be a complicated offense." Chief Condy muttered, scratching at his tiny goatee. "But nothing too serious, I think."

"They did manage to capture Iluka Rombahe, didn't they?" Chief Myreme spoke out in Nick and Judy's defense. "If anything, that fact should lessen any counteractions."

"You were the one who dealt with that tasmanian-devil, Chief Koobor," The coyote began, gesturing towards his koala counterpart. "Tell us your thoughts on the matter."

The koala sighed before folding her paws across the table in front of her, delicately tapping the smooth wooden surface with her small black claws. She seemed to think over her thoughts and beliefs for a short while before at last turning towards Nick and Judy with a peculiar look in her eyes: Not quite disappointment, but far from appreciation.

Finally, she spoke her mind to the others;

"Although I'm very grateful that you two managed to finally capture Iluka Rombahe, whom I've been battling across the Outback for the past decade, I have a strong belief in the protocols that the ZPD has been using since its first inception; Protocols that the two of you have broken and manipulated time and time again to suit your own agendas."

Judy felt her face heat up. " _Our own agendas_?" She repeated sharply. "Everything that my partner and I do is for the good of the city! To make the world a better place!"

"Yet in doing so, you've cost the city time, money, and even lives." Chief Latran retorted, his eyes narrowed in seeming contempt.

"Everything we do is with good intentions!"

"The path to hell is paved with good intentions, officer Hopps." The coyote snarled back at her.

The bunny was beyond frustrated. She had never, and _would_ never take the life of another mammal. _Ever_. In her eyes, there was always another way. The casualties that the coyote had mentioned were truthful, yes, as there had been a few mobsters that were flattened when Castle Fangpyre collapsed down in the Nocturnal-District, not to mention Ratsputin dying before their very eyes, but none of them were her or Nick's fault: As she recalled, it was Vladzotz himself that had started the fire in his manor, and Ratsputin had committed suicide by his own hand. Not a single incident involving fatalities was of their own accord. Chief Latran was setting them both up to be the bad guys.

Chief Latran was even more dangerous than Judy had originally thought.

"That's not true!" She exclaimed. "Nick and I have _never_ caused _any_ of our colleagues to get hurt, much less killed."

"Maybe so, but it's clear that your recklessness has led to much chaos throughout the city and its districts." Chief Pinnip declared.

"By hook or crook, it's only a matter of time before you cause more damage." The coyote chief of Precinct Three added. "I suggest that we remove them of their duties."

Judy nearly gasped aloud in sheer surprise.

Furrowing his brow, Nick realized that this was getting out of hand, and raised up one of his paws in a subtle gesture of objection, that was, before voicing his mind;

"Sir, with all due respect, my partner may be a bit restless at times, but she _always_ has the bigger picture in mind, and would never purposefully do anything to hurt anyone. Judy is brave, intelligent, and good at what she does... Taking away her job would be a disservice to the city of Zootopia and the mammals that live in it. Because of her and her skills, countless criminals are behind bars where they belong, and the city is that much safer. Perhaps the whole 'following protocol' idea thought could use some work, least to say, but in the end, there's absolutely nothing that Judy won't do to protect the people, uphold the law, and serve the city. If you can't see that, then I can't help ya."

The fox's sudden outburst had been deep and meaningful, yet also strong and insightful. The entire room was silent to the count of five before Chief Urzo finally spoke out.

"Officer Wilde is right." He claimed. "When he and officer Hopps were under my command, they performed outstandingly in even the simplest of tasks."

"And they also took down two crime-lords in the span of half a year. Just what else could they accomplish?" The musk-ox stated.

"Indeed." Chief Myreme agreed. "Imagine what the two of them could accomplish if we _slackened_ the already tight restraints that bind them."

"Ludicrous! You always were a lax when it came to rules, Roberto, but suggesting that we give these two hooligans special privileges? That's just unthinkable!" Latran yelled.

"Completely ridiculous!" The bighorn chief of the Meadowlands bellowed.

"That's putting it lightly." Bertolt the mole interjected.

"I say these two young officers should be punished!" Chief Pinnip growled.

"We've been over this, Abraham," Chief Bogo claimed. "That's what they were sent to the Deciduous-District for."

"I can vouch for that." Urzo added.

"Clearly it wasn't thorough enough, considering their hoedown in The Canyonlands last weekend." The coyote chief snarled back in respite.

"Everyone please, calm down." Chief Koobor demanded sternly, yet to relatively little effect.

All of this arguing and disagreement over Nick and Judy? It nearly made the latter of the two sick to her stomach. Here everyone was debating over her actions as though she was a suspect in a criminal case. She was like any other mammal: She made mistakes sometimes. Trusting Ratsputin to save their own hides was a mistake. Following that raccoon in the Nocturnal-District only to get knocked out was a mistake. Jumping into dangerous situations with admittedly little forethought was a mistake, too. All of her past failures and misgivings came rushing back to her in that moment, and she felt as though all of her good deeds were for nothing, that was, until a booming voice spoke;

"I will _not_ fire my two best officers to suit your own whims!" Bogo decreed with volume, silencing the entire room and effectively ending the rather heated argument.

Judy wanted to hug him. Even in tough moments, he still came to her and Nick's side.

Chief Latran scoffed. "Big words, Chief Bogo." He growled. "But don't forget that your power is equal to ours."

The water buffalo's eyes widened in realization. "No... You wouldn't dare."

"Me? Oh, no, _I_ would never be able to properly punish your officers for their misdeeds on my own, no..." The coyote's grin widened. "But this _is_ a group meeting, after all."

The chief of Precinct Three turned to his fellow associates before raising his paws into the air and proclaiming out loud;

"It's clear that there is only one way for us to put this matter behind us for good. Let the council decide the fate of these two officers, then!"

All of the mammals at the table nodded their heads in agreement, some muttering amongst themselves and beneath their breath about the coyote's previous statement.

"Bogo, what does he mean?" Judy asked of her superior, even though she already had a sinking feeling about its true meaning.

The water-buffalo swallowed hard before responding. "In the wake of an unresolved conflict or decision, the council votes to decide what must be done."

"And what does that mean for us?" Nick questioned, his russet fur standing on end all the while.

"It means that the council will hold a raise of hands to..." Bogo briefly hesitated. "To determine whether or not your careers... Will be permanently terminated."

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Cliffhanger ending! Oh, the horror?**

 **We haven't had many of those, have we? Just a few at the beginning, really. I'm not a fan of them, as they oftentimes break up the narrative in places that shouldn't be divided, but for this chapter, I figured that one would best suit the sheer worth of the vote at hand, you see, and so, decided to place one here.**

 **Also, it's fun to mess with people, sometimes.**

 **I apologize for it. Trust me, I know how it feels to get really invested in something, only to have the rug swiped out from under your feet. Don't you worry, though! I promise that in the coming chapter, we will get to learn the chief's verdict, and what they plan for Nick and Judy, alongside some more additional scenes afterwords that take place at a later date. Indeed; In the next chapter, the true plot of the 7th story arc will finally begin, and I can't wait to start it!**

 **Until then, though, I hope you enjoyed this one!**

 **Honestly, I'd say this is one of my personal favorite chapters thus far. I had a blast writing it up for you all, despite its considerable length (Which itself is actually once of the reasons I like it so much, I admit), and certainly hope that you enjoyed reading it, of course. For me, getting to see Nick and Judy's characters develop even further, along with the introductions of brand new ones, I might add, is a treat to think over. We all know that Judy herself is very protective and considerate of her career, for the most part, so I found it quite fitting to write her up as somewhat anxious over the likes of this meeting.**

 **Fun stuff! Don't worry though; She'll be having plenty of more uplifting moments with Nick in the many coming chapters. Stay tuned!**

 **Alongside more Nick and Judy shenanigans, you can expect to be seeing some other faces, both old and new, in the coming chapters, and will be getting to know some of the other city police chiefs a little bit more, too! I've always wanted to explore the concept of even more police chiefs for the many different districts of Zootopia, and today, my little goal has been reached at last. You'll see more of them all in future chapters, especially Chief Myreme, in particular.**

 **Don't expect to see much of the last four chiefs, however: They are not very important to the current path of the plot, and were primarily added in last minute so that I wouldn't get people pestering me about why I didn't include the Marshlands in the meeting, or the Meadowlands, or something like that. The chiefs that you will be seeing more of in the future, for the most part, are just the first eight, more or less, with some standing out more than others. I didn't want there to be too many chiefs to take attention away from Nick and Judy, though, so the last four won't be playing important roles in the story.**

 **I didn't want this latest new chapter to be an OC extravaganza, after all.**

 **In short, you can tell which ones are the most important by how big of an introduction Bogo gave them in the beginning, or how much dialogue they had. :P**

 **It is _those_ mammals that you will be seeing more of in future chapters.**

 **Be ready for those when they arrive! Until then, tell me your thoughts on this latest update of ours: I'd adore seeing a review explaining what you think about the various city police chiefs, and Nick and Judy's interactions with them. Alongside that, if you haven't already, feel free to follow/favorite this story.**

 **All new readers are welcomed and appreciated greatly, that's for sure. :)**

 **Next, I'd like to let you all know that a few of the older chapters have been though some minor revisions, and a few more were even paired up with some corresponding music suggestions for new readers to consider and enjoy. You're more than welcome to go back and find them to take a gander, if you'd like.**

 **Last up for announcements, I'd like to make mention of the fact that even more fan-art is available for viewing on my Tumblr and DA accounts. You're more than welcome to check them out, if you'd like. A special thanks to all the generous artists behind them, of course! Your contributions are most appreciated.**

 **If you yourself are an artist, and are considering an artistic contribution for the likes of the story, feel free to let me know. I am grateful for the interest.**

 **Anyhow, that's all that I have to say for now, really. I do hope that you all enjoyed what this latest chapter had to offer. Stay tuned for the next one! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: Also, in response to anyone who believes that the police chief voting is unjust, take a moment to consider how each of them are equal in power. During times of tension and disagreement, no one chief has more political influence than the other, especially when it comes to matters brought up at their table. Zootopia is _one_ city; Not a whole country, as far as we know, so you cannot always say that things from real-life cities would apply to this fictional one. This city council is the highest body of mammals before the mayor and assistant mayor themselves, so to keep order, they occasionally vote on dividing matters.**

 **I hope that makes sense for you all. I will be covering this some more in the next chapter, which won't be as long, but will be much more eventful. Stay tuned!**


	89. Trial By Fire

"The best training is to play by ear: Trial by fire." - John Legend

* * *

4:08 P.M

Turns out that Judy's worst fear wasn't getting eaten by a savage predator. Nope. The mere idea of losing her job caused her skin to crawl more than any jaguar ever could.

Having built her whole career and reputation on the labor of her interests since childhood, Judy cared more about her job than just about anything else in the world, except for family and friends, of course. They _always_ came first, no matter what. But still; the weight of her current predicament sagged heavy in her heart and mind: Chief Latran was really pushing the limits of Judy's anxiety, what with threatening to have her and Nick's jobs at the ZPD suspended, even after all that they had been through together.

Some mammals were just way too far set in their personal beliefs and agendas for Judy's comfort. It was quite clear to her, now more than ever, that this condescending coyote was one of them. Being strict enough on his own, when Chief Latran heard about Nick and Judy's incident in The Canyonlands, he must have really struck a nerve.

Unfortunately, that meant nothing but trouble for the two tiny officers.

Ever since the meeting began, that coyote had been setting the stakes up against them, as though he had some sort of ulterior motive. Though Nick and Judy believed Bogo's assurances to trust Chief Latran, neither of the could help feeling a sense of suspicion towards his actions. The recent incident in The Canyonlands appeared to be his driving motivation. Maybe they were simply overthinking it, but whatever the case, they both refused to let their guards down. However, when the coyote had taken things one step further, and suggested that the council hold a vote to consider the act of relieving Nick and Judy of their duties as officers of the law, the two of them were shook to the core.

Judy, who had spent her whole life building up her career, and Nick, who hadn't been a part of the Zootopia workforce in years, and desperately sought to keep his job, both had their own personal reasons for wishing to remain at the ZPD, but the moment that the topic of being fired was brought up, the both of them immediately thought of the other. Nick, who knew how important Judy's job was to her; And Judy, who wanted to keep Nick from winding up on the streets again. Their twin minds raced with a variety of thoughts, swirling about as they weighed their options and registered just what this apparent council vote meant for them both, and their futures at the ZPD, respectively.

Meanwhile, Chief Bogo himself was starting to get agitated. He had worked with this council for years, and although he always knew that Jesse was a stubborn mammal, he never could have imagined that he'd go this far. The water-buffalo quickly gathered his thoughts: He understood that their council couldn't be governed too much by one specific power, and so, the chiefs had the right to vote in order to settle disputes, that was, before the result of said vote was taken into account by a higher council in the city government. With so many differing opinions at play, such occurrences were far from rare, and despite the arguments, stable conclusions were often reached effectively.

However, Chief Latran seemed to be pushing his own agenda a bit too much, and that worried Bogo: Zootopia already had enough political corruption and mishaps to suffer through, what with the scars of Mayor Lionheart, Bellwether, and Lyncoln still healing. The water-buffalo was determined to keep his prized officers under his employment, and out of Latran's field of influence: This wasn't the first time that the coyote had asserted his dominance upon the council, but never before had Bogo witnessed his desert counterpart strive so strictly over something so simple. Sure, Bogo himself wasn't exactly the most laid-back chief around, but the way that Jesse pushed his beliefs seemed far too compulsive for even his tastes. In the past, the coyote's advances stood as a good way of encouraging innovation among the council, but _this_ obsession was madness.

Chief Bogo needed to halt his advances now, before it was too late.

The coyote spoke out his ideas. "A raise of hands, then, to settle the matter. All in favor of-" He began, but was promptly cut off by Bogo;

"Enough, Jesse! No more of this... This _adducing_ toward my officers! Our power may be equal on this council, but you're taking this obsession of yours too far!"

Latran sneered, though his dark-yellow eyes flitted nervously to his left and right, as if he were worried that the other council members would call him out.

"These two riff-raffs are in need of retribution for their recklessness. Can't you see that?" The coyote growled, pointing toward Nick and Judy with one of his clawed fingertips.

Just as he was about to continue with his rant, Chief Bogo himself raised one of his sturdy hoofs in a gesture of silence before sternly expressing his thoughts;

"Jesse, please keep in mind that even though we precinct heads have the ability to vote on dividing matters that deal directly with our line of work, a decision such as firing them goes against the city's civil policies, and would need to be passed through a higher office first. We may be but a single branch of the city-council, but our impressions matter. Letting personal vendettas get in the way of our work is unacceptable, and not appropriate in these governing halls. You have always been the strongest card in our arsenal here at the ZPD, but you _cannot_ keep this up. I implore you to compose yourself, Chief Latran, lest we take your abrupt behavior into judgment of a higher council."

Once Chief Bogo's tirade was effectively concluded, he then cleared his throat audibly before carefully seating himself back in his chair. All eyes were now on Chief Latran.

The coyote's jaw hung agape ever so slightly. He made no sounds nor sudden movements, that was, before letting out a loose breath of pent up air that he had held in his lungs. Jesse's expression was that of frustration at first, but soon morphed into what seemed like a steady realization of his own errors. He sighed lowly as he seated himself.

Silence to the count of seven, until finally, Chief Latran exhaled wearily for the third time. His ears were lowered in embarrassment, though he still wore a hard expression.

"I... Apologize." He muttered, though it didn't sound very sincere. "Perhaps I've been a bit too... _Obsessed_ , since the incident in The Canyonlands took place."

"Have you been getting enough sleep, Jesse?" Chief Koobor asked gently, not as a fellow workplace associate, but as a helping friend. Her smile was warm and reassuring.

Chief Latran actually chuckled a single time; His brief moment of emotion surprising Nick and Judy. "Not with the paperwork that _I've_ been getting lately." He muttered.

"Why have you been so upfront with Officers Hopps and Wilde? They are both fine young mammals." The koala pried.

Jesse hesitated, almost as though he didn't want to answer. After a few brief seconds of formulating his thoughts, the coyote finally spilled his point of view to the others;

"It's just that I've been working as the chief of police in Sahara-Square for years, yet I've never come across a pair of officers more defiant of the rules than these two. Precinct Three prides itself on withholding the law, all the while strictly following ZPD protocol. I've fired officers for things these two do on a weekly basis. Discipline and authority is our masterstroke! To see these two running around in _my_ jurisdiction of influence as though they up and owned the darn place really put a stuck up my craw."

"Your devotion to the law is truly admirable, but sometimes, mercy can bear richer fruits than strict justice, you know." The anteater claimed in that soothing accent of his.

The coyote nodded, seemingly agreeing with Chief Myreme's advice. He then turned towards Nick and Judy, looking them directly in the eyes. From there, he spoke out;

"It seems I've been a bit too forthright in my beliefs. Officers Hopps, Wilde; I don't like you or your methods of enforcement, but for the moment, I'm willing to subside my complaints. You've done reckless and foolhardy things, but you've also brought much prosperity to the city of Zootopia. If anything, I suppose _that_ should lessen the load."

"Thank you, sir." Judy gratefully stated, uttering the first sentence that she and her husband had been able to convey since Chief Latran suggested that they be fired.

Chief Latran held a molecular hint of a smile. "But don't let me catch you running around in The Canyonlands, doing my officer's jobs, again. Consider yourselves warned."

"Duly noted." Nick claimed, to which the coyote nodded in seeming approval.

"Good. Don't be forgettin' that anytime soon." He finalized.

At that, Chief Latran leaned back in his seat and relaxed, his feud with the two tiny officers subsided, for now. The two of them could only hope that they wouldn't find themselves facing his wrath once more in the future. Until then, they'd have to try their best to stay on his good side, though they had no desire of winning his approval: They weren't doing this for him. They were doing it for themselves, and for Chief Bogo, and all of the other police chiefs who supported them. In the end, they would have to manage their jobs to the best of their abilities, regardless of the situation, and who liked them or not. As police officers of the ZPD, they would do whatever it took to serve.

That's who they were: Not criminals, or vandals, or hooligans: Police officers of the ZPD. They only hoped that Latran wouldn't seize any opportunities to advance his will.

With the matter subsided for the moment, Chief Koobor of Outback-Island took the time to insert her own thoughts regarding a new statement of conversational discussion;

"All of this bickering and disagreement over these two fine officers. They have much to work on, as we've so vehemently debated, but they are without a doubt the greatest cops that this city has seen, even despite their misgivings, though, I'm right sure that they intend on better following the standard ZPD engagement protocols from now on..."

The koala then looked to Judy with one bushy eyebrow raised, as if to say, _Don't prove me wrong, kid._

"Affirmative!" The rabbit claimed with a steadfast salute before glancing to Nick, who was examining his nails. She elbowed the fox, causing him to hastily sit up straight.

"Uh, yes, definitely!" He agreed, mimicking his partner's pose.

Chief Koobor smiled, as though that proved her point flawlessly. "See? We can trust them. However, I do reckon that some form of appeasement is needed..."

The other district chiefs grumbled lowly, nodding their heads and muttering beneath their breath. Some looked to one another with confusion, as though they didn't follow.

"Appeasement?" Nick repeated curiously.

"Precisely. Something to help show those that are..." She hesitated. " _Skeptical_ , of your abilities, just how productive you can be, even when not dealing with criminal cases."

Chief Bogo leaned forward on the smooth surface of the table in front of him. "Just what are you suggesting, Chief Koobor?" He asked with a rather cautious tone to his voice.

The koala smiled proudly. She continued her explanation with gusto;

"A show of faith to Chief Latran, and those that share his grievances, of course. It's quite crystal-clear that not all of us agree with officers Hopps and Wilde's particular ways of interpreting the policies of engagement, and whatever acts of rule-breaking that they are accused of. This council needs unity, now more than ever: All of the most recent events that have been taking place around the city of Zootopia, from the capturing of the crime-lords, to the arson attack on Precinct One, proves that times are changing."

Louise then took a brief moment to let that previous statement of hers sink in before resuming.

"We need to all be in this together, because I have a feeling that there are more threats on the horizon. These two police officers before us all have accomplished some truly extraordinary feats, but their work isn't done yet, and neither is ours. Their outing in the Deciduous-District was certainly promising, but I believe that something else must be done to hit the final nail into the coffin; Something that simultaneously proves to Chief Latran and company of officer Hopps and Wilde's devotion to the law, allows us higher-ups to further and freely discuss the possibilities of the future regarding what's to come and what to do, and last but not least, to give our two officers here some breathing room, and to show us their talents _in action_! To answer your question, Chief Bogo, I suggest that we, as a council, negotiate to appease _both_ sides of this quarrel."

"And just how would we do that?" Judy herself interjected, to which the koala simply smiled warmly.

"I suggest that we send officers Hopps and Wilde back to the Zootopian Police Academy, to temporarily serve as instructors for the next generation of ZPD recruits."

The council immediately exploded into commotion: Half a dozen different chiefs got to their feet and started arguing amongst eachother. Some declared the idea an outrage of tradition, while others claimed it to be an innovative step in the right direction. Chief Koobor quickly worked with Chief Bogo to calm everyone down, and soon enough, all of the council members were seated back in their chairs, though some still grumbled defiantly beneath their breath; Muttering to themselves over the koala's big suggestion.

"Now, I know what you're all thinking, everyone, but just hear me out for a second." The koala pleaded.

Taking a moment to register her words, the council stilled itself in order to further listen in on her suggestion. Chief Koobor continued;

"This idea, if played out correctly, could cover all of the bases that we've addressed, and subdue all of the topics that we've been arguing about for the past half-hour. As I said earlier, it appeases both sides; Allowing Officers Hopps and Wilde to keep their jobs, yet also allowing for further reconciliation over their recent breaches of protocol."

"You make it sound like some sort of extended training plan." Chief Tarrak from Tundra-Town added.

"To an extent, it is. Tell me: What do we do with DUI offenders? We enlist them in an aid program not because we think that they don't know how to drive, but in order to _dissuade_ them from driving under the influence in the future. The city still trusts them with their license after it deems them fit to pass the class, but they're sent to the class in the first place because the city seeks to _verify_ its trust in the offender. This suggestion of mine is just like that: We don't send officers Hopps and Wilde back to the ZPA just because we think that they need more basic training in police work, but to help remind them that rules are in place for a reason, and that upholding them is important."

"But was that not what their entire endeavor to my precinct was about?" Chief Urzo piped up.

The koala nodded. "There, they were sent for extended training, but here, they'll be sent to train _others_."

Chief Latran smiled mischievously, all the while stroking his scruffy jawline. "I see now... While they're teaching, maybe they'll pick up a thing or two about respect, too!"

"Exactly." Chief Koobor confirmed. "What better way to drill into their minds the policies that we uphold here at the ZPD than by having them _teach_ those very policies?"

"Hmm..." The sea-lion chief of police from The Docks, grumbled. "That might work." He stated simply.

"This is a plan to please _both_ sides of this ongoing argument, as I mentioned earlier." Chief Koobor emphasized. "Unity is needed, and this is the way to achieve it."

"I dunno..." Chief Condy muttered skeptically. His fleshy nose trembled. "This plan of yours sounds like a real play-by-ear kind of scenario. Are you sure it will actually work?"

The koala shrugged. "It's just a suggestion. In the end, it's all on Chief Bogo to decide what he does with his two best officers." She stated.

All eyes turned to Chief Bogo, who sat silently at the far side of the table. His hazel-colored eyes darted quickly around the big room, as though he were trying to register the expressions and thoughts of all of his associates, if only to help influence and direct his own thinking. After a short pause, the buffalo cleared his throat before speaking out;

"Chief Condy has a point. That idea seems far easier said than done. It would take time to schedule such an endeavor, but with some effort, it could be set in motion."

"Now hold up there, Chief," Nick interjected. "We just got back from the Deciduous-District a few months ago, and now you wanna ship us off again?"

Judy nodded. "Yeah, it seems a bit... _Rash_..." She muttered.

The water-buffalo furrowed his brow and lowered his gaze. He finalized;

"If it covers all of the points that Chief Koobor brought up, I see no reason why not to try and go through with it."

To prove her point, the koala nodded in agreement.

"Well said." She stated. "Though, that's not to say that there aren't risks with this idea... Anything that happens to the recruits befalls on officers Hopps and Wilde."

"So you're suggesting that we place the responsibility on them? It seems a bit too early for my liking to have them teaching police classes." Chief Condy rumbled.

"They are seasoned officers with years of service beneath them, and an arsenal of talents that have taken down entire criminal empires." Koobor refuted. "They're perfectly-"

Seizing the opportunity to add his own statement to the mix, Chief Latran cleared his throat audibly, effectively interrupting his koala counterpart, before speaking aloud;

"Our dear Chief Bogo surely recognizes the risks of such an idea. Yet for good or ill, it is only fitting for these two officers to prove their truest worth to us. Sure, they may have taken down multiple high-profile criminals in the span of half a year, but their unorthodox tactics, of which should make us question the consequences of their methods, are in need of reevaluating: In need of explanation. Of retribution. If they can prove themselves as true followers of ZPD protocol, then I see no reason to hold any quarrel."

The coyote's grin seemed to grow more conniving by the second. "I'm certain that Chief Bogo and his prized officers won't disappoint us." He finalized.

Nick himself had to withhold the urge to growl under his breath. In that sudden moment, he finally understood just how much of a good speaker Chief Latran truly was. He had been swaying the crowd against he and Judy from the beginning, but now, he actually sounded convincing and supportive, rather than obsessive and over-determined.

Now, the coyote was carefully crafting his words so as to put all of the responsibility for this idea on Chief Bogo's shoulders.

 _This wasn't his idea, but if he knows what's good for him, he'll give us a show of faith_ , Chief Latran seemed to say.

If Nick and Judy's excursion at the ZPA went wrong: If anything bad were to happen, Bogo would be the one to blame. The coyote managed to convey all of that without actually saying it, simultaneously calming the council and sympathizing with them at the exact same time. For the first time, Nick realized that this scrawny old coyote might actually be an enemy far more dangerous for them than any crime-lord that they have faced thus far, even if he was still on their side. With the way that he weaved his words, Latran was quite underhanded. He had made an exceptionally convincing suggestion to the council, and already, other precinct chiefs were mumbling in agreement.

Jesse agreed to this idea not only because it served his ideologies, but also because it put weight on Bogo and his two best officers. That made Nick mad.

Chief Bogo must have recognized this too, as a brief look of irritation passed over his face as he registered the coyote's previous words.

"I'm certain that my officers won't disappoint as well." He claimed with a strong and confident tone. For a second, Nick could have sworn he had true pride in his expression.

Whatever feelings that Chief Bogo had must not have been enough for his desert counterpart, however.

The coyote simply smiled, as though he doubted the claim, and pitied Chief Bogo for having such hope in Nick and Judy. "We shall see." He finalized with a wave of his paw.

"I guess it's settled, then." Chief Koobor finalized before turning to Nick and Judy. "Best of luck, you two. I hope that you can make us all proud."

* * *

4:45 P.M

With resolutions having been made, there was nothing to look forward to but what those resolutions produced.

The council meeting was over. Nick, Judy, and Chief Bogo made their way back to Precinct One. It was a short walk, as the ZPD head-quarters and city-hall were both just a few blocks away from one another. Progress had been made at the meeting, and much had been learned, but still, concerns laced through the minds of the trio of mammals.

"Well, that went well, even though some of those guys were kinda strict." Nick found himself saying.

"There are _three_ precinct heads against you, officer Wilde." Bogo reminded his subordinate. "That's three too many. They are not enemies that you want to have."

"What else is new?" The fox grumbled.

Chief Bogo just shook his head. "You misunderstand. What makes them all especially threatening is that they're _supposed_ to be on your side." He stated.

"So what if they aren't?" Judy asked. "That coyote seemed to back down when you gave him the business. That should count for something, at least."

"Right on." Her partner added.

The water-buffalo sighed. "True, but I worry that their reluctance to trust you will resurface, and impede future workings."

"But hey, we got the majority's support, don't we?" Nick said with rhetorical flare. "That's good enough for me."

Despite Nick's upbeat attitude, Judy herself noticed that Chief Bogo still bore and expression of concern. For a sliver of a moment, the thought that there was something that he wasn't telling the two of them crossed her mind. It left her as soon as it arrived, for her superior's brooding exhalation filled her sensitive ears and rattled her attention.

"I certainly hope that it is." He muttered lowly.

Nick pursed his lips. "I dunno what Chief Cranky Coyote's problem is; Getting all riled up over us, but at least we know that he's on our side, for the most part."

"Even if he still doesn't like us all that much." Judy added.

The water-buffalo nodded. "That much is true. You can trust Jesse, but you must be careful when dealing with him. We all know how steadfast he is in his beliefs, by now."

"That's putting it lightly." The fox grumbled.

At that, the trio of mammals were silent the rest of the way back to Precinct One, the corresponding conscious of each one swarming with the power of a thousand different thoughts. Though in the end, one thing was certain above all else: The only thing that any of them could do was to look to the future, and hope for the best; Whatever came.

Be it the thrill of the chase or a trial by fire, it seemed that there was always something new for Nick and Judy to take on in the city of Zootopia.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Okay, first things first, I just want to apologize for how short this chapter is in comparison to others. It has been a rather busy last few weeks, and my writing motivation has been a bit impeded, least to say. Though, I do still have every intention on continuing this story, of course. Just bear with me, and when the next chapter comes around (I'm thinking somewhere around 10,000 words. Sounds good, eh?), you won't be disappointed. Besides, I wanted this latest chapter of ours to be a bit shorter than usual to put some emphasis on the verdict of the chief meeting, to allow the next upcoming chapter some extra breathing room, and of course; To get you all your latest dosage of When Instinct Falls. I hope that you enjoyed what I had to offer this time around!**

 **In the next chapter, you'll learn more about the plan for Nick and Judy's trip to the ZPA. Fun stuff!**

 **Well, glad that we finally got to see things from Chief Latran's point of view, eh? He may be a bit of a hardass, but he's got a reasonable inside, it seems. With peace made between him and Nick and Judy, you'll just have to stay tuned to see how his role, along with all of the other precinct chiefs, is expanded upon. Soon enough, you'll find out, but in the next chapter, you can expect tons of nostalgia, description, fun and ever-so sweet fluff. Stay tuned, everyone!**

 **Indeed, this chapter may have had a lot of OC discussion and dialogue in it, but you can expect _TONS_ of Nick and Judy content right around the corner.**

 **It's only gonna get better from here on out. The real meat of the 7th arc's plot starts with chapter 93, including everything I mentioned above, alongside new characters and some point of views from the various other chiefs of the ZPD, from Bogo to Latran: Getting in their heads as they sort out their own problems while Nick and Judy are off doing their own thing should be a pretty interesting experience, and like everything else that I have planned, I truly cannot wait to bring it to the table, for all of you to enjoy. Until then, stay patient, and do feel free to leave a nice review. I'd adore knowing your thoughts!**

 **If you haven't already, be sure to follow/favorite this story of ours, if only to help fuel the drive to keep on writing. All new readers are most appreciated!**

 **Lastly, as usual, there's even more fan-art on my Tumblr and DA accounts (Including some awesome interpretations of Chief Latran and Chief Urzo), and also, I would just like to add the fact that if you're an artist thinking of contributing to the likes of the story's artistic gallery, do feel free to let me know.**

 **At that, I am now pretty much out of things to say, for the current moment. Thanks a million for reading, and I'll see you all soon enough.**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	90. Productivity

"Sometimes the best way to move forward is to start over." - Anonymous

* * *

More or less, it was back to square one: Where it all began, and now, where it would all end. Once again, the failures of the present bring the past back and into light.

Judy Hopps herself never could have imagined that she'd visit her old training grounds again: The Zootopia Police Academy, where she had learned, laughed, and cried for nearly an entire year as she was trained to become an officer of the law. There were good memories, such as when she beat a fully-grown rhino in a boxing match, and there were bad memories, like the time that she had unintentionally fallen into a toilet, but in the end, the rabbit's stance on the academy was nothing but positive: It had been a rough experience, for the most part, but the endeavor had forged her into the most prominent police officer that the ZPD had had in years. And for that, it was all worth it.

But still; Even with all of the many treasured lessons and prospects that she had underwent, Judy could never forget the humiliation that she had suffered at that academy.

From the minute that she had set foot on those training grounds, a target was on her back: The first ever rabbit officer to enroll in the academy. For weeks on end, she was subject to discrimination, prejudice, and humiliation. Though she had come out stronger in the end, thinking back on those memories hurt, admittedly, though the bunny would never admit it. To her, the pain and humiliation was just another part of her journey: Indeed, in spite of all that was set against her, Judy's desires to make the world a better place drove her to come out as the head valedictorian of her class at the ZPA. She cherished her achievements, though the thought of returning to the ZPA was fickle.

At least this time, _she_ would be the one in charge. That was a thought that counted for something. Judy was highly determined to be the best trainer that she could be.

Chief Bogo had promised her and Nick that during their time at the ZPA, which was expected to be anywhere from a few weeks to several months, the two of them would retain their rank and status as officers of the ZPD, much to their delight, and that they would also obtain special privileges as the sires of the next batch of ZPD recruits. This time, they would be the teachers, and Chief Bogo made sure to fully elaborate on the responsibilities and expectations of such a title. Once finished, he deemed them ready to take on this new adventure, if only to appease the ire of the other district chiefs, and to prove once and for all just how truly productive of a team that the duo could be.

Indeed; Their opponents back home were powerful enough already. The last thing they needed was another situation like the one in The Canyonlands, last month...

Latran had every right to chew them out for operating outside of their assigned jurisdiction without permission: The only thing that led to the coyote's downfall was his own over determined desire to punish Nick and Judy for it. In the end, all of the different mammals involved had walked away having learnt a valuable lesson, though the two tiny officers themselves made sure to keep their toes in line from now on: The last thing that they wanted was another situation blown out of proportion, just like this recent one.

From now on, they would have to tread even more carefully, if only to avoid the ire of the other district chiefs.

Nick and Judy's latest endeavor may have been unexpected, to say the least, but the two tiny officers quickly warmed up to the idea: The thought of helping teach the next generation of ZPD recruits was a true honor, especially for Judy herself, who always hoped that her impact on the world would inspire the likes of other mammals. To her, this was the perfect opportunity to do exactly that, alongside proving those over-cautious police chiefs of her strengths as an officer of the law. Nick, on the other hand, was happy as long as he was with Judy. He'd never been one for staying in one place for too long, anyways, and welcomed the idea of getting out of their normal routine: For the past two months, ever since they had gotten back from the Deciduous-District, things were pretty normal, with no big cases or exploits for the two officers to take part in.

This new adventure would surely be an inciting opportunity to spice things up in their daily routine. Besides, just about anything was better than parking duty, as it were.

And to that, both Nick and Judy respectively, could agree.

* * *

6:30 P.M ; _One week after the chief council meeting_...

"So, what was it, exactly, that Chief Bogo had said about our sleeping area?"

Judy rolled her eyes upon registering her partner's inquiry.

"You weren't paying attention to his briefing, were you?" She deduced with a chiding tone to her words.

"Well, I had this nasty little hangnail that I had to deal with during the talk, so-"

"So you weren't paying attention to his briefing."

"More or less." The fox claimed.

As soon as the statement had reached her sensitive ears, the bunny couldn't help but shake her head from side to side, even though a minuscule grin of amusement still tugged at the edges of her lips. Sometimes she wondered if Nick acted dumb on purpose just to mess with her. No matter the cause, she took to explaining the highlights of Chief Bogo's aforementioned briefing session from the previous night, where the water-buffalo himself had rolled over the expectations and responsibilities of their latest endeavor with about as much excitement as a DMV photographer. Judy recalled how Chief Bogo had made mention of the fact that her and Nick would be staying in their own separate room, away from the common sleeping quarters where all of the other recruits would be piled up in bunk-beds. That, if anything, was something to look forward to.

Throughout the whole briefing, the water-buffalo had seemed a bit on the disgruntled side. Knowing that his two prized officers were being sent off on yet another mission probably didn't bode well for him, though with plenty of other good cops to pick up the slack while they were gone, this was understandably of little overall concern to him. However, while Nick and Judy had sat down and listened to Bogo's explanation of their latest task, they could tell that he was considerably agitated: His desk was messily strewn with paperwork, the air had a peculiar taste of anxiety to it, and the thin fur on Bogo's large head was matted, as though he had been running his hooves through it.

It was quite apparent that Nick and Judy's superior wasn't exactly expecting this new adventure of theirs to take place. That, the two officers could tell with ease.

Bogo had never anticipated having to result to sending his two best subordinates back to the ZPA, even if they were serving as instructors, rather than new recruits. The whole scenario was all so sudden and without warning, that the water-buffalo himself had to scramble in order to prepare for the endeavor. At the chief council meeting, the other district chiefs had agreed to give Bogo one week to ready Nick and Judy for what was to come, but as organized as the buffalo liked to be, even _that_ was pushing him.

Whatever the case, there was nothing that could be done now. The two officers were already sixty miles past the city limits of Zootopia, packed into a ZPD cruiser filled with luggage, paperwork, and other physical essentials. Their destination, the Zootopia Police Academy, lie halfway between the big city itself, and the Tri-Burrow County, where Judy's old hometown of Bunny-Burrow resided. This rather particular positioning made the ZPA the perfect middle-ground for any police recruits coming from either direction: A place of rest, training, and success with roughly an equivalent distance from every single major mammalian community in the span of nearly two hundred and fifty miles.

Be it rural Bunny-Burrow, the rarely mentioned Deerbrooke-County, or even the city of Zootopia itself; All newcoming police recruits could make the trip with little troubles.

Judy herself recalled her own first trip to the ZPA, all those years ago. At first, she had found it strange that the academy itself wasn't actually _in_ the city limits of Zootopia, even though it was a popular training grounds for new ZPD recruits, but she soon realized that the property's location allowed for a wide variety of recruits from all different directions and townships to have easy access. Besides, having the academy located at a reasonable distance from her hometown was definitely a plus. It made visits back to her parents and beloved home all the easier to accomplish, and as a bonus, it made her first train ride into the actual city of Zootopia all the more awesome for her to behold.

The only real downside of the academy being in such a neutral territory was just how little there was to see.

Once the skyscrapers of the big city had vanished over the horizon, there was nothing but roads, forests, and hillsides to break the emptiness. Judy would have thought that her recent trip to the Deciduous-District would have prepared her for such stark bleakness, but it was all too often that she forgot just how barren the real world could be in comparison to the shiny bright lights and colorful, towering buildings of Zootopia. Soon, the woodlands that surrounded the outskirts of the city began to disappear as well, slowly replaced by wide open countryside and vast expanses of healthy green grasslands, only poked through by the intermittent little lake, boulder pile, or patch of trees.

In other words, it was quite a boring experience.

As the landscape rolled by, both of the mammals within the car took to passing the time through the likes of idle conversation, objective recollection, and even the occasional game of 'I Spy', though, there wasn't exactly much else to spy out other than grass. The two of them soon began to gather an appreciation for just how fast the Zootopian monorail system was, in comparison to driving. But alas, to the academy, they needed to go by road. It was the most efficient way to reach their destination with all of their essentials in tow, especially since they planned on staying for an extended period of time at the academy, training the latest batch of recruits in the ways of being an officer.

Just another day in the life of Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, it would seem.

Eventually, the two officers at last reached the confines of the academy. Pulling in to the gated property, the both of them felt an abrupt pang of nostalgia: Nick and Judy respectively had spent months on end training at this very facility. Towering symmetrical structures branched off in various directions. The main building itself was large and dark; Almost oppressive, some might say. It radiated discipline and strictness. The grassy courtyard in front of the main building was clear of any obstacles, save for a lone polar bear standing in the middle of the open space. She was dressed in a simple blue ZPD T-shirt and basketball shorts, and sported an identically shaded baseball cap on top of her head. A shiny whistle hung around her thick neck, and she clutched an old, dilapidated clipboard in one arm, all the while watching Nick and Judy intently as they exited their vehicle and approached. The polar bear had a large grin on her face, and as the two officers closed the distance, she opened her arms out in a welcome gesture.

"Well, if it isn't officer Fuzzy-Bunny!" Major Friedkin guffawed.

Judy smiled. "It's been a while."

"Indeed it has! How have ya been holding up?"

The bunny shrugged nonchalantly. "Tired. It was a _long_ drive here."

"Well, it's great to have ya here, lieutenant."

"Don't forget me." Nick added coyly, causing the polar-bear to chuckle.

"How could I? Those tricks that you pulled on the other recruits were the bane of my daily existence, back then." She claimed.

Like old friends, Nick and Friedkin shared a hearty laugh amongst themselves. It had been ages - Years, to be specific - since any of the three mammals had encountered one another. They all relished the opportunity to catch up once more. Chatting idly for a few short more minutes, the topic soon trailed back to proper business and career work.

"So, when do we get to meet all of the new recruits?" Judy asked.

She especially was quite curious to begin working with the next generation of ZPD officers. The bunny hoped that she could teach them all to help make the world a better place. Throughout the whole car ride to the academy, Judy had been wondering about what her trainees would be like. Personally, she pondered over the idea of some of them having been inspired to join the ZPD by her! She had always wondered what it would be like to have subordinates of her own. And so, she listened to the bear's reply;

"First thing tomorrow, at six o' clock, the crack a' dawn, we'll all file in and meet up here in the courtyard. That's when you'll get to meet all the recruits. They're a fine batch of mammals. I have a good feeling that this year may produce some of the best new cops that the big city has seen since you two first arrived! You'll see. For now, though..."

The polar-bear smiled heartily and motioned with her arm in a gesture to follow her.

"I'll show you two around; Give ya the whole tour. The academy's gotten some brand new installments since your last run through. Come on!" The bear requested.

Friedkin beckoned the two officers forward towards the main building, and began pacing towards it calmly. Nick and Judy both scrambled in pursuit. The former asked;

"What do you mean by new installments, exactly?"

The major nodded her head upon registering the fox's question. "Oh, just some new expansions to the building, a few extra vending machines here and there..."

A mischievous expression steadily grew across the polar bear's thick, white muzzle.

"Not to mention some additions to the obstacle course, as well."

Nick coughed. "You're kidding, right?" He muttered. The fox recalled quite well how humiliating his first few runs through the course had been. He pitied the new recruits.

"No jokes here, fox." Friedkin claimed proudly.

"Please tell me these new additions that you're talking about don't involve any hoops of fire... Do they?"

"No promises here, either."

The scary thing was, Nick couldn't tell if the major was teasing or not.

Judy seized the moment to clear her throat, if only to prevent her old instructor from filling them in on more of her favorite torture methods.

"Let's just start the tour, shall we?"

* * *

9:00 P.M

All's well that ends well.

Once the meeting and the tour had reached its conclusion, Nick and Judy both retired to their assigned sleeping quarters. The two of them had their own special little room situated far away from the bunk-beds that all the recruits would be piled in. They appreciated the privacy, at the very least. It was definitely preferable to sleeping in the barracks. Their room was small, but cozy, and had only a dining table with two wood chairs, a wall-mounted television, and one decently-sized bed. It could have been worse.

The place reminded the two mammals of the hotel that they had been staying at while they were working on the case involving Jack Savage, all those months ago. It had been ages since either of them had thought of that particular outing, but neither were bothered at all by that fact: Best to keep their eyes forward and on what was to come.

After breaking out their luggage and getting accustomed to their new home, Nick and Judy then lounged on the bed, watching the news for a few hours until, at last, they deemed themselves fit to sleep. They had a long day ahead of them, and as the rabbit herself had stated, they would need all of their energy for it. At that, they chose to call it in early, if only to get a good night's sleep before the early call of tomorrow's scheduled activities acquired their attentions and efforts. Until then, though, they would rest.

And rest they did, indeed.

* * *

 _Midnight ; Somewhere in the Rainforest-District_

It was far past closing time.

The Green Mill Bar, as it was known by, held no suspicion towards the wicked. Being well over sixty years old, the place had witnessed the likes of all kinds of different mammals over the years. The old, the young, the calculating, and the temperate; Yet none were as famous nor as notorious as the mobster Al Catpone. The feline kingpin had grown accustomed to the ancient bar, and often used it as a place of rest and recovery in between jobs. The owner of the Green Mill was a friend of his, and was always happy to loan the place out for a night of private drinking, planning, and whatever else the jaguar crime-lord had in mind. It was his favored bar and restaurant, and was graced by his presence almost on a weekly basis. The back rooms, basement, and private hall were commonly used by Catpone as a place of rest and planning over his work.

Even though the property was currently off-limits to the public, at this hour, the jaguar himself knew the value of worktime privacy: The private hall was his makeshift office.

Inside, the dimly-lit room gave off an almost dangerous sense of comfort, as though it were inviting you to come and doze off in one of the finely fashioned booths, yet never open your eyes again. To come and enjoy the sweet, lemony scent of the gilded wood walls, yet also choke on the residual smog of nicotine that swirled through the open air.

The whole atmosphere reeked of sleaze, silence, and an almost weary sense of relaxation. It was the sort of place where large groups of mammals with a rather old fashioned sense of decor gathered over fine food and cold drink, but now, there were only two occupants seated at one of the booths. Niether spoke, but both displayed much thought.

One was a large, heavy-set spotted jaguar dressed in a dirty black overcoat and slacks. The other was a portly tapir in a simple vest and bowler's cap. The two mammals had a pile of papers lying upon the rounded wooden table before them, though at the current moment, they relaxed; Lounging back in the leathery-satin folds of the booth, each mammal holding a single lit cigarette, of which they occasionally brought up to their lips, inhaling deep before slowly breathing out a thick stream of curling, ash-gray smoke.

Their job had been finished. Hours of careful scheming over their work had at last subsided for this brief, but nevertheless appreciated, moment of tranquil rest.

But even still, the curiosity of what lay before the two mammals couldn't be quelled. The tapir found himself mumbling in a simplistic, speak-easy accent;

"This brew of ours seems pretty straight, boss, but are you sure it'll work? We don't want to be takin' any wooden nickels, now do we?"

The jaguar lazily looked up from the brim of his fedora. He had an irritated look on his face, for he was enjoying the peace and quiet, that was, until the pesky tapir piped up.

"Of course it'll work." Catpone grumbled. "Whatdya think we've been sittin' around here for the past three hours, for? Makin' sure things work, that's what!"

"Yes, yes, of course, but this whole thing just seems so... _Sudden_." The tapir stammered. "So hasty and risky."

Al's lips curled in a distasteful sneer: Now he was starting to get annoyed.

"We've been over this, Donnie." The jaguar stated. "We've got a real sockdollager of a plan, here. Don't jinx it up with your doubts."

Donnie just sat there, kneading his hooves together.

"Wouldn't it be better just to lay low and keep exporting?" The tapir asked timidly. "We can still make money off our current route, right?"

Al Catpone growled and furrowed his brow. "You need to learn a thing or two about power-plays, Donnie." He muttered.

"Uh, power-plays, sir?"

Snarling once more, the jaguar lept out from his seat and rose to his full height. " _Yes_ , power-plays!" He then began a vehement rant, all the while pacing back and forth;

"The ZPD made their first big move when that rat got himself killed. I ain't ending up like him. This plan we got cookin' up is _our_ first big move. Sure, we _could_ sit back and keep doing what we've been doing, as you so daftly suggested, but sooner or later, the ZPD will make another move, and we'll lose ground. Lose men. Lose money. I don't like losin', Donnie. Aside from old Fang-Face down in the noc' district, and Big-B over in T-Town, we're all that's left. I won't see the Rainforest-Outfit get wiped off the map."

From there, Al turned back towards the table, and eyed over the written papers that were stacked in piles before him. He smiled, knowing the potential of his handiwork.

"With this move of ours, we bring the fight to the ZPD, and we remind all those air-heads at Precinct Four who's _really_ in charge of this jungle!" He roared.

At that, the jaguar stamped one of his balled-up paws onto the surface of the table, causing it to slightly tremble, and for the corresponding sound to shatter the otherwise sleepy atmosphere of the room. There was a strong moment of silence that followed the jaguar's tirade, with the only sound filling the space of the private hall being that of Catpone's labored breathing. He had made his point efficiently. Yet still, to the big-cat's utter irritation, his ears soon registered the sound of the tapir's nasally voice blurting;

"But didn't Iluka Rombahe technically bring the fight to the ZPD, first?" Donnie piped up. "I mean, he was the one that set up the arson attack in the archive, so-"

"You're a special kind of stupid, ain't ya, Donnie?" Catpone interrupted flatly.

The tapir trailed off and slouched in disappointment. "I'm sorry." He stifled.

Al waved him off irritably with one of his meaty paws.

"Don't matter." The jaguar claimed. "Just stop ruinin' my monologues!"

"Yes sir."

Grining as though that solved the whole problem, Catpone exhaled heavily before seating himself in the booth once again. He soon finalized;

"Right, then... Break time's over, Donnie. These blueprints of ours are a good start, but not enough to seal the deal. Not yet, anyways."

"What more is there to do?" The tapir asked curiously.

"We still gotta make sure that the Linear-A Formula reacts with the dependent variables smoothly. You know what happened in the _last_ trial: Failure isn't an option this time."

"No sir, it isn't." Donnie agreed. "Should I return to the compound to prepare the test subject?"

"Yeah, you should. Make sure they're down under before you inject them with Linear-A. We don't want another savage-fueled accident in the lab, do we? I'll catch up later."

"You're staying here longer, boss? What for?"

The jaguar smiled lazily.

"I just need one more drink. It's been a _long_ day."

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Okay, this new chapter was kinda short, I admit it.**

 **I know that I said that about the last one, but I just wanted to take the time to clarify that this one was very much intended to be so. It didn't have much to tell, as it was more so supposed to serve as a transition sort of chapter, you see, but that was the plan all along. The next upcoming chapter (94) is going to be much longer, as Nick and Judy's next big adventure starts with a lot to tell! I can't wait to get started on it. I reckon you all will find some enjoyment with what I have planned. Until then, do stay tuned, and feel free to leave me a review here, explaining your thoughts on this latest chapter of ours, and what you think of the seventh story arc so far. I'd love to know! All reviews are greatly appreciated, just as much as anything else. Thank you very much.**

 **Alongside that, if you haven't already, feel free to favorite and/or follow the likes of this story. Every new reader is welcomed. :)**

 **Secondly, I'd like to clear things up a bit: Some of you have inquired me as to the purpose of Nick and Judy being sent to the ZPA, and I'm happy to shed some light on the plot details. Nick and Judy go all over the place in this story, but it's worth keeping in mind that there was a sizable time skip of two months in between the sixth and seventh story arcs, so they aren't just jumping into the ZPA right after getting back from the Deciduous-District. At the ZPA, they'll work as instructors for the next batch of ZPD recruits; Teaching them their ways, and how to be a good cop. It'll be a learning experience for them: Something that all of the district chiefs hope will strengthen their appreciation for the ZPD engagement protocols, as we saw last chapter.**

 **However, as we witnessed with that final scene involving Al Catpone and his tapir crony, there will be threats. Al is planning something big, you see; Something that will earn the attention of our favorite bunny and fox duo. But until then, Nick and Judy will continue their work at the academy. So yeah, you can expect the later half of the seventh arc to have a more dangerous feel to it, what with yet another looming threat on the horizon for them to battle. He's been waiting in line for a while, but Al Catpone will soon enough get his own time in the limelight, something that I'm sure a good number of you guessed earlier, since at the chief council meeting, he and his potential for threat were brought up as a topic of discussion among the various district chiefs.**

 **You all will eventually learn of what Catpone speaks of during his final moments in the scene above, but until then, expect plenty of Nick and Judy content!**

 **Also, just to clarify: Chief Jesse Latran isn't a villain. He's antagonistic in the fact that his character is an obstacle for Nick and Judy to overcome, but he isn't intentfully villainous, and doesn't have an evil hidden agenda, or anything like that. He's just a cynical coyote that's very strong-set in his beliefs. Some might say a bit _too_ strong-set, even. He's the kinda guy to push his beliefs in the pursuit of power and influence, but knows when to back down, as we witnessed in the last chapter. Jesse isn't planning anything behind anyone's back: He just hopes that Nick and Judy won't screw up, but if they do, that it embarrasses Chief Bogo. **

**If anything, he's like Severus Snape from the Harry Potter franchise! He opposes the main characters, which makes him antagonistic, but is not intentfully villainous (Even though Snape killed Dumbledore. What? Too soon?) with his ways.** **Yeah. He's a bit of a hardass, as we all know by now, but in future chapters, you'll be learning some more about his better character, and how it applies to the job that he does, and his relationship with the other chiefs,**

 **I hope that that clears some of your burning questions up!**

 **With all that covered, I'd like to now address the reviewers out there: Tell me what you think of this chapter, and your thoughts on what's to come! Also, I'd like to know which of the various district chiefs that we were introduced to in the past few chapters was your favorite. I'm just a curious guy, really.**

 **Next up, WIF has just recently reached 1500 follows, and has just reached 2 million views. That is incredible! Thank you all very much for your interest in my work! What all started out as just a simple experiment has grown into something so much greater. Again, thank you all for sticking with me, and I hope that you will continue to stick with me as we wrap up the remainder of this story. I couldn't have asked for a more loyal and awesome group of followers!**

 **Last up for announcements, I'll have you know that there's a TON of new fan-art available for viewing on my Tumblr and DeviantArt accounts, ranging from some interpretations of the new police chiefs that were recently introduced, to Nick and Judy chilling with Ivar. Also, if you feel like contributing to the fan art gallery, just let me know, and I'll be glad to build some bridges to help you out. I adore seeing people's depictions of my story in the form of cool art!**

 **Anyhow, that's all that I have to say for right now, really. Thanks for reading, and do stay tuned for chapter 94, coming your way soon!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: Okay everyone, this last-minute announcement is _VERY IMPORTANT_ , both to me, and the story as a whole! Although the remainder of the seventh arc still has content much to offer, I do believe that WIF is soon coming to an end. I want the story to have a stable conclusion, and I believe that the seventh arc might be the last arc: The conclusion of the story. It's gone on for quite a while, indeed, but nothing lasts forever, good or bad. One of the main reasons that WIF has gone on this long is because I've always thought that as long as there was more story to tell, that it would keep going: Loose ends in need of tying up. Topics and concepts in need of exploration, if only to prevent confusion and regret from surfacing at the very end. I'm sure that's understandable.**

 **And so, I do apologize to any who feel that this story may have gone on for too long as it is. I suppose I just had a lot to tell, in the end. Sure, I could have split up the narrative into multiple different stories, but I didn't see the need to, in the past. Nowadays, I'm considering the idea of creating some extra stories that just have the chapters of one specific arc. Sort of like a TV show with multiple seasons, though the original source - This story - will still always be around. So yeah, don't be surprised if you see those pop up eventually, if only to please readers who like their stories broken up like that. No matter how I choose to go about things, I do have a scheduled ending for When Instinct Falls, and boy, it's gonna be a fun one. I hope you all will stick around to see it.**

 **However, just because the main story ends, doesn't mean that WIF itself has to. I have a poll that can be found on my account. This poll asks if you, as a reader, would like to see some bonus chapters after the main story is finally at an end. Bonus chapters that bring to light scenes that we never see, but have been mentioned, such as Judy's police chase in The Marshlands, for example. _That_ idea was first mentioned a long time ago! I'm sure you understand. **

**So, feel free to vote on what you think should happen, everyone.**

 **The more votes there are, the better I can understand what the fans of this story want to see, and that is important to me. I recommend voting. :P**

 **In the end, though, I assure you that this story will have a fulfilling conclusion, and that the rest of the seventh arc will herald nothing short of quality!**

 **PPS: Gees, this is a _really_ long author's note, isn't it?**


	91. The New And The Nostalgic- Part One

"Nostalgia is the file that removes the rough edges from the good old days." - Doug Larson

 ***BONUS QUOTE***

"Nostalgia is a dirty liar that insists things were better than they seemed." - Anonymous

* * *

Personally, Nick didn't like thinking about the past very much.

To him, he believed that if you were too wrapped up in the past, you were regretful, and that if you were too worried about the future, that you were anxious. The fox was perfectly content living in the present, if it meant that he could just be himself, and live life to the fullest. Besides, thinking too much about the past often brought thoughts of guilt and pain. He hated picking at old wounds. Some stuff was just better buried deep; Where no one could see it, far less worry about it. Especially himself, of all mammals.

Having had a considerably rough childhood and a rather lonely adolescent upbringing, Nick Wilde of all mammals knew just how dangerous memories could be.

Nonetheless, that wasn't to say that _all_ old memories were inherently bad, of course: The fox always cherished whatever moments he experienced with his mate, Judy. _Those_ were worth remembering to the fullest, if any. All his years alongside the rabbit had heralded a wide variety of memorable occurrences, from the first time they locked eyes, to their adventures in the wooded heart of the Deciduous-District. However, of all the experiences that the two tiny officers had chalked up together over the years, there was one that stood out among the others: Nick's progress at the Zootopia Police Academy, where Judy herself had helped him rise through the ranks, and become a true officer.

He remembered it like it was just yesterday.

As much as he and Judy liked to gripe and joke about how grueling the full academy escapade had been - which wasn't inaccurate nor unjustified, in their defense - when the two of them had worked together during Nick's training, it had overall been an incredible and surprisingly humbling learning experience, especially for the fox himself. To go through the same tough trials and tests that his beloved had underwent, he truly realized just how dedicated she must have been, especially given the undoubtedly profound amount of prejudice that she must have dealt with. There were several times where Nick was half-tempted to drop out! Were it not for his Judy's all too sagacious guidance, and consistent pushing, he likely never would have made it to where he was today. Indeed; If Judy had simply left him to his own accords, he would have failed miserably.

Nick wasn't a fighter: He could barely dodge and weave without tripping over his own tail, far less land a decent punch on an approaching enemy mammal.

He wasn't a runner, either: Half a mile in, he'd have to stop to catch his breath; Watching as the other recruits would pass him up and gave him pitiful glances.

Nor a very good leader, for that matter. He didn't have Bogo's hard-as-iron resolve, or Judy's unquenchable thirst for justice and strength of determination.

All that he had was his wit, intelligence, and crafty sense of humor. It was those traits that helped him win the unofficial title of class clown, though unbeknownst to the other recruits, they were also the very same traits that would help propel the fox to the very tip-top of his class. It seemed that in the end, the joke was on them and them alone.

Being a smooth-talker, Nick was easily able to wiggle himself in and out of situations that most other mammals could only dream of getting in and out of in the first place. He overheard conversations about planned activities days in advance, learned and studied the weaknesses of the other recruits, and used trickery and deceit during competitions of strength and endurance to further advance his own agenda. There was one time where Nick recalled being paired up against an antelope during a boxing session, and the fox had managed to convince the unsuspecting grazer that there was a large, hairy spider on his shoulder. By the time his opponent realized that there never was any large hairy spider, it was too late: Nick had the antelope right where he wanted. A few good swings later, and the poor guy never even knew what hit him. It worked like a charm.

Though of course, he wasn't a total trickster, all of the time. He did still care about the well-being and safety of his fellow companions, whether they liked him or not.

He still made good friends and good times, and even made sure to buy that one antelope a chocolate bar from one of the academy's vending machines after the fight as a sort of peace offering. It was the least that he could do. Thankfully for the fox's good conscience, the antelope had willingly accepted the token of trust without any hardships.

Nick used similar tactics throughout the remainder of his endeavors at the academy. With Judy at his side all the while, he felt as unstoppable as a charging rhinoceros!

Eventually, his ZPD training came to an end, though, and all of his hard work at the academy pooled together into one big, final reward: The golden badge of a ZPD officer. It was the very proudest moment in his life. When Judy had first pinned the medal onto his chest, there was never a greater feeling of satisfaction that he could remember. For years, he held on to that very moment in time, along with many other lessons from his experience at the academy. All the memories he made were nothing short of prideful.

They had helped him with his career, and now, they would help him once again. It seemed that this time, however, _he_ would be the one making the experiences.

* * *

5:45 A.M

Early was the hour, when Nick and Judy awoke from their peaceful slumber.

Of course, the latter was always the quickest to ready her for the coming day. She was already fully dressed in her regular police outfit consisting of a tight-hugging bodysuit and sturdy chestplate, before her husband had even managed to roll out of bed. With the fur on the left side of his head squished against his skull, the fox grumbled out loud;

"I've gotta get used to this."

From somewhere in the nearby bathroom, the rabbit responded;

"Rise and shine, Nick! The sooner you get up, the sooner we can get started, and take on the day!"

"Duly noted." He muttered in response.

Sparing a lazy glance at the digital clock that rested on the nightstand by the side of the bed, Nick's tired eyes adjusted to the sight of a blaring red _5:45 A.M_ , shining bright and disorienting, as though it were trying to make getting out of bed as painful as possible. Groaning wearily, the fox rolled to the edge of the mattress before sitting up and wiping at his eye sockets. The bitter taste in his mouth caused his tongue to tremble in disgust, and that pestering blur in his vision still lingered stubbornly. Mornings sucked.

Just another day on the job, it would seem.

After what felt like an eternity, with an extra few thousand years for each time he glanced at the clock, Nick was at last ready to take on the day, as his wife had so heartily put it. Easier said than done, in his mind. Whatever the case, the fox gladly shook himself free from his slothful desires, and steeled himself for what was to come. Now that both he and Judy were prepared, they promptly set out toward the courtyard of the academy, where they intended on rendezvousing with Major Friedkin and all of the new recruits. From there, they would follow the Major's orders; Helping her manage over all of the new subordinates as they went about their first day of training at the academy.

Exiting their private quarters, the two tiny officers made their way down a long hallway deeper into the facility. It wasn't exactly a place fully outfitted for decoration appeal, though there were a few tacky motivational posters strung up here and there, alongside the occasional potted plant. Once they had left the drab hallway, Nick and Judy ventured through several other rooms and lobbies before finally reaching the doors to the inner courtyard. Through the glass, they could see a large crowd of mammals standing in the middle of the field. All of them were dressed in practically identical clothing - standard issue ZPA uniforms - save for one mammal that stood at the edge of the group. Major Friedkin, easily distinguishable as the aforementioned mammal, stood tall and proud, watching over the recruits as they stood idly in the field, chatting amongst one another quietly. Judy realized with a jolt that they must have been waiting for her and Nick! Even as earlier as she had woken up, there was still need for work.

"C'mon Nick, let's go!" The rabbit exclaimed with a rather strong sense of urgency.

Giving her a thumbs up of mutual agreement, the fox proceeded to open the door, and usher the two of them outside. Together, they both jogged alongside one another until they reached the very center of the large courtyard, where all of the other mammals stood waiting patiently. Some of them gave the two officers distrusting glances, though most hadn't even noticed that they had shown up. Even Major Friedkin herself was unaware of their presence until Nick took it upon himself to tug at one of her fingertips.

Glancing down at them, the polar bear smiled wide before leaning closer, so as to better speak with them.

"Glad to see that you two made it on time, more or less." She claimed. "I'd hate to have to report to Bogo that you two were absent on your first day of instructing, here."

"We aim to please." The fox replied nonchalantly, causing the polar bear to grin even wider. She stated;

"Better put that charm to good use, Wilde. These newbies are some of the toughest I've seen. Like I told ya yesterday, they're all fine mammals, willin' to serve with pride."

"Nick and I will be sure to teach them everything we know, ma'am!" Judy said.

Major Friedkin seemed to like that.

"Good. This time, though, I'll lead, but I'll be expecting you two to pick up the slack soon. You need to _be_ tough in order to teach these _recruits_ to be tough. Understand?"

"Affirmative!" Judy agreed strongly.

"Gotcha." Nick added. "Will do, Major."

Nodding her head in approval, the polar bear then gestured towards the crowd of mammals. "Let's get started." She muttered to the two officers before breathing in deeply.

"Attention recruits!" Friedkin bellowed, causing all of the mammals before her to turn and stare her down with respectful curiosity. "Welcome to your first day of training!"

There were a few hoops and hollers from the pack of animals, but they quickly settled down as the polar bear resumed her exclamation;

"Before we get started, I'd like to introduce you to officers Nicholas Wilde, and Judy Hopps, though, I'm sure the lot of you are already at least _somewhat_ familiar with them."

"Hi!" Judy greeted with a simple wave. Nick mimicked the gesture, though didn't add any comments of his own.

Many of the recruits started shuffling around to get a better look at the famous duo. Some smiled and waved, others stood silently, and a few even gasped in amazement. Nick was pretty sure that his ego had gotten a bit fatter, but before he could further revel in the satisfaction of positive public attention, Major Friedkin continued her speech;

"The two of them will be assisting in your training. You are to consider them as your superiors for as long as you share these grounds with them. Do I make myself clear?"

A chorus of "Yes sir!" rang throughout the courtyard, save for one confused recruit that blurted out "Yes ma'am!" a little on the late side, causing it to be super obvious. It was supposed to be common knowledge that all high-ranking officers at the Zootopia Police Department, regardless of gender, were to be refereed to as sir. A few of the other mammals snickered, though no one was able to single out who had made the original comment in the first place. Ignoring it, Major Friedkin proceeded with her speech;

"Alright, new-bloods! The _last_ batch of trainees thought that it'd be mighty funny to shove a _baton_ up an _elephant's trunk_!" She shouted. "And you _know what happened_?!"

Nobody in the entire regiment answered. Everyone was as still as a forest of petrified trees.

"They were asked to leave politely..." The major stated in a surprisingly soft voice before following with another crackling exclamation. "And it was _awkward_ for _everyone_!"

Nick had to resist the urge to snort out in amusement. It took much willpower, but he quickly suppressed his sense of humor, and continued to listen in on Friedkin's speech;

"So, we're gonna get a few things straight, here! I want each and every one of you greenies to understand that there _won't_ be any room for errors! This is no sun-soaked vacation spot! In this course, the strong will be separated from the weak, the motivated will be separated from the unwilling, and the best will be separated from the rest!"

A crooked grin grew across the polar bear's muzzle. "And don't think we don't know how to _weed_ them out." She claimed with volume. "Now _everybody line up_!"

From there, the conglomeration of recruits began to shuffle around; Jostling one another as they hurriedly attempted to form a decent line. Major Friedkin glared at them all the while. Soon enough, a single, messy line of mammals extended down the width of the grassy courtyard, each individual standing straight and still, with not an out of place movement to be seen. It was a bit surprising to Nick, who himself had half-expected most of the new recruits to fumble around in confusion before straightening out.

Always nice to be surprised every once in a while, he thought to himself.

With all of the recruits now piled up in one large row, Major Friedkin was at least ready to begin her introductions. The polar bear then clasped her meaty paws behind her back and proceeded to slowly waltz down the length of the line. As she edged around the different recruits, eyeing them all over, she would occasional roar out a name, and proceed to berate the corresponding mammal. Typical drill sergeant business. Niether Nick nor Judy were very surprised. They had both undergone the very same procedure.

Many of the recruits were skipped over, but some of the more prominent and/or eye-catching ones were singled out without hesitation; Either for praise or for ridicule.

"Harlan O'Conall," Friedkin announced, gesturing towards a muscular wolf. "Top of the top in your physical examination prerequisite. I expect big things from you!"

The lupine nodded in acknowledgement, but otherwise remained completely still and silent.

Moving along, the polar bear narrowed down her attention towards a small ewe that stood a few paces away. Approaching the little sheep, Friedkin snorted;

"Tiny little thing, aren't ya? I could just eat you up for breakfast!"

Sparing no shortage of bared teeth, the polar bear chuckled to herself as she straightened out and looked down upon the ewe with disapproval.

"And I take it you're from The Meadowlands, eh?"

The sheep did not respond. Instead, she stood there without a sound, slightly shaking in apprehension, no doubt still trying to register the instructor's previous comment.

" _Speak_ when _spoken to_ , recruit, or I'll have you runnin' laps 'till sundown!" Friedkin shouted, causing the sheep to straighten out and administer a crooked salute.

"Y-Yes sir!" She stifled timidly.

"I _can't hear_ you!"

"Yes sir!"

Exhaling out heavily through her nostrils, the polar bear turned tail and walked off without another word, clearly pleased with her work.

"What about you?" Major Friedkin continued, turning towards a portly old mole four paces down from the sheep. "Where are you from?"

The mole swallowed timidly before bringing his right paw up to his forehead in a nervous salute, and announcing his origins;

"The Rainforest-District, sir!"

Friedkin didn't look impressed. Not one bit.

"The _Rainforest_ -District?" She repeated in a shrill tone of voice. "I would have thought a beady-eyed bottom feeder like yourself woulda crawled outta the _Nocturnal_ -District!"

Blinking a single time in apprehension, the mole then decided to respond to the major's statement. Clearly, he had forgotten the polar bear's rules on talking out of turn.

"Well, actually, my mother's side migrated over from-"

" _I didn't ask_ where your _mama_ came from, recruit!" The major shouted so hard that Judy's eyeballs rattled in their sockets. "Talk outta line again, and you'll be sorry!"

"Yes sir!"

Shaking her head in distaste, Friedkin continued on her thorough examination of the new recruits.

As the polar bear continued pacing down the length of the line, calling out different mammals, Judy listened closely from nearby. Major Friedkin listed a dozen more names, each one only adding to the growing height of Judy's anxiety levels. Having to remember all of these new names and faces would be a real hassle. She only hoped that she wouldn't confuse one with another, as there happened to be multiple members of the same species. The bunny officer was still quite taken aback at just how large this new class of ZPD recruits really was. In her original class at the academy, there were no more than ten, yet this time around, there were easily over twenty five different recruits.

Back when she had first run through the police academy, it wasn't very common for smaller mammals to make it as far as Judy had. Being the first rabbit officer to ever pass the ZPA was a huge shocker for the city of Zootopia. Her achievement made front-line news in the papers, and garnered all kinds of attention and praise, alongside some threats and disapproval, as well. Ever since then, Judy had long known that her success in the academy had spawned a surge of new small-mammal applicants over the years, but she had no idea that it would be this sufficient! Back then, she had been the only small-mammal in her own class, yet this new class sported all kinds of recruits. She counted three sheep, two otters, and even several hares, too. It was clear that this new batch of recruits held no shortage of mammalian diversity. That made her proud.

To know that she had had a part in inspiring so many smaller mammals to take a stand for their rights and desires was a great source of satisfaction to Judy.

The polar bear's considerably vocal words shook the rabbit from her thoughts, and forced her to focus on the present. She listened to Friedkin announce the coming schedule;

"To start off our first day of training, we're going to be runnin' the obstacle course!"

"Uh-oh." Nick muttered beneath his breath. "I still have nightmares about that course." He stated, that was, before Judy sternly shushed him, as Friedkin continued talking;

"If you get knocked off the course, you get right back on it and try it again. If you die," The polar bear grumbled. "Walk it off."

"Ever the motivational speaker." Nick whispered to his partner, effectively resulting in his foot getting a good stomping.

"Alright, let's go, you special snowflakes!" Major Friedkin bellowed. "I want you all in tears by lunchtime!"

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **I'm not dead! Who would have thought?**

 **It's been quite some time since our last chapter update, hasn't it? I apologize for that. I've been quite busy (I say busy, you hear lazy. :P), as of late. It's been effecting my time and motivation to write, least to say, so I'm sorry if this chapter took a bit more time to arrive than you first expected. Anyways, I do still appreciate your continued interest in my work though, of course. There's more to come down the road. I just wanted to release this one sooner rather than later, so I decided to break it up into multiple parts. You all are so darn patient, and it grinds my gears to leave people waiting. Not my thing.**

 **However, I am not so busy nowadays, so I'm sure the coming chapters will come _much_ quicker.**

 **Alongside that, I promise that the next chapter (95) won't take nearly as long to release. In fact, I already have nearly four thousand words chalked up!**

 **Thanks for reading this latest chapter of ours. As always, I had a good deal of fun whipping it up for you all, and I hope that you all enjoyed it as well. Do feel free to leave a review detailing your thoughts, of course! I always appreciate good feedback. Alongside that, if you haven't already, you are most welcome to favorite and/or follow the story, so that you can receive notifications of each new chapter update. It's a really helpful system. Check it out!**

 **Okay, so, the poll on my profile page hasn't had much usage, but I get the general idea of what people want: More bonus chapters after the main plot of 'When Instinct Falls' comes to a close. We're getting there, but I assure you, this story of ours still has plenty of content to come down the road. I certainly hope that you'll all stick with me for the remainder of this gigantic writing project that once started out so minuscule, and insignificant. Until then, thanks!**

 **So, in other words, I'll be closing that poll down. Thank you, everyone, for helping give me a good idea of what you want to see.**

 **Last up for announcements, I just wanted to let you all know that there's a new batch of fan-art over on my tumblr and DA accounts. I know I've stated this a whole lot throughout the past few months, but that's only because I get a whole lot of fan-art. Speaking of which, if you're considering contributing to the story, just let me know beforehand, and I'll be happy to help in any way I can. All new artistic gifts are most appreciated, and very awesome to think about.**

 **Anyhow, that's pretty much all I got to say, for now. Again, thanks for reading, and do stay tuned for the next chapter, comin' your way soon! :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	92. The New And The Nostalgic - Part Two

"Try and fail, but do not fail to try." - John Quincy Adams

* * *

6:13 A.M

It wasn't very often that someone had the chance to relive their past mistakes. To make fresh amends on what they thought was forever lost.

Nick never liked thinking too much about what was, or what could have been. To him, that was just a waste of time. It slowed you down, and prevented you from focusing on more important matters, such as the present. The fox had re-entered the Zootopia Police Academy expecting to come face to face with things that he had seen before, such as boxing matches and old, sweaty locker rooms, but if there was one thing that stained his conscious a streak higher than the rest, it had to have been the obstacle course.

Back during his initiation through the ZPA, all those years ago, he had spent weeks attempting to master the course, all the while Judy coached him on the best ways to get past it. She reassured him that her own run through had been just as pitiful during her previous enrollment, but it still didn't make Nick feel that much better. He knew that the course had not been designed for mammals his size. It put him at a major disadvantage. He also didn't have Judy's strength, endurance, or speed: _Another_ major disadvantage.

Like always, it seemed that the fox would have to rely on his very own wits, cunning, and intelligence to beat the course, and to win the day.

Scanning his environment, he would go for the quickest, easiest route. He would use his physical and mental strengths to his own personal advantage; Relying on his keen eyesight to spot cracks and fractures in the weak points of the frigid ice wall, allowing him to easily grip with his claws, and scale in due time. He relied on his quick wit to trick opponents in the fighting ring, and even managed to use his thick tail to protect his eyesight from the blasting hot sand on the desert section of the obstacle course.

Time and time again, the fox would repeat this suitable process until at last, he had mastered the obstacle course in full. That had been a proud time, for him.

On the other hand, Judy herself couldn't help but smile as she stared down at the obstacle course that had once terrorized her daily routine at the academy.

The rabbit officer had always found enjoyment in reminiscing over past novelties and memories alike, no matter how simple or complex. Her fervid desire to learn and to live only helped bolster the feelings that she felt looking over her old ZPA stomping grounds. To be able to relive some of the most impactful years of her life were like a dream come true, except this time, she would have Nick at her side. Despite being on her third deployment to the Zootopia Police Academy (The first time being her initial run through, and the second being when she assisted Nick in _his_ run through), this was the first time that she actually had the privilege of helping to teach a class of recruits.

She was eager to learn all that she could about them, and to shape them up to be as good of cops as they possibly can be.

This first day was extra important, and according to Major Friedkin, it would all start with the obstacle course.

Following Major Friedkin along the back of the ZPA property, the large group of mammals eventually reached a grassy clearing behind the police academy's primary building complex. Spread throughout a square area of well over an eighth of a mile, various obstacle courses had been constructed to mimic conditions found throughout the districts of the city of Zootopia. Nick and Judy both immediately recognized the three largest ones built for the three largest districts: The fan-flanked sandpit that represented Sahara-Square, the bewildering jungle-gym of wooden rods staked over vats of mud that coincided with the treetops of the Rainforest-District, and finally, the frigid wall of ice and slick sleet that portrayed the bitter cold slopes and slants of Tundra-Town. The rabbit and fox alike had suffered many setbacks attempting to conquer those courses.

Yet, there were other obstacles that had been set up in previously vacant spaces in the grass yard; Ones that were completely new to Nick and Judy, respectively.

There was a long, pool-like river of dark, grungy water that lapped against the sides of barnacle-bitten pillars of wood that rose from the murky cesspool. The water was thick with kelp, driftwood, and even some traces of mammal-made garbage like plastic bags and old milk cartons. A strong and nauseating scent of seaweed and salt emanated from the area around that particular course. The whole thing reminded the fox officer all too well of his trip to The Docks, which he suspected this course was modeled after.

Beside the sandpit, a rocky trail led off into the nearby patch of woods that grew along the edge of the academy. Inside the tiny forest, Nick could see wooden steps bound by rope leading up into the trees like a hanging staircase. Boardwalks zigzagged in and around the canopy, with branches and bundles of ivy coating the course and providing challenging obstacles to avoid. On the ground below, gnarled roots snaked across the forest floor, creating natural tire-rims that needed to be hopped over, and treads to be crawled under. Fans hidden in the trees blew gusts of dead leaves and twigs around like a decomposed blizzard, which no doubt further added to the difficulty of the course.

The combination of temperate trees, wood, leaves, and roots gave off a clear message: This course was the ZPA's ambassador for the Deciduous-District. The most amazing thing about it was how some parts of the course were better fitted for mammals of varying sizes. Obviously, a tree wasn't going to be able to hold the weight of a large animal like an elephant, so the courses that snaked through the trees were definitely outfitted for the smaller side of the spectrum. Yet, larger mammals still had many other chances to prove themselves with the ground portion of the course, all the while their lighter and nimbler counterparts could make use of the trees above. It was a perfect fit, and Judy was positive that the training acquired here would work wonders in the real world, where the districts of the city held areas that were better accessible to certain mammals, like the wooden boardwalks that snaked throughout the treetops of the Deciduous-District, which couldn't support a rhino, but could support, say a squirrel, or fox.

Seeing that extra bit of consideration, and knowing that the ZPA and city-hall really were trying to look out for and utilize the talents of different mammals made Judy happy.

If the first two new courses weren't enough, a seemingly hidden additional course put the icing on the proverbial cake: Another rocky pathway lead to a large pile of cleaved boulders that housed the mouth of a cave big enough to stuff a full-sized rhino through. The path appeared to lead to some sort of underground, mammal-made cave. Nick and Judy both shared a distinct feeling that whatever construction was down there was supposed to simulate the environment of the Nocturnal-District. There was something about the course not being visible that made the idea of running it all the more terrifying. It was far from their favorite district, as neither of them enjoyed being underground and away from the sun very much, and although knowing that it now had its own course didn't exactly help ease their feelings of the place, Nick and Judy figured that if the two of them were going to have to earn the respect of Major Friedkin and all of the new recruits, they would likely have to suck up their hatred of the underground and run it.

A necessary evil, if there ever was one.

"So... _That's_ what she meant by upgrades..." Judy muttered, which Nick found offensively obvious.

"As you can see," Major Friedkin bellowed, effectively earning everyone's attention. "Our old obstacle course has been outfitted with several new upgrades to play with."

There was a collective gulp of apprehension from the recruits. The polar bear continued;

"In light of the mayor's diversification program, the city council insisted that we at the ZPA, uh... _E_ _xpanded_ our arsenal of obstacles, to better cope with the influx of new mammals, and to provide said mammals with some broader challenges. Alongside our infamous scorching sandpit, rainforest jungle-gym, and frigid ice wall, I am proud to introduce you newbloods to our brand new obstacle courses, which _you_ will get to be the _first_ to test out! Meet the salty dock-hopper, forest foot-race, and nocturnal maze!"

She let that sink in for a few short moments.

Nick took the time to digest that; Three new obstacle courses with an infinite number of new ways to fail miserably. This would definitely be something.

"So, who wants to go first?" Friedkin asked innocently, clasping her meaty paws together.

"Come on now... Anybody?" The bear coaxed. "Someone's gotta do it."

"I'll do it!" A voice piped out.

Turning to his left, Nick locked eyes with the source of the voice: Judy Hopps herself.

The fox watched intently as his partner proudly stepped up to the Major, and stood before the entire class of recruits with her paws planted firmly on her hips.

"This little bunny has more courage in her cotton tail than the lot of you squeezed together! Officer Hopps, feel free to show these wannabes how it's done." The bear said.

"With pleasure, ma'am." Judy replied. "This will be a good demonstration on how to properly run the course."

Nick didn't bother volunteering. He was much obliged to let Judy take the spotlight this time around. Instead, he simply admired the audacity of his wife, all the while watching as she led the class closer to the first part of the course: The scorching sandpit. Once all of the recruits were grouped up in a good place to see, Nick found himself elbowing his way past a few raccoons to get to the very front of the pack. There, he locked eyes with Judy as she stepped up to the edge of the sandpit and readied herself.

She smiled at him, and Nick just chuckled. He had a good feeling that once the recruits saw Judy breeze through the course, that they'd be lining up to try it for themselves. Perhaps that was her intention all long: To help coax the other guys into attempting it. Either that, or maybe she just wanted to prove herself. Both were reasonable guesses.

"This is the start of the course!" Friedkin exclaimed. "You're gonna have to master _all_ of these before you hit the streets... Or guess what? You'll be _dead_!"

Judy winced, remembering her first time hearing that exact same statement all those years ago. Some things never changed.

"Right... So, be sure to watch." She added.

A wave of muttering approval laced with a few grumbles of disbelief rippled through the ranks of the recruits. Some likely couldn't imagine how Judy could have possibly succeeded on such a long and arduous obstacle course. Nick knew just how athletic Judy really was, and although he didn't have any doubts in her abilities, he still thought that it would have been pretty embarassing for her to mess up in some humiliating way. This was her first time running through the course in entire years on end, after all.

But it was too late for any afterthoughts. Judy had already volunteered, and Friedkin already had her whistle between her teeth.

 _TWEEEET!_

The whistle's cry pierced the air around the grounds, filling the ears of every mammal in the vicinity. Judy rushed forward and fortified into a prone position as the fans started blowing sand across the pit. All of the recruits had wisely positioned themselves away from the path of the resulting sandstorm. Camouflaged blockades helped keep the sand swirling inside the pit, rather than blowing all over the place, yet Nick still had to occasionally blink his eyes to to keep the sand particles from getting into them.

Meanwhile, Judy had already made significant progress on the course; She was nearly a third of the way across the pit when a particularly powerful blast caused a small hill of sand to begin piling atop her. At the rate it was blowing, she would be completely covered in a matter of seconds. Yet with a sudden surge of strength, the rabbit pulled herself forward and out of the fan's reach just as the spot that she was in moments earlier was flurried away in a cloud of sand. Now, she was just over halfway across.

As he carefully watched over his partner's steady progress, Nick took into account just how effective Judy's endeavor has been so far. With the scorching sandpit nearly concluded, Judy would have little time to prepare herself before she was hurried off to the next course. Trying to use her ears as protection for her eyes against the blasting waves of sand, the rabbit continued to haul herself through the dunes and to her next objective. There was only a few feet left to go. In the blink of an eye, she was done!

Hoops and hollers erupted from the crowd of spectating recruits, who followed beside the rabbit as she made progress. She had aced the first course, but there was still much to do. Quickly rising to her feet and brushing herself off, Judy then ran over to the next course: The steaming structure of wood and vines that was the rainforest jungle-gym.

First, Judy clambered up the wooden logs that led to the hanging bars above. She made short work of the challenge with only a few strong hops. Next up, Judy faced the hanging bars. Sprinklers spewed streams of water up into the air, which came down as makeshift rainfall across the area of the rainforest jungle-gym. Steeling her resolve, Judy jumped off of the raised wooden platform and grabbed hold of one of the bars. It must have been slippery from the rain, as she nearly fell into one of the mud vats down below, but thankfully, regained her momentum as she reached out for the next bar and started to swing; Covering two with each swing forward. She was doing great!

Nick cheered along with a number of other mammals as Judy reached the halfway point of the jungle-gym, where a slew of slimy vines blocked her path. Maneuvering under, around, and over them as fast as she could, the bunny promptly arrived at the arguably most difficult part: Climbing the vines to the third and final platform, where the staircase to the next objective descended to ground level. Without a moment to waste, Judy jumped up with all of her might, easily reaching a third of the vine's length before grabbing hold of it with her paws. Wrapping her legs around it, she began to pull herself upwards and toward the next checkpoint. Within moments, she had made it.

On to the final course, Judy almost slipped as she hopped down the wooden staircase one log at a time, though managed to regain her stable footing before finally reaching the ground. More cheers from the spectators filled the air as the rabbit officer ran off towards the the final of the big three obstacles: The frigid ice wall. Nick recalled Judy telling stories to him in the past about how the wall was among the most frustrating of challenges to undertake at the police academy. It had taken her weeks to get the hang of it, much less actually make it over the wall. On her first time, she had accomplished it by bouncing off the head of a hippo. But now, there was no one else on the course to assist her.

Nick hoped that that wouldn't slow her down. He was happy to see that it didn't.

Racing across the sleeted pavement that introduced the ice wall, Judy's breaths steamed out from her nostrils like an old-fashioned train engine. At the very edge of the ground, she pushed on it with all of the might that her legs could muster, and leaped nearly two-thirds up the height of the wall. Once she touched down against it, what little grip she had was put to use as she pulled up with her arms while simultaneously pushing down once again with her legs. The toeholds that supported her gave way from the force of the jump as the bunny sailed right over the very tip-top of the ice wall, and landed with an impressive roll on the ground behind it. Judy had jumped clean over it.

A cheer, louder than ever before, rang out from the recruits. Even Major Friedkin tilted her cap back in approval as Judy's roll broke into a run, and at last, she slowed down to a stop, having reached the finish line. The pack of mammals continued shouting out in surprise and disbelief as they approached her. There was even some clapping, too.

However, Nick realized too late that it was only just the beginning.

The Major ran up to Judy and shouted loud enough for all to hear;

"You ain't done yet, Fuzzy-Bunny! You still got _three_ more courses to run!"

The proud smile melted off of Judy's face as she turned around and eyed the next half of the obstacle course. Sure enough, where the finish line had once been now stretched out towards the edge of the nearby salty dock-hopper, as Major Friedkin had put it. Quickly recovering her sense of accomplishment, Judy rushed forward without a second thought. Nick, on the other hand, couldn't help but purse his lips as he weighed over the different scenarios in his head. Sure, he had underestimated the ice wall, but these three new courses were completely out of Judy's comfort zone. Tailing the crowd of mammals that followed Judy, Nick picked up his pace to get to the very front of the pack.

When he reached a good viewing spot, he could see that Judy was already almost halfway across the fourth course; Hopping one pole at a time across the sloshing pool of water. She nearly slipped on the last pole, but finally reached the end with a sturdy and satisfying leap of faith. Landing strong on her two feet, she raced forward, albeit at a slower pace than before. The fox figured that his rabbit counterpart must have been getting pretty tired from all of this rigorous physical activity. Yet still, she pressed on.

With the path of the course leading into the nearby patch of woods, the following pack of mammals had to take the time to spread out a bit as they pursued the bunny officer. A few even tried to jump in on the course that Judy had just completed, only to slip on the poles and tumble right into the disgusting drink. Laughs abounded, but Nick didn't take his eyes off of Judy, who was now climbing up the wooden staircase, all the while swatting at the flurry of dead leaves and twigs that the industrial-sized fans blew across her path. Not content to stop just yet, the rabbit powered on and across the wooden platforms, hopping one and running across another in a wondrous rhythm.

Soon enough, she reached the bottom, and just like she had with the vines over in the rainforest jungle-gym, she nimbly maneuvered her way in and around the roots that blocked her path. More leaves blew around her face, and just after reaching what looked like the halfway point of the forest course, she tripped over one of the roots and fell hard on her side, with the momentum that she had gained earlier causing her to slide a few short feet before coming to a halt. The crowd collectively gasped in sudden shock.

Judy attempted to stand, but must have still been somewhat disoriented from her considerably hard fall, and promptly fell over again. She landed easier this time, yet slumped over in defeat at having suffered such an untimely failure. Nick grimaced before jogging over to her. Ducking past a few wooden boards and ropes, he eventually made it to Judy's side, and helped her to her feet. The rabbit shook her head from side to side and blinked her eyes a few time, trying to clear out the dizziness that ailed her.

"You alright, there?" The fox asked.

"I-I'm fine, I think. Just a spill." She responded slowly.

"A pretty hard spill."

"Officer Hopps!" Friedkin called out from behind, causing the two tiny mammals to turn towards her voice. Farther down in the grassy clearing, she stood with all the recruits.

"We're alright!" Nick claimed, letting go of Judy and promptly leading her back to the others. The Major announced;

" _T_ _hat_ , ladies and gentlemammals, is how to run an obstacle course! Hopps probably would have beaten her previous record for the fastest run through, if it wasn't for that lil' choke! Now, don't be thinkin' that you can do what _she_ just did anytime soon, but if you keep working at it, you'll get there. Take it slow, and try to avoid killing yourselves."

Many of the recruits nodded in agreement, yet Nick could tell that they were anxious to try their own at the obstacle course.

"Well? What are you standin' around for?" Friedkin roared. "Get to it!"

The recruits tripped over eachother as they rushed to be the first ones to the start of the course.

Once they had all dispatched, Friedkin walked up to Nick and Judy, and knelt down on one of her knees. "You all good, Fluff-Butt?"

Nick resisted the urge to say _That's what I call her_ as Friedkin's words reached his ears. Instead, he decided to thank her for her consideration;

"I think she is. Just a spill."

Judy nodded in agreement. "I'm fine. Thank you both." She stated, at which the polar bear nodded before rising to her full height. Friedkin said;

"You two can take a back seat for now, though. Feel free to try the course again, if you want to, but be sure to get some rest first. That's an order."

"Will do, Major." The rabbit claimed with a salute.

Friedkin then turned towards Nick.

"We'll be out here 'till noontime, so ya best settle in. When you're ready, help show the new recruits how to run the course; Point out their mistakes. Stuff like that."

Nick nodded. "Got it." He said.

At that, the polar bear lumbered off towards the start of the course, all the while shouting at the recruits to line up and wait their turn.

"Ever the motivational speaker, that one is." The fox mumbled sarcastically.

"She does her job well." Judy added. She locked eyes with Nick. "You gonna try out the course?"

"Yeah, in a little bit." He claimed. "Once the others clear out and make some room for me, I'll have at it.

"Can't wait to see how that goes."

Ignoring her somewhat teasing comment, Nick gestured towards a nearby small hill that overlooked the obstacle course. He inquired;

"Wanna go and sit down for a sec? Friedkin was right. You could use some rest after all that."

Judy nodded. "I could." She agreed.

Leading Judy over to the hilltop, Nick joined his partner as they lounged in the grass, watching as the other recruits tried their own at the obstacle course. Screams of failure circled through the air as mammals fell into the mud, slipped down the ice wall, or got covered in a mound of baking hot sand. All the while, Friedkin ran around pointing at different mammals and yelling "Dead, dead, dead!" as they failed again and again. It was almost comical. Once Judy was well rested and recovered from her previous attempt at the obstacle course, they got to work. For another two hours, Nick and Judy helped their trainees through the obstacle course, gave them lectures on balance and speed, and taught them how to utilize their own unique abilities to further their chances of success against the obstacle course, and in turn, the real world that it simulated.

Eventually, Nick decided to try his own at the obstacle course. He could only hope that he'd do half as well as Judy had, yet he was willing to give it his all. He chose to start on the rainforest jungle-gym, as it was his personal favorite. Lining up at the edge of the mud pits, he took a moment to watch as the other recruits tried and failed to master the courses before them all; Raccoons fell into the mud, a zebra was slipping down the ice-wall, and there were even a few random screams from the depths of the nocturnal-maze here and there that definitely did _not_ heighten Nick's desire to explore it. Zeroing in his focus to the course in front of him, he was about to start when Judy came up.

"Best of luck!" She exclaimed, patting him on the back a single time before stepping a respectful distance away.

"Well, who wants to live forever?" Nick muttered flatly.

Judy shrugged nonchalantly. "Gotta try everything." She replied.

The fox couldn't help but grin. "Sly bunny."

With that, he then faced his challenge, and jumped in headstrong.

He was nearly met with failure immediately: Underestimating the slipperiness of the wooden logs, he lept up and ascended to the first platform, almost missing the first jump by slightly overshooting his left foot due to the slickness of the water. Regaining his footing once he reached the top, the fox breathed in heavily before jumping out and grasping the handlebars that hung above the bubbling vats of mud. Trying not to look down, he steadily swung himself forward and grabbed hold on the next bar; Repeating the process over and over until he reached the second platform. Sparing a brief glance back at Judy, he stared at her as she jumped up and down in anticipation of his run.

Turning his head back towards the course, he continued his endeavor, and was met with his first major failure.

Ducking under some vines, he focused too much of his attention on dodging the flora that he slipped in a puddle of water on the smooth floorboards beneath his feet, causing him to lunge outward drastically before falling over on his rump. Grumbling from the pain in his aching tail, he was so intent on standing up and resuming his run through the course that as he rushed forward again, he lost his footing and slipped on yet another puddle; This time his extra momentum causing him to sail right off of the platform.

Judy winced as she watched her husband belly flop directly into a pile of cold rainforest mud, the resulting _smack_ sound echoing throughout the vicinity like a cannon shot.

After a few seconds, the bunny noticed that Nick was moving, and she resisted the urge to run out to help him as he rose to his feet and stumbled around blindly; His fur and uniform caked with mud. The stuff stuck to his fur, which was much longer than Judy's, effectively matting it against his skin and eyes, blinding him from his surroundings.

"Nick!" Judy called out, but her cry of reassurance was met on deaf ears. The fox was simply too panicked to notice.

He unknowingly stumbled off of the course and walked right into the scorching sand pit. The gusts of wind from the fans caused a thick cloud of dust to coat him. What would otherwise have been easily removed with a simple brush of the wrist now stubbornly clung to his fur due to the stickiness of the mud. He almost looked like a big piece of chocolate covered in bread crumbs. Now having to deal with both the mud _and_ the sand obscuring his vision and sticking to his fur, Nick screamed in terror as he tripped over his own tail and rolled down from the hill where the sandpit was positioned. Once he reached the bottom, he practically ran around haphazardly, all the while inching closer to the nearby frigid ice-wall, where a number of recruits were watching him squirm. Judy was about to call out to him, if only to tell him to stop freaking out, but it was too late.

She watched in horror as he pitched over right into the ice-cold moat that surrounded the frigid ice-wall.

 _Well, at least the water should help clean him off_. The rabbit thought to herself.

Judy immediately ran up to the edge of the moat. "Nick, are you okay?" She nearly shouted, forgetting that he was entirely submerged.

The water parted as the soaking-wet fox breached, almost splashing Judy with chilled liquid. Gasping out, he lunged for the icy edge of the moat and dug his claws into it.

"W-What j-just happened?!" He sputtered before coughing out some droplets of water and a few ice cubes.

Judy helped him out of the freezing water. He was shivering from head to tail, and although most of the mud and sand was washed off, he still had some of the stuff caked between his fingers and ears. While some other recruits watched (and others laughed), Judy ran over to the nearby towel stand, which was always on the spot just in case a recruit got hypothermia, or something, and picked out a big towel for her husband. Wrapping him up in it and pulling him away from the obstacle course, she sighed aloud.

"That was some show that you put on back there, Slick." The bunny said.

"Let's j-just get b-back to t-teaching the recruits, okay?" Nick grumbled with chattering teeth.

Judy smiled humorously. "Come on, Slick, let's get _you_ some rest, this time." She chided him.

Once Nick was properly dried and readied to resume work with the other new recruits (although he avoided the course itself), the rabbit and fox got right back into business. Speeches were submitted to the masses, and time itself flew by without a second to waste, and soon enough, the whole class had given their all at the obstacle course. No recruits had made it as far as Judy had on her first try, though there were plenty that started out their runs where Judy had ended hers, giving them plenty of time to get to know the course. By the highest hour, the class of recruits was a mixture of cold, muddied, salty, and sandy, yet each and every one was tired and weary from the workout.

Once the recruits had all regrouped in the grass, they stood silently as Major Friedkin sized them up and down with disappointment. She yelled;

"I _would_ congratulate you all on a successful first day of training, but since the half of you are coated head to tail in mud, I'll save _that_ compliment for when you _earn_ it!"

No one in the regiment bothered to reply. Many faces simply stared down at the ground in weariness and disgust.

Friedkin crossed her arms disapprovingly. "You all get one hour to clean up and eat lunch before regrouping in the academy lecture hall for your next lesson. Chop-chop!"

The polar bear turned around and began to pace off, but promptly stopped herself before glaring back at the recruits, as though she had just remembered something new.

"Oh, and another thing!" She called out one final time. "There will be _no_ species-oriented bigotry here! I do not look down on others, and I expect you all to do the same!"

A muddled conglomeration of agreement followed from the recruits. Apparently pleased, Major Friedkin nodded before finalizing;

"Understand that! Because here, you are all _equally_ useless! Dismissed!"

As though a great weight were being lifted from the shoulders of each recruit, a nearly collective sigh of relief wafted through the air as postures slackened, throats cleared, and feet began to shuffle off, following Major Friedkin away from the course grounds. Following shortly behind the pack, Nick and Judy walked beside eachother leisurely. The former had spent the last thirty minutes cleaning out his fur and clothes, and although he had a somewhat messy look to him, Judy thought that he was still quite handsome.

"Some day, huh?" She started easily, at which the fox chuckled to himself.

"Yeah, some day." He replied.

"I'm going to have to work on finishing the whole course sometime soon."

"I had a feeling you weren't content with quitting ahead, eh?" Nick teased. "As for me, I think I'm gonna take it nice and easy."

Judy snickered. "Well, if your version of nice and easy is anything like your first attempt at the course-"

"Don't you start with the nitpicking, Carrots." Nick interrupted.

The bunny shrugged. "I'm just sayin', that _was_ kinda funny."

"Maybe for _you_ , it was." Nick grumbled, though not without a slight smile egging at the corner of his mouth. " _I_ was too busy flailing around in abject terror."

"That's what made it funny."

The fox glanced over and locked eyes with the rabbit. There was a moment of silence between them.

"I'll race you on the course tomorrow." Nick stated.

"You're on, Scruffy."

The vulpine grinned. "It's a date, then." He said proudly.

At that, the two tiny officers rushed off to catch up with their new trainees, each one eager to see just what the day would bring next.

* * *

8:46 P.M ; _Later That Day_

Chief Bogo hated failure.

As much as he told himself that failure was among the greatest ways to learn and to adapt, deep down, he just couldn't stomach the idea of it. Failing. To lose, fall short, or just plain flop was simply never something he agreed with. To him, there was nothing more fulfilling than success, and in turn, more appalling than failure. Yet, as much as his officers have taught him over the years - Showing him that with failure always comes new opportunities and pathways - he still hated losing with every fiber of his being.

Going through the leftover wreckage of the burnt ZPD archive was like one big slap in the face: A purified, ash-stricken monument to his failures.

It had been over three months since the incident had first taken place, yet the weight of it all still lay heavy on the water-buffalo's heart. The very heart and center of the ZPD had been attacked, and although there we no casualties or even injuries, it was clear that the true purpose of this villainous attempt was just as sinister: To snuff out the physical information that the ZPD had gathered and stored in their archives at the head-quarters. A lot was lost, and although the vast majority of the physical archive made it through without any damage, the fact that any at all was destroyed made Bogo feel as though his authority was flawed. That his role as chief of Precinct One was marred.

Above all else, it made him feel guilty: Guilty that more efficient precautions could have been taken. Guilty that someone may have gotten hurt.

Guilty that he had let down his subordinates, and let such a disastrous attack occur under his watch. It wasn't something that he intended on letting happen ever again. Soon after the initial attack, more advanced security systems were set up, and the cause of the break-in was assessed; The entry-point was concluded to be the air ducts, and so, they were promptly bolted down with bars to help prevent any future entries. Unfortunately, the damage had been done. All that was left to do was to pick up the pieces.

Not long after the incident, the meeting between the police chiefs of the city was rescheduled, and in the weeks that followed the meeting, all the way until the present moment, Chief Bogo had spent mulling over the remnants of the archive. Much was lost, yes, but even what survived had to be re-cataloged and placed in some temporary place of storage while the room itself was repaired. Each day Bogo would try fit in some time to help organize what was left, yet it still took time. It took very much time. He had even devoted some extra effort into creating a search warrant for the primary suspect of the arson attack: That vampire bat that officer Hopps had fought with in the Beaverdam. She had claimed that the bat, who went by Lucy, had indirectly admitted to the crime via taunts throughout the tussle. Bogo took the rabbit officer's claims to heart.

She had rarely been wrong before, after all.

Now, as he sat alone in his office in the ever encroaching dead of night, Chief Bogo pondered over what he had learned. He sat quietly at his desk, with his elbows resting calmly on its surface. His hoofs were clasped together, and his forehead scrunched with deep thought. Before him, a few old files and several stacks of paper were piled up.

The evidence was in. Over the past few months, Bogo wasn't sure if it could truly be believed. With plenty of attention having been given to restoring the archive, it allowed for old files to be dug up, and second looks to be administered. What survived the incident, especially if it originated from Ratsputin's stash, was given prime treatment. New information was gathered; Some harmless and simple, some more dangerous and complex. It was all checked, double-checked, and reassessed again and again, and yet even past all of the speculation and confusion, past all of the disbelief and apprehension, the arrows still pointed to something... Something that just didn't add up right.

Letters that were taken from Ratsputin's personal archive seemed to suggest some sort of conspiracy aimed towards the ZPA and the Rainforest-District. Shelled addresses were used to help secure anonymity, and although they were near impossible to trace with the ZPD's on-hand technology, the letters were signed and dated by their creators making it much easier to identify their origin: Ratsputin was having some sort of secret discussion with the jaguar crime-lord of the Rainforest-District, Alphonse Catpone.

Most of it was simple: Small-talk, minor inquiries, and otherwise unimportant fluff. Yet there were strange words and phrases jotted here and there. The Zootopia Police Academy was brought up on multiple occasions, and through the thick of it all, Chief Bogo was lead to believe that Ratsputin was trying to convince Catpone to plant some sort of spy into the academy's then upcoming recruitment. If this hunch of his was true, then that would mean that there was a traitor in the ZPD that sought to make chaos.

Bogo wasn't one hundred percent certain, and although his advisers and associates thought that it was nothing, Chief Bogo thought otherwise. He wanted to be sure. He wanted to go the extra mile to ensure that this peculiar hunch of his was addressed properly, and without being ignored. Without failure. He owed it to himself, and his pride.

There were a slew of knocks on the door. It jarred Bogo from his thoughts. He wiped at his muzzle, looked up, and muttered aloud;

"Come in."

The door opened, and Benjamin Clawhauser stepped inside. Just as Bogo had expected, the cheetah had made the trip to his office.

"You called?" The cheetah clarified.

"Close the door, please." Bogo replied flatly.

Grinning nervously, Clawhauser slowly shut the door behind him and approached his superior's desk.

"You know, whatever you're about to say, you could have just told me through the inter-"

"I know, Clawhauser." The water-buffalo assured his subordinate, who quickly quieted down. "I just wanted to make this between us."

"Between us, sir?"

"Yes. There are still officers working downstairs, and I'd rather not have them hear this. I have a special task for you, just between us."

"What are you saying, sir?" The cheetah questioned slowly.

"Clawhauser..." Chief Bogo began with a grim tone of voice. "I want a full report on the backgrounds of every mammal enrolled in that academy by midnight."

"Every mamma-"

" _Everything_ on _every_ mammal!" The buffalo bellowed.

"Y-Yes sir!"

At that, the flabby cheetah turned tail and waddled out of Bogo's office as quickly as his stubby legs could carry him. The door slowly swung shut in his wake, until only a slight sliver of light peeked through the crack, illuminating the otherwise inky atmosphere of the buffalo's study. Farther down the hall, he could hear Clawhauser's footsteps as they echoed against the floor. Bogo grimaced: Perhaps he had been too harsh on the cheetah. Clawhauser didn't deserve to be yelled at like that. Not this time, anyway.

Sighing, Chief Bogo lowered his head. He was half tempted to slam it against the surface of the table in frustration. Not even a full day had passed since Nick and Judy had left before wind had reached Bogo bearing speculation of this nefarious plot. Whether it was real or not didn't matter: He had to take the proper precautions to ensure that the mammals at the ZPA were safe. Yet, simultaneously, he had to ensure that panic didn't break out. If too many mammals learned of this too quickly, strife would reign.

And that was, without a single doubt, the last thing that Chief Bogo needed.

Bogo didn't know what to believe from these letters. From this evidence, there was little to suggest, yet however small this lead might be, the buffalo had no intentions on taking any risks. He would not let another disaster happen under his watch. He would have to play this cautiously, and with the utmost amount of care. To be better safe than sorry, he would have to see it done that another mistake wasn't made on his watch. For all he knew, this might have been nothing, but he wasn't about to lose sleep over it.

The physical archive was an unfortunate loss, but a cause that came with a valuable lesson: Never again would Chief Bogo let the forces of evil tamper with the ZPD's work.

Recognizing that there was much to do, the buffalo lifted his head and proceeded to reach for the intercom at the front of his desk. Pressing down the button, he muttered;

"Get me Major Friedkin."

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Oh, now this was a fun chapter, eh? I had plenty of fun writing and, and hope that you all can say the same for reading it, of course. Sounds like Bogo has another mystery on his hands, too! You'll be learning more of it in the coming chapters as Bogo pieces together the puzzle, and whether or not there really is some sort of spy at the ZPA! Now, time for some announcements! As I'm sure you could tell, this chapter took quite a while to get be released. The answer as to why is simple, really: I've b** **een a bit dismotivated, as of late, but I can assure you that what's to come will be worth sticking around for.**

 **Whatever the case, I at least hope that you enjoyed this chapter nonetheless. Do feel free to leave a review on it, detailing your thoughts! I'd like that. I am quite proud of how this chapter turned out. You'll be seeing some more Nick and Judy shenanigans very soon, along with further sub-plots with Chief Bogo.**

 **Also, if you haven't already, feel free to Favorite and/or Follow this story of ours. I appreciate all new readers, full and through.**

 **You can expect the next upcoming chapter update to be arriving soon enough, of course. I already have quite a bit of it written up. Stay tuned, everyone!**

 **That being said, I do think that it is wroth mentioning that a brand new poll has just gone up on my account here. It is one that I have wanted to try out for a while now, I admit, but am only just now getting around to. So, do feel free to vote on which WIF primary antagonist has been your favorite!**

 **I'll be happy to review over the results in a little while. Always nice getting statistical feedback like that. Gotta love polls.**

 **Last up for announcements, I'd just like to make mention of the fact that there's a big new trove of fan-art that can be viewed on my tumblr and DA accounts. Alongside that, if you're interested in the concept of contributing some fan-art to this story of ours, do feel free to contact me, and I can do what I can to help. It's always fun to receive art like that, and to see you guy's take on various settings, scenes, or characters that appear in this story.**

 **Second to that, I'd like to apologize for how long this chapter took to reach you all. Not only have I been considerably busy, but my motivation has tanked in recent months. I think it can best be summarized by the Eminem song 'Run Rabbit Run'. Thankfully, it seems to be on the rise, and with more opportunities for free time in the near future, I reckon you lot will be seeing your next chapter quite quickly! Then again, I said that _last_ time, didn't I? Point is, like I said above, I've been quite dismotivated as of late, but with this sudden surge in resolve, I can promise you that what's to come will be worth sticking around for. I already have a few thousand words written out, so you can expect your next chapter sooner rather than later, I'm sure.**

 **Oh, and Happy New Year, of course! Can't forget that! Hope you all made it to 2018 in one piece.**

 **Anyways, that's all that I've got to say for now, really. Again, thanks for reading this latest chapter update of ours, and do stay tuned for the next one!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: As I'm sure many of you have caught on to by now, I try to not only make each chapter canonically in tune with the last (As any good story should), but I also try my best to sprinkle in a little hidden meaning behind each chapter, as well. Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes it isn't. I just thought that this particular chapter was somewhat neat because the expression that we all should be familiar with (Try Everything, right?) made an appearance here. Be on the lookout for any reoccurring themes in future chapters!**

 **PPS: Also, I did a bunch of edits throughout the first 40 chapters or so of the story. Man, looking back over my old writing is like watching paint dry. A few touch-ups here and there over time, as I have been doing and will continue to do, and those earlier chapters will flow better, look better, and be better! Thank you all for your patience as I go back and revise my old work, alongside create new work for us all to enjoy. I appreciate it very much.**


	93. Fight For Your Right

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Quick little announcement. As you might have guessed, there's a new music suggestion to go with this latest chapter update of ours! Gotta love these, eh?**

 **It specifically goes with the action scene involving Judy. Here it is: Cavern - Dragon Ball FighterZ Music Extended**

 **Personally, I think it conveys the tense and impactful atmosphere of said scene quite well, which is why I thought I'd drop it here for suggestion, for those who are interested. Feel free to check it out, if you'd like. It's pretty good, and as I said, fits well with the corresponding action scene involving Judy Hopps.**

 **That's pretty much it for pre-chapter announcements. I hope you enjoy the chapter! Without any further ado, let's jump right on into this, shall we?**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"It is better to stand and fight, than run and die tired." - Viking Proverb

* * *

6:10 A.M ; _The Next Day_

Nick hadn't felt this sore since his last near-death encounter.

When he hauled himself out of bed, he nearly fell right back in it just trying to stand up. His back was stiff, muscles rigid, and joints aching like freshly punctured pincushions. Clasping a single paw to his forehead, the fox massaged his temples as the details of yesterday's training filled his mind: He remembered his recent failure on the obstacle course, and how painful it was afterwards. As if the workout itself wasn't enough, belly-flopping into a pool of ice-water definitely put the cherry on top of the proverbial cake.

The fox recalled how the class had moved on to a more sit-down sort of lesson after everyone was finished trying out the obstacle course. The recruits had all been piled up into the academy's lecture hall and subjected to a near endless supply of Power-Points on behalf of Major Friedkin. It was all very basic police stuff, but Nick was just happy that he was given the chance to rest after his catastrophic experience from earlier. The class spent the rest of the day in the auditorium, until they were all finally dismissed.

From there, Nick and Judy had retreated to their room for sleep, and the rest was history.

Now, as he stretched out the soreness of his body, and rubbed out the residual sleepiness from his eyes, Nick couldn't help but notice that Judy wasn't around. Not exactly surprising, as she typically woke up a good half-hour before he did, even on good days. There was nothing to stop that rabbit from a day of productivity. Nick admired that.

Today, though, it seemed that she must've been up even earlier than normal.

With a twitch of his ears, the fox detected Judy's presence in the nearby bathroom. Judging from the sound of running water, he reasoned that she must've been washing or paws, or something of that sort. Nodding in approval, Nick swiftly finished up his morning stretches before promptly dressing himself up in a standard ZPD uniform. A few minutes later, his partner exited the washroom. The fox eyed her up and down, taking note of her clean fur and the slight scent of shampoo in the air. Her body was wrapped up in a bundle of white towels, and as the door to the bathroom opened, a whiff of hot steam circled through the crack in the door before dissipating in the cooler outside air.

"Morning, Fluff-Butt." Nick greeted her with a half-lidded grin. "What time do we gotta fall in to the mess hall for roll-call, exactly?"

"Ten minutes from now." She replied in a shaky tone. Nick noticed something a bit strange to her voice. She sounded almost... Concerned.

"Everything alright with you?" The fox asked without hesitation.

Judy bit her lip, and Nick's eyes narrowed in thought. Something was _definitely_ wrong.

"Hey now, you can tell me." Nick added. "I'm all ears."

The bunny sighed. "I'm sorry... It's just that I got a call from the Chief this morning. He dropped some... Unsettling news." She claimed.

"Really now? Do tell. What'd he say?"

Judy lifted her head and locked eyes with Nick. Her violacious eyes shined like mirrors, and with her voice slightly trembling, she spoke out;

"Chief Bogo thinks that there might be some sort of spy in the academy, likely sent by Al Catpone, or some equally disgusting low-life to cause some trouble."

Nick blinked; Letting that comment hang in the air for a few seconds. Then he cracked a grin.

" _Ah_ , you almost got me there, Whiskers!" He cackled. "You've never been that good of a prankster, though, have you?"

The fox was about to further tease her, but when he caught sight of the serious expression on his partner's face, his smile promptly melted away.

"Y-You're actually serious?" He stuttered. "No way. You're joking... Right?"

Judy simply shook her head from side to side.

"Bogo called me just this morning, and warned us to be on guard." She stated calmly. "He said that he'd already notified Major Friedkin."

Nick blinked once again before leaning back and sitting on the bedside.

"What does this mean for us? How does someone even sneak in like that?"

"I don't know." Judy said quickly. "We should go and meet up with Friedkin. She probably knows more about it than we do."

The fox nodded. "Alright. Go and get dressed, then we'll head to the cafeteria and get some grub before checking in with Friedkin."

Judy allowed herself a slight smile. "I hope you don't intend on looking for any a _ctual_ grubs for breakfast."

Nick smiled back. "We'll see."

At that, Judy swiftly dressed herself in her usual police attire: Skin-tight bodysuit complete with lightweight chest armor, and one shining ZPD badge pinned on her heart. Truly a timeless outfit. Once she was fully prepared to embark, she and Nick promptly set out to find the mess hall. They took a few wrong turns trying to get there, due to the recent revamped construction of several new buildings that only made the complex more confusing, but soon, the two tiny officers arrived at the site of their next meal.

The cafeteria was brimming with dozens of different mammals. All of the recruits, instructors, and caretakers at the ZPA were enjoying themselves a warm breakfast around a multitude of benches and tables spread throughout the large room. Nick and Judy spotted Major Friedkin on the far side of the dining space, intentfully watching over the commotion while quietly munching on a bright-yellow banana. They approached her without hesitation; Weaving around packs of chowing mammals before reaching her side.

She didn't acknowledge their presence for nearly an entire minute. Nick decided to break the ice with the first comment;

"So, did you happen to hear anything about the-"

"Yes, I heard." The polar bear interrupted, effectively cutting the fox's question short. "Chief Bogo called in no more than half an hour ago. He explained everything."

"What do we do?" Judy asked. "Do we tell the recruits?"

Friedkin shook her head irritably and muttered;

"No. Not yet. I'll put some pressure on them, but since we don't know who the spy is yet, we have to play it cool, and continue work as normal. Those were Bogo's orders."

"Sounds about right." Nick interjected.

"We don't want to try anything too hasty, and unintentionally let the spy know that we're on to them." The major continued.

"Okay. We'll play it cool, then." Judy said, to which Friedkin nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. For now, just be careful, and be on the lookout for any suspiscious activity. Those are _my_ orders. Got it?"

Both Nick and Judy nodded their heads in unison.

The former pursed his lips in distaste. Staring out at the crowd of mammals before him, he could only wonder which one of them was the spy. There were dozens, and if Nick knew anything about being sneaky, then it would likely be some time before the scout showed their hand. In the meantime, all that the fox could do was watch and wait. He hated the idea of staying quiet, but if it meant a higher chance of catching the perp before anything bad could happen, then he was all for it. Some things spoke for themselves.

For the next twenty minutes, the cafeteria was bustling with noise and gluttony, and when the time finally came for the day's first lesson to start, Friedkin called out;

"Alright, cadets! Hope you enjoyed your breakfast, because half of you are gonna lose it after this next lesson. Line up and follow me to the gym, pronto!"

Each of the tables cleared out quickly after that. The recruits fell in line and followed behind Friedkin as she led them off and out of the cafeteria, with Nick and Judy both in pursuit as well. As all of the mammals promptly spilled out of the mess hall, Nick momentarily locked eyes with a short and stout common mole, on his way out. The fox then pointed at his eyes with two fingers before jabbing them towards the mole in an _I see you_ gesture. The mole just blinked, clearly bewildered, before hurrying out of the room.

Nick allowed himself a laugh. If he was going to be on the lookout for a potential spy, he figured that he might as well have some fun with it.

Still smiling, he followed Judy onward down the hallway, all the while wondering what would be in store for them today.

* * *

7:00 A.M

Judy was itching for a fight.

Her morning had been stressful enough when Bogo had called in claiming that there was some sort of conniving spy hidden and scheming at the ZPD's training academy. As if teaching a large batch of fresh recruits wasn't enough of a handful already, to think that one of them was a secret criminal only made things that much more difficult for her.

The rabbit needed an outlet to vent her frustrations, and burn off her energy. She was pleased when she realized that Friedkin was taking the class to the gym for the coming morning: It was just what she needed. Judy was extra pleased when she found out that the class would specifically be working on hand-to-hand combat. That's more like it!

Major Friedkin led the pack of mammals to the academy's gym, which was situated on the far side of the building. It was quite a high-quality one, at that; With dozens of exercise machines of varying sizes for different species, multiple fighting stages, full-body mirrors, and even a designated resting area for exhausted gym-goers to unwind.

Judy smiled to herself, knowing that this very same room was where she had taken down a fully-grown rhino all by herself during her own run at the academy, so long ago. She even spotted the exact boxing ring where that taxing fight had taken place, and wondered if it still had the imprint of an unconscious rhino on the floor of the platform.

The booming voice of Major Friedkin severed her train of thought, and she promptly zoned in on the polar-bear's latest speech;

"Now, before we get into the basics, I wanna show you new-bloods somethin' neat: A demonstrative match between two combatants with some _actual_ experience!"

With that statement, the crowd shuffled around with interest. Being able to watch a full-on brawl between season fighters definitely seemed to stoke their excitement.

Friedkin continued her announcement before the recruits could start engaging on conversations;

"Just like the obstacle course from yesterday, I figured that we could have our dear officer _Hopps_ occupy one side of the ring. You up for it, Fuzzy-Bunny?"

The fuzzy-bunny simply gave a proud smile.

"I thought you'd never ask." She stated.

Within minutes, Judy was set to fight. She'd ditched her body armor in favor of softer padding for her head, and a pair of red boxing gloves for her fists. Nick didn't even try to stop her: He just stood there grinning, wondering to himself which poor fool would be brave enough to challenge her. Friedkin singled out a few choice mammals that were roughly Judy's height, with the smallest being the mole from earlier (Who looked about as eager to fight as you'd expect), and the largest being a male timber wolf; The only one in the entire class. The rest of the recruits gathered around the boxing ring with eager intent, though a few looked disappointed that they were too large or small to fight.

 _They'll get their turns soon_ , Judy thought to herself. _Now, who's gonna be my opponent?_

Major Friedkin sized up the recruits, and when it looked like she was about to pick a fat raccoon, another recruit stepped out of line and offered to accept the challenge.

"I'll give it a go." A gruff voice claimed.

Judy turned towards the source, and found herself staring down from the stage at the male timber wolf that Friedkin had selected from earlier. The bunny sized him up.

She recognized him from yesterday. Harlan O'Conall, Major Friedkin had called him. She explicitly mentioned something about him being a pragmatic combatant, at the time.

The wolf probably had triple that of Judy's total muscle mass. His muzzle was rigid and angular, and his eyes seemed as cold as marbled stone, yet he strode with much confidence, and readiness. Clearly, he felt more than obliged to try his own against Judy. He certainly _looked_ like a fighter: A lean, muscular body coated in standard ZPD gym clothes stepped forward and towards the major. Friedkin smiled, and without a word, outfitted the wolf with a bundle of boxing gloves, arm-wraps, and headgear.

"Is this stuff really necessary?" He complained.

The polar-bear chuckled. "Against her - You'll need it." She stated before pacing off and jumping off of the fighting stage, leaving Judy and Harlan facing eachother.

Some of the other recruits stifled humorous chuckles and snide whispers. Clearly, they never could have imagined that a bunny would have the gall to stand up to a fully grown wolf. Unfortunately for them and their egos, however, they also never could have imagined just how surprisingly skillful of a fighter Judy really was. The rabbit officer did notice that despite the consistent snickering of the other recruits, her soon-to-be opponent was not laughing or judging her at all. He still wore that same rigid expression.

It seemed that Harlan was the only one - alongside Nick and Friedkin - that was taking her seriously.

Judy wasn't sure whether or not that was a good thing or a bad thing.

All she knew was that if this wolf really was taking her seriously, then her fight with him would be all the more difficult for her: Lackadaisical opponents had weaknesses to exploit. Serious ones did not. And judging from the hard expression on his muzzle, and the readied stance that his muscular body used, Harlan was _far_ from lackadaisical.

Judy wasn't sure how extensive her opponent's combat skills were, but she had a gut-feeling that this fight would be a tough one, even for her.

She promptly assumed a readied fighting stance: Fists raised, legs sprung, and eyes firmly locked on her intended target. Major Friedkin rang the bell, and the match began.

Wasting no time whatsoever, Judy rushed forward and lunged out with one of her paws. The attack wasn't designed to do much other than startle her foe, but it worked.

" _Ha_!" She shouted out when her punch made contact.

The wolf let out a pained mixture between a gag and a growl as her fist sank into his abdomen. Judy spared a brief glance up, momentarily locking eyes with her much larger opponent. His teeth were clenched and his expression was that of frustration: It was clear that he'd never faced a foe quite as agile nor surprisingly strong as a rabbit before.

Grinning to herself as the onlooker's gasps of awe filled her ears, Judy swiftly stepped back; Dodging one of Harlan's swings all the while. The momentum from his missed downward-hook and the lingering disorientation from getting hit right in the stomach just mere moments earlier caused him to stumble slightly, but he quickly recomposed himself, bringing his fists up to the level of his muzzle, and growling beneath his breath. Although the sight was admittedly intimidating, Judy didn't allow herself to be afraid.

"Come on O'Conall," She verbally beckoned him. "Show me what you got."

Hardening his expression, the wolf then stepped forward heavily, but Judy saw his coming move from a mile away, and so, prepared herself to dodge another punch from him. Harlan's feet shuffled forward quickly, closing the distance between the two fighters until the rabbit herself was in range of attack. Due to the difference in height, Harlan had to slightly lean down in an effort to aim his punches, and that gave Judy an extra moment to prepare. As the wolf's fist sailed towards her body, she swiftly sidestepped, dodging his first attack with ease. Then, she whirled around and positioned her back against his chest, grabbing his arm in an effort to throw him forward using the weight and momentum of his previous punch. He may have been a lot bigger than her, but under the right circumstances, Judy would have more than enough strength to flip him.

Unfortunately for her, Harlan must have seen through her strategy. Just as she was about to pull on his arm while simultaneously pushing up with her powerful legs so as to flip him, the wolf planted one of his feet forward, readjusting his stance and overall body weight, ultimately making it impossible for the rabbit to throw him from her current position. As her opponent's leg stepped forward and stomped beside her, Judy's sensitive ears heard him roar out loud in triumph milliseconds before one of his fists plowed into the left side of her headgear at a nearly upward angle, causing her whole entire body to be sent flying towards the bungee cords that lined the fighting ring's perimeter.

Around her, the crowd both gasped in shock and cheered in amazement at the same time. As her body collided with the ropes, she was sent stumbling back into the interior of the ring. Judy dropped to her knees and painfully coughed. She had taken a direct jab to the left side of her head. It had been both well-placed and powerful enough to cause her to go airborne for a few moments back there. Now, though, her head lolled slightly, and throbbed with aching pain. Her eyes rattled and her vision was still blurry.

Judy couldn't remember the last time that she had taken a hit that bad. Although she knew what she was getting in to when she had challenged her opponent earlier, she wasn't expecting his punches to be so darn strong. It was clear that he had had a whole lot of practice. This would be a great challenge, much like her old fights with Ivar Obdenberg and Lucy Sang, but on a completely different level: The arena that she had fought the former in may not have had any ropes to aid in her duel, but her massive adversary, Ivar, was way too confident for his own good, and because of that, Judy had managed to beat him by tricking him into impaling his own tusks into the floorboards, ultimately immobilizing him. Her tussle with Lucy, on the other hand, was extra difficult due to the hazardous battleground of that rotting warehouse, and the fact that her opponent was actually trying to kill her, though, thankfully, she had managed to chase that nasty little bat off in the end. At least now, her opponent didn't have wings.

Harlan, like Ivar, was a seasoned fighter, but _unlike_ Ivar, didn't have the arrogance that Judy could use to her advantage. She couldn't win this fight through trickery on its own. Likewise, Harlan definitely wasn't trying to kill her, as Lucy had, but his strength and skill made him a dangerous opponent that had to be beaten using creative tactics.

Just what would Judy come up with to save her skin this time? She didn't know yet, but had no intention on losing, and since her foe wasn't advancing, she began to think.

Briefly considering the thought of using the cords around the ring like she had against officer McHorn all those years ago, Judy ultimately decided against it; She likely wouldn't need the extra strength and momentum to take down an opponent the size of a wolf. Rhinos were in a whole different class. Besides, the bunny wanted the challenge of taking down Harlan with her own strength and skill, rather than through pure trickery and other advantageous methods. It wouldn't be easy, but it would be fair.

That was all that she needed, in the end.

Meanwhile, from across the ring, Harlan howled up towards the ceiling; His bellow soon trailed off into a grunting slew of hard, dry chuckles. He then stated aloud simply;

"Talk is cheap."

The bunny felt herself warm up a little bit in a mixture between embarrassment and minor frustration. Not only had she taken a pretty tough hit, but to quite literally add insult to injury, Harlan was now criticizing her previous statement: He had most definitely shown her what he was capable of. But now it was time for her to return the favor.

Rising up to her full height, Judy lolled her head to the left, spawning an audible cracking noise that almost made _her_ cringe, but she ultimately swallowed her own unease, if only to amp up the intimidation. As the muscles in her neck stretched, she felt some leftover stiffness from the force of her opponent's previous punch prickling at her nerves. Refusing to let any of the discomfort get to her, the bunny then brought her wrapped-up fists to her eye-level, and stared down Harlan with the intent of finishing the match.

"Still got some fight in you, huh?" Harlan berated her. "We'll see how long you can last."

Some more shouts and mumbling sprang up from the crowd, though neither of the two fighters took their eyes off of one another for a single moment. Tension filled the air as the noise quickly died down, only to be replaced with steely pressure. Harlan then stepped forward, and instinctively, Judy stepped back in apprehension. Snickers ensued.

Her cheeks felt irritatingly warm. She wasn't about to let herself be intimidated like this! Not today!

At that, the rabbit lurched forward and closed the distance between herself and her opponent by a few short feet. She didn't want to get too close, and needed to think up a decent strategy to win the fight, yet she wasn't about to let herself get cornered and oppressed by her foe, either. For a short time, she kept herself bouncing on her toes.

All the while, her mind raced to develop a reasonable plan of approach.

Judy considered jumping up and trying for a whack at Harlan's muzzle, but she ultimately decided against it when she pondered over a slight problem with that tactic: Her lupine opponent was nearly twice her height! Similarly to Judy's fight with Ivar the walrus, she couldn't rely on effectively aiming for his head or jaw: Instead, she would have to make do with body-shots and other more creative methods to take down her opponent. Weighing her options, the bunny figured that a swarming flurry of rapid punches would work best to beat the wolf. Judy had speed and agility as an advantage, while Harlan had strength and endurance. If she could overwhelm him with a bunch of small, yet quick and disorienting punches, she could chip away at his defense until she found an opportunity to use her more powerful legs to strike, and hopefully knock him over.

Judy doubted that Harlan would make it so easy, but for the moment, she didn't see any better options. The rabbit promptly nodded her head: She knew what she had to do.

All of those thoughts and strategies registered in Judy's mind in less than a few seconds. With her plan formulated, she zoned in and intently focused on her opponent, all the while trying to ignore the rambunctious fanfare of cheering spectators from just outside the boxing ring. Suddenly and without any warning, Judy then rushed forward and towards her larger foe, who snarled in distaste as the bunny rapidly closed the distance. Just as Judy was about to be in range of Harlan's arms, she swiftly sidestepped, and with her powerful leg muscles, proceeded to push herself forward and insert herself directly into Harlan's sphere of influence. With an energized shout, the rabbit threw out a solid punch into a small patch of muscle just below the left side of Harlan's rib-cage. The impact made a satisfying _thwack_ sound as Judy's fist collided with the wolf's body.

The surrounding crowd jeered loudly in excitement, though none could have guessed that Judy's latest bout of combat progress was about to be unsuspectingly short-lived.

As soon as the rabbit officer withdrew her arm in order to administer another punch, her wolfish adversary, seemingly unfazed by her previous attack, stepped back and right out of her fist's striking range. At first, Judy was rather hopeful, as she suspected that Harlan was about to go on the defensive: His arms were tucked tight to his torso, and wouldn't be able to hit her. The majority of his body weight was on his back leg. Everything about his posture screamed defense. Judy smiled wide: She had him. This was it.

Judy shifted forward, and prepared to engage. Just as her toes inched outwards, Harlan's posture suddenly changed: His front leg shifted direction, and his body twisted along with it. His leg cut through the air like a hammer, and plowed directly into Judy's abdomen. The bunny sputtered an audible groan of pain as she was kicked aside and into the ropes that surrounded the boxing ring. The cords lurched back before their elasticity caused them to tighten once more and drop Judy to the surface of the stage.

"Carrots!" Nick called out, though the rabbit in question barely heard him.

She hadn't been expecting a kick like that. Her stomach felt like it was trying to digest a puddle of lava: A hot throbbing sensation built up in her sternum. She had to resist the urge to throw up, and as she tried to rise, she promptly fell back down to her knees. Fighting in real life definitely wasn't like it was in the movies. Here, every little hit or miss could make or break a match, respectively. Victory wasn't assured. Pain was a given. There was nothing Judy could do except squat there and try to recompose herself.

A surprise shift in Harlan's stance had definitely caught her off guard. She wasn't exactly sure what that move that Harlan had used on her was - some form of advanced street fighting, or perhaps even martial arts - but it didn't matter to her. In the end, all she needed to know was that she had been kicked. Hard. Now, she needed to rethink.

From across the ring, the wolf allowed himself a smug smile. "How's that?" He boasted gruffly.

Judy felt a shot of adrenaline surge through her body. If she wanted to win this thing, she's have to take down her opponent as quick as possible. She couldn't afford to sit here and wallow in her pain, especially if it meant giving Harlan the opportunity to finish her off. No, she wouldn't allow it. Not on her watch! The rabbit huffed as she forced herself to stand up and stare down her opponent. Time was of the essence: If Judy didn't make use of her sudden burst of energy, than nothing could save her from defeat.

Rushing forward, the bunny officer closed in on her foe in lightning-speed. She yelled as the bottom of her foot slammed into Harlan's stomach. The wolf gagged aloud and stumbled back, still reeling from the pain. But Judy wasn't done yet. Lunging out once more, she closed the distance yet again and forced herself into Harlan's comfort zone.

That got his attention.

Recovering as quickly as he could, the wolf stepped out to meet the rabbit head on. He tried for a direct jab to the side of the head, but Judy was too quick for that. He swung and missed, swung and missed again and again, each time allowing Judy to land another hit in his stomach. Finally, the wolf's defense broke, and Judy struck out.

For nearly a dozen more seconds, Judy landed blow after blow on Harlan's torso. Her punches were so fast that he barely had time to react from one before another sailed right in and connected with his body. Judy was getting tired fast, yet she could tell that her strategy was working: Her attacks had completely overwhelmed her adversary.

She knew she had to finish this quick, and knock him on his back before he could recover. As much as the pain was getting to him, if Judy took even a moment to rest, then her advantage would be lost. Recognizing what needed to be done, the bunny jumped up and into the air and plowed both of her legs into the wolf's diaphragm. Phlegm flew from his maw as he wretched in pain before stumbling back. Judy touched down nimbly on her two feet, ultimately sparing herself the humiliation of landing hard on her side.

Judy thanked her lucky stars that she was so agile.

Her attention reset onto her contender. She watched Harlan cough. Before he could recover, Judy rushed around to the behind of him, and prepared to deliver the final strike.

The rabbit landed a firm blow in the spot just behind Harlan's knee. The wolf grunted as he toppled backwards and landed hard on the floor of the boxing ring. The back of his head bonked lightly on the floor, and he proceeded to let out a pained gurgle of discomfort. He tried to lean up, but ultimately sank back down and let out a defeated sigh. As soon as his muscular arms went limp, and his usually stoic expression slacked, the onlookers knew that the match was over. Harlan was defeated, and Judy stood victorious.

All around her, the crowd filled the air with a mixture of gasps, groans, and cheering. Judy beamed with excitement, and quickly singled out her husband Nick amongst the crowd. He smiled right back, and gave her a double thumbs-up of approval. The bunny raised one of her arms into the air in a gesture of victory as Friedkin's voice blurted;

"We have a winner, folks! Officer Fuzzy-Bunny takes home the gold!"

Judy felt relieved that the fight was finally over. It had definitely been one of her hardest matches in a long time, and she recognized better than anyone that credit was due to the fighter who had put up such a challenging match. Without hesitating, Judy went over to Harlan, who was still lying motionless and weak on the floor of the boxing ring.

"That was an incredible match." She claimed. "We should go at it again sometime!"

Extending a paw down toward her defeated opponent, Judy smiled warmly as she took notice of the wolf's reaction.

A minuscule grin tugged at the edge of Harlan's mouth. He seemed to be both humbled and satisfied at the same time. He then reached up with one of his arms, and firmly clasped Judy's grip within his own. The bunny helped him to his feet, and although he staggered and stumbled a bit, he managed to hold himself upright without any trouble.

"You did a great job, Harlan." Judy added. "I'm sorry if you're hurting-"

The wolf chuckled in a good-natured manner. "Don't apologize, ma'am... I knew what I was getting into." He stated.

Judy couldn't help but smile. He'd taken a pretty stark fall from grace, back there, yet here he was taking it like a champ. The bunny respected that. She had a feeling that this wolf would make an excellent sparring partner and demonstrator for future hand-to-hand combat lessons here at the academy. She could only wonder what was to come.

All she knew was that whatever it was, it would be nothing but fun.

Meanwhile, Nick watched proudly as Judy helped her opponent down from the fighting stage before jumping down herself. Major Friedkin proceeded to give a short speech to the recruits about the dangers of fighting in hand-to-hand combat, especially without a weapon for backup, though the fox barely paid attention. He was too busy admiring the generosity of his wife, and secretly contemplating just how she managed to pack so much raw power into her punches and kicks, despite having such a tiny little body.

Truly; An enigma, if there ever was one.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Nice to get a new update after so long, eh? This was less of a plot-advancing chapter, but I do hope that you enjoyed what it had to offer nonetheless.**

 **I really wanted to give Judy another real challenge in this chapter. So, feel free to tell me whatcha thought of the action scene!**

 **Hope that you enjoyed this brand new chapter! It was fun for me to cook up, and I can promise you that the next one will be here before you know it! In the mean time, do feel free to drop a nice review detailing your thoughts on this particular update of ours. I always enjoy those. Also, if you haven't already, feel free to favorite and/or follow this story of ours! I always appreciate new readers and reviewers, alike. Regardless, I thank you all for sticking with me!**

 **Last up for announcements, I'd just like to make mention of the fact that there's some new fan-art that can be viewed on my tumblr and DA accounts, including a very detailed piece that depicts the Deciduous-District! We haven't had one of those in a while, have we? Mostly just been characters and scenes, not that I'm complaining. So yeah, if you wanna check out all of the latest fan-art contributions for this story of ours, you can find them all there.**

 **Likewise, if any of you out there are considering making a contribution to the growing gallery yourself, all that you have to do is message me beforehand.**

 **Anyways, I'm out of things to say for now, it looks like. Again, thanks for reading this latest update of ours, and I hope you all will stay tuned for the next!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS:** **Sorry for taking so long with this chapter. My lack of motivation has been killing me. Thankfully, I think I've gotten back in the groove. Alongside that, I assure you, the next chapter (97) is already nearly 80% complete, I'd say, so you lot will probably get it within no more than a week. It's a bit shorter than this one, and takes a brief detour away from the plot at the ZPA, but it's got plenty of detail and other important stuff that you won't want to miss out on.**

 **It'll be here quicker than you know it. Stay tuned!**


	94. Shakedown

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Quick few announcements beforehand. For starters, I just want to make mention of the fact that this chapter, similarly to chapter 70, focuses a lot of time and energy towards the other characters of the story, though, I assure you, that is the intended purpose. You'll get your Nick and Judy shenanigans next time around, but for now, enjoy a brief look at things from the side of the villainous Al Catpone as he leads his mysterious work in the Rainforest-District.**

 **Lastly, here's a music suggestion for the scene with Al Catpone, I might add: Katz Theme - Original [Full Version]**

 **Feel free to check it out! It definitely captures the sleazy vibe that those scenes are designed to give off. Anyhow, let's jump right into this, shall we?**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than with a kind word alone." - Al Capone

* * *

10:30 P.M ; _Somewhere in the Rainforest-District_

Al Catpone's patience was wearing thin.

Everything he'd been working towards for the past few months was finally coming to fruition: An ambitious plan that would secure the spotted jaguar's place in the annals of history for the rest of his existence. It was considerably risky, but he knew that the potential payoff was worth every liability. All he needed now was one last puzzle piece...

The problem was, however, that this particular puzzle piece was refusing to cooperate.

Catpone's precious plan would be for not if he couldn't manage to pass the final hurdle. After that, it would be smooth sailing, but to get there, this last step in his ongoing agenda needed to be fulfilled. He needed to learn the formula's secret, and he wouldn't take no for an answer; No matter the consequences. It all rested upon this meeting.

Meandering down the length of the dark hallway, grimy hallway, Al Catpone promptly reached a barricaded door that blocked his path, at its very end. Two ocelot guards flanked the entrance, silently watching from their posts. They raised their heads in anticipation as their boss approached them, and proceeded to gesture towards the door.

"Any luck with him?" The jaguar asked.

"He hasn't said a word since we bagged 'im." One of the guards said. "We figured maybe _you_ could get somethin' out of im', boss."

Al nodded his head. "Open the door." He ordered.

Obliging to his leader's request, the ocelot promptly hauled open the door to the storage room, revealing its interior. Walls decorated with knives, clippers, and other assorted tools encircled an open space. Within, a single wooden chair supported the weight of a flabby male sheep. Ropes bound his arms to his sides, and his body to the back of the chair. His shirt had been torn to shreds and discarded, and his pants were speckled with mud. Rectangular eyes stared at the jaguar as he stood calmly just a few feet away.

"Doug," Catpone acknowledged. "How nice of you to join us."

From behind, the two other mobsters entered the room, flanking their boss like an honor guard on dutiful watch.

"I would like to apologize on behalf of my employees for the, ah..." Al trailed off and scratched behind his ear. "Forced transportation."

The sheep just sneered. "You mean kidnapping me?" He scoffed. "Skip the pleasantries: Give me a break, cat, and just tell me what you _really_ want."

Catpone chuckled softly to himself as he pulled out a thick brown cigar from one of the pockets on his overcoat. He lit the rod of tobacco with a shiny silver lighter that he fished out from the innards of his coat, and proceeded to breath in a deep draft of smoke before exhaling from his nostrils; Filling the small room with clouds of black smog.

"Well, aren't you an impudent one?" He finally muttered. "Can't enjoy the pleasures of patience without a purpose."

Doug raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Fine, I'll cut to the chase." Catpone muttered, irritated. "We brought you 'ere because we figured that your particular set of skills could be of use to the Rainforest-Outfit."

"My skills?" Doug repeated flatly.

"Yes, your skills." Catpone confirmed without hesitation. "You helped Bellwhether with her conspiracy, didn't you? Helped her make that savage formula?"

Although he didn't look very happy about it, Doug nodded in confirmation.

Al smiled. "Then this is easy business for you, my friend. Just tell us everything that you know about the Night-Howler serum, and the formula to make it. Capisce?"

The sheep snorted in distrust.

"And why would I do that?" He grumbled.

Al straightened his slack posture ever so slightly. He then explained;

"My boys and I have run in to a few... Setbacks, that we have yet to break through. Our tests haven't been working the way that we intended. We know that we're missing something, and we're dead-set on finding it. That's where you come in. We know that you have degrees in chemistry and bio-engineering. We know that you helped Mayor Bellwether develop her own Night-Howler formula back in the day, and we know that if you don't help us make our own, that you're gonna wish you were never even born."

The sheep took a moment to digest his captor's words. He was completely silent to the count of ten, that was, until a loathsome look of contempt grew upon his face.

"Tests?" Doug finally repeated, spit flying from his mouth as he retched out that first word. "What in the _world_ are you gangbangers doing here?"

A minuscule smile played at the corner's of the jaguar's mouth.

"Jus' a little experiment." He claimed innocently. "Consider it field research. Don' worry 'bout it."

Doug's hooves tightened into balls. "You're not planning another Night-Howler epidemic, are you? How unoriginal." He spat.

Al just shook his head. "No, you misunderstand... We want the formula for a different reason altogether."

"So... You aren't planning another-" Doug began, but stopped short of finishing his sentence when Catpone growled audibly and interjected with a roar of anger;

"Of course not! What do you think I am, some kinda numskull? What have _I_ to gain by turning random predators savage? What does the Rainforest-Outfit get from repeating the failures of the past? _I'm_ a predator! Bellwhether and her plans made me _sick_ to my stomach! No, my boys an' I have our _own_ ambitions to shoot for, and to reach them, we need that formula. We need _you_. You're the only mammal in the city that knows it, and don't think fo' one lousy second that we won't crack open your head just to get it!"

The jaguar calmed down, and swallowed back his rage. Doug took some time to register his captor's rant. Just as quickly, he grit his teeth together and declared his answer;

"I don't know what you think you're doing, but I'm not gonna have a part in it. No. I'm not helping a filthy predator like you!"

Catpone tilted his head; Regarding his captive with a disapproving expression, almost like pity.

"Defiant to the end, I see." The jaguar lazily scratched his chin. "Are you sure you don't want to help? You could make a pretty valuable addition to the Rainforest-Outfit."

Leaning back in his chair, Doug proceeded to hawk a ball of spit at the ground.

"Not a chance." He snarled. "I've seen worse than you, kitty-cat."

The jaguar grimaced, as though he had just come to terms with an unpleasant truth. "It's not me that you have to worry about."

Doug's eyes narrowed in apprehension; He watched as Al stepped back and pointed to one of his guards.

"Hand the sheep over to Pazzo... He'll make short work of him." The jaguar ordered.

The guard then gestured to the corner of the outside hall, where the shadowed walls obscured the form of a mysterious mammal; One who had been quietly observing the conversation within the storage room from just outside the entire time. The creature stepped forward and into the light, illuminating a face coated with greasy black fur.

A male tayra - a large member of the weasel family native to the jungle environment - entered the room without a word. His posture was hunched, and rigid. Multiple large scars ran down his cheek and snout, matting the greasy black hair around them, and showing off patchy lines of pink skin. He wore a pair of oil-black slacks held up by elastic suspenders that reached around the shoulders of a wrinkled white button-up shirt. Lavender eyes glared outward threateningly from sunken sockets, flitting from one place to another in an almost paranoid fashion, as if he expected to be attacked. They were strained and bloodshot, like they had spent too much time staring into a bright flame.

Though, when those same eyes locked upon the shivering form of Doug the sheep, a sinister smile spread across the fanged, slavering mouth of the twisted mammal.

The tayra stifled a high-pitched slew of snickers. "It will be my pleasure." He muttered in a feathery, yet harsh voice that reminded Catpone of nails grinding on a chalkboard.

Al pursed his lips. He had a considerably low opinion of the tayra. Of all the mammals that he employed, Pazzo was the most unpredictable; Most unstable, and dangerous. Although he stuck to the shadows, leaving the heavy lifting and actual business work to others, there wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind that the tayra had deadly potential. Sadistic and cruel, Pazzo took nothing but satisfaction in serving as Al's top interrogator. Although rather unhinged and reckless, he produced results, and Al liked results. It was the only reason that he kept him around. But still; As much as Catpone appreciated Pazzo's ruthlessness, he couldn't help but grimace as he pondered over what sort of heinous torment that the tayra would inflict upon Doug. In the end, though, the Rainforest-Outfit couldn't afford to be weak. If plans were to be met, they needed answers.

And to get answers, Doug would have to be handed over to Pazzo. It was a necessary decision.

The jaguar shook his head irritably from side to side, pushing the disturbing imagery from his mind. Catpone then explained;

"I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this, but my boys and I are on a tight schedule, and we have no time for dawdling. We'll give you some one-on-one time with dear ol' Pazzo ova' here, and see if you reconsider that vow of silence o' yours. We'll leave you two alone now... I got some business to take care of with Mister Fangpyre. Have fun."

At that, the jaguar blew a stream of hot smog directly into the sheep's face. Doug sputtered and hacked, cursing at Al as he turned tail and vacated the storage room. Once Catpone was gone, the door was closed shut with finality, and locked for good measure. After the smoke had dissipated, Doug set his sights on the overgrown weasel nearby.

"Well... Guess it's just you and me now." Pazzo muttered, glaring with amusement at the sheep before him.

"Don't get your hopes up, 'cuz I'm not saying anything." Doug spat back.

The tayra chuckled to himself; His thin, cruel lips pulling back to reveal a set of slavering yellow fangs.

"You're missing the point," He growled as he plucked a pair of shears from a nearby table and approached the sheep. "Spill or not, this is a field day for me either way!"

Doug's eyes widened in horror as Pazzo descended upon him.

"No! No, not the wool!" The sheep cried out in panic.

A terrifying mixture of anguished screaming and maniacal laughter filled the night for the coming hours.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **There isn't much else for me to say, by now. The next chapter is already in the works, and it's looking up to be pretty detailed, if I do say so myself. It will cover a lot of ground when it comes to Nick and Judy's characters, and help establish their thoughts on their endeavors at the police academy. Stay tuned!**

 **You won't be disappointed. That much I can promise, for sure! ;)**

 **I know that this particular chapter was a bit short, but the coming ones will more than make up for it, I'm sure. Can't wait!**

 **In the meantime, do feel free to drop a review on this latest new chapter update of ours. I'd like that a lot. I always appreciate listening in on you guys's thoughts and opinions on the story, so I welcome whatever you have to say. So, what do you think of this new chapter? What about the return of Doug the sheep, or of Pazzo, or of Al Catpone and his gang? Alongside that, if you haven't already, you are all also welcome to favorite and/or follow this story, too!**

 **It means a lot to me.**

 **Oh, and while on the topic of Doug: Since we didn't see what happened to him in the original movie after he was kicked out of the train by Judy (It's safe to assume that he was captured, or perhaps he got away. Who knows?) in that one scene. I have decided to bring him back for a brief bit, as the villainous Rainforest-Outfit seeks to get some information from him revolving the original Night-Howler serum that he worked on. Oh yes, things are coming full circle soon enough. A lot of new revelations and reveals are coming, and I have a good feeling that you're gonna like them! Stay tuned to see what happens next!**

 **Yes, in the coming chapters, you can expect more Nick and Judy shenanigans, of course, but also some further development in the likes of some new characters that will be introduced, including Harlan, among some others. In short, the roster of relatable and lovable characters at the ZPA will extend beyond our dynamic duo, so be on the lookout for that! Though of course, trouble will be brewing; Nefarious forces working to undermine the efforts of the ZPD, and spread chaos across the city of Zootopia. You all can expect some scenes of Chief Bogo working with his associate counterparts, including Chief Urzo and Latran (who some of you enthusiastic readers have generously dubbed Chief Latrine), in the coming chapters, and maybe even a special scene featuring a character or two that we haven't seen in a while. You'll see! Until then, do enjoy what this latest new chapter update of ours has to offer out.**

 **Soon enough, Nick and Judy will go toe-to-toe against these aforementioned forces, but for now, they will enjoy their work at the academy. I know I will!**

 **Last up for announcements, I'll have you know that you can find some new art featuring Harlan, Pazzo, and other characters over on my tumblr and DA accounts, if you're interested. So if you'd like to get an ideas as to what they look like, you can feel free to check those out. Gotta love the fan-art, huh?**

 **Anyhow, I'm out of things to say for now. Again, thanks for reading this update of ours, and I can promise you that the next is on its way. Stay tuned!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: Did you know that "Pazzo" is the Italian word for crazy? Can't be a coincidence, I'm sure, when coinciding with that final scene. :P**

 **PPS: Hard to believe it's been over 2 years since the original movie first came out, eh? Time flies.**


	95. Progress

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress." - Fredrick Douglass

* * *

Progress is progress, however small.

Three weeks back, when Nick and Judy had first arrived at the Zootopia Police Academy, they both could tell that there was a lot of work to be done. Failure after failure, the obstacle course claimed nearly as much time as the class work itself, and over the passing weeks, there were hardships aplenty. Throughout the ever counting days, Judy, alongside her many subordinates, would work on trying to conquer the infamous obstacle course. Dozens of tries in, and Judy was still far from completing the course. The terrain in the forest-themed course proved especially challenging. Yet still, with each new setback and failure, she would try and try again: Gaining ground little by little each time. She had even made it her personal goal to be able to finish the entire obstacle course in a single attempt by the end of the first five weeks of training at the academy.

One little step at a time, as it were.

Specializing in athletic talents, including, but not limited to running, jumping, and fighting, Judy was more than happy to serve as the top instructor for the more physical aspects of the academy. Alongside the obstacle course and basic cardio training, the bunny would work with the recruits in the boxing ring and gym, teaching them about the proper health and fitness requirements for being an officer of the law, and so forth. Judy would gladly spar, run, and lift weights with her subordinates every step of the way.

To her, it was nothing but fun for her to be able to work alongside the next generation of ZPD officers.

Being the more languid of the two officers, Nick himself decided to hone his teaching skills in the classroom, more so than on the battlefield. His lessons on staying observant at all times, and spotting potentially hazardous situations had much knowledge to offer, given the fox's own experience with the two of those categories. The recruits were quite fond of the humor and wit that he would sprinkle in; thus effectively keeping all of the students alert and attentive in the classroom, which Nick could appreciate. He had even started to feel some shred of sympathy for the teachers that he had acted so careless around back during his own time in school. Now that he was in their shoes, he could tell just how tough it could be to manage a room full of rowdy bodies. The fox made himself a silent promise to try not to be as disruptive during Chief Bogo's lectures ever again.

Despite his personal preference leaning towards the academic and social side of the training process, there were still times when Nick was forced to channel his inner coach.

He explicitly recalled an incident during the past week when he and Judy, along with Major Freidkin, had taken the recruits out for a grueling run on the academy's red gravel track, where the fox had taken notice of a young raccoon trying his hardest to keep up with the pack, but ultimately feeling to maintain pace. The raccoon admittedly wasn't in the best of shape, especially compared to some of the other recruits, but that didn't stop Nick from seizing the moment to egg the recruit on with some harmless teasing.

He had approached the raccoon as he reared his ninth consecutive lap around the track. Clipboard in hand, the fox casually sauntered up before asking;

"On a scale of one to ten, how hard is this for you?"

Instead of giving a straight answer, the cadet doubled over and vomited at Nick's feet, which the fox thought an understandably appropriate response.

"Well said." Nick grumbled flatly. "Ten it is."

Gastric-related accidents aside, many of the recruits were quick to learn, however, and in no time at all, results started showing, and with it, progress began to be made. The runners on the obstacle course would get farther every day, and the grades from each new classroom test just got better and better. There were a few stragglers that lagged behind, as there always were, but through Nick and Judy's tutelage, there was no goal too ambitious to work for. They both were, after all, the best that the ZPD had to offer.

Much fun was to be had working at the academy, even past Nick and Judy's initial skepticism and reluctance. All of the recruits were fine and productive mammals, and the two tiny officers couldn't be happier to be managing over them, especially Judy; even if she once caught Nick teaching the recruits about his favorite pawpsickle hustles from his time as a con-artist. The rabbit decided to let him off with a warning, as she figured that the recruits would at least be able to recognize such scams, if they ever came across them on duty, so perhaps it wasn't that inappropriate of a lesson after all. Turning a blind eye to her husband's old habits had long since become a habit of her own.

With all the teaching, and the socializing that came with it, it was only a matter of time before Nick and Judy began to develop a strong bond with their subordinates.

Nick, in particular, took a liking to Harlan O'Conall, the timber wolf that Judy had boxed on the second day of training at the academy. As it turned out, both fox and wolf had grown up in the same residential neighborhood, Happy-Town; Zootopia's largest predator ghetto. Apparently, Harlan had honed his impressive fighting skills over time by engaging in countless street scuffles, during his youth. Nick could respect that. If brains weren't enough to break the glass ceiling, brawn could at least get you a good view.

While Judy would frequently spar with Harlan, Nick himself would help the timber wolf with his own endeavors in the classroom, as his grades in that particular portion of the academy were considerably lackluster compared to some of the other recruits, to say the least. He excelled in all things physical, from sprinting to close-quarters combat, but it was clear that his grades in the class needed some attention. With Nick on the job, Judy was sure that her husband would get his student's academic scores up in no time.

And so, Judy was left to other tasks to deal with. Her most important one of all: Finding any information on the supposed spy that had infiltrated the academy.

After yet another hard day of physical training on the obstacle course, the recruits had been dismissed for a one-hour break. Judy figured that it was a well-deserved one, though, given just how torturous that Major Friedkin's exercise routine could get. While Nick took the time to shower and prepare for the upcoming lesson in the classroom, Judy herself took to making a brief stroll around the inner complex of the academy. Ever since knowledge of the apparent spy had been revealed to them, Judy had been extra careful to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. So far, the most scandalous act any of the recruits had engaged in was trying to steal candy bars out of the vending machine. But still; the lack of potential evidence wasn't enough to prevent Judy from taking patrols around the facility, if only to make sure all was working properly.

None of her personal patrols had managed to intersect with anything worth concern, that was, until a strange bleating noise caught the rabbit's attention as she paced down the length of an empty hallway in the depths of the academy. She was cautious, at first, before she took a moment to hone in on the new sound, and try to discern its origin.

Judy leaned towards the source of the noise - the nearby women's washroom. Her sensitive ears detected the sound of someone crying through the layers of the wall. She wasn't sure who was in there, or just what was going on, but the sense of compassion within her wasn't about to turn a blind eye (or ear, in this case) to someone in trouble.

Spy-related or not, something told Judy that this was something worth looking in to.

Sparing no more hesitation, she entered the washroom with her chin held high, and her will steeled for the worst.


	96. The Lesson of Difference

"In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity." - Sun Tzu

* * *

Judy wasn't sure what to expect from this.

In all her years of work on the police force, she'd encountered all manner of crazy things. From savage jaguars to blackmailing rats, there was no such thing as being too far from ordinary, in her world. However, of all the things that the rabbit had dealt with, she admittedly had yet to encounter (far less make sense of) another mammal crying in a restroom. With a brief glance around, Judy concluded that she was alone with whoever was weeping in one of the stalls. It was just the two of them, as far as she could tell.

Yet that didn't make her any less wary. There could have been some serious trouble behind this, for all that she knew. Regardless, Judy wasn't the kind of mammal to just outright abandon another when they were in a clear sense of distress. It just wasn't in her nature. Slowly approaching the stall with caution, the rabbit cleared her throat.

"Hello? Are you alright, in there?" She asked softly, careful not to startle the source of the crying.

From behind the stall, Judy heard the other mammal stifle a slew of sniffs as they tried to suppress their tears. "I'm fine, just... Just go away."

The voice was female, unsurprisingly, and didn't belong to anyone that Judy immediately recognized. Trying to place a face to the source of the noise, the bunny spoke out;

"Hey now, if you're in trouble, I can help."

From behind the stall, Judy's sensitive ears detected the voice begin to speak up once again, but immediately falter and stop itself, as if it had just realized something.

"That's you, isn't it, Lieutenant Hopps?" It inquired softly.

"Yeah, it's me." The bunny replied. "I heard you crying from just outside the hallway, and I came to investigate. Are you hurt, at all?"

"N-No, I'm not hurt... I-I'm just... Just..."

The voice faltered once again, sighing as though it were disappointed with itself. More sniffles ensued as the mammal in the stall tried blowing their nose, likely on a strip of toilet paper. A few seconds of silence passed before Judy heard the sound of a lock unlatching, and the stall door then swung open as the mammal stepped out from hiding.

Judy's eyes traced over the form of a young female sheep just a few inches taller than herself. The ewe's cotton-white fur was braided in plaits along the side of her head, and her small body was coated in the standard-issued Zootopia Police Academy uniform, complete with a simple T-shirt and running shorts. Her large brown eyes were moistened with the remnants of tears, and from the looks of it, she had been crying pretty hard, at that. With the exception of the braids on her head, this sheep seemed to share an uncanny physical resemblance to the tyrannical Mayor Bellwether, which wasn't a comparison that Judy appreciated very much. However, this particular ewe had much warmer eyes, and a more youthful countenance than Judy's old enemy. The differences were so minute in some places, yet so drastic in others. Yet still, the similarities alone were enough to give Judy a momentary pause. The bunny quickly recomposed herself, shaking her head from side-to-side before putting her focus on the young ewe.

Remembering the sheep's name came easy, now that Judy had a face to base it on: Mary Ewever, one of the cadets from the latest batch of ZPD recruits. Judy recalled how Major Friedkin had personally called her out and berated her on the group's first day of training, several weeks ago. The Major's dramatic rants weren't exactly easy to forget.

"So, what's wrong?" Judy asked.

Mary took a few moments to reply. "I'm just having some trouble." She finalized, all the while closing the stall door behind her with a sharp click.

The rabbit nodded politely. "What are you having trouble with? Is there any way I can help you?"

Hesitating, the sheep pursed her lips and glanced off to the side with a sniff of diffidence. Clearly, she wasn't exactly keen on opening up to Judy just yet.

"Hey, it's okay." Judy said reassuringly. "But I can't help if you don't tell."

Biting back her hesitation, Mary locked eyes with her superior. "I... I just haven't been doing as well as I thought I would, here." She admitted.

"What are you talking about?" The rabbit asked skeptically. "I've seen your grades in the classroom: You're top-tier, easy!"

Mary shook her head, causing the braids of wool on the sides of her head to swing. "That's not what I meant. My performance on the obstacle course, and at hand-to-hand..."

The sheep sighed with disappointment. She then concluded;

"Well, they're sup-par, to say the least."

Judy's head tilted slightly to the side as she tried to recall this particular cadet's performance record for the academy's physical training. Unfortunately, she wasn't as good as Nick was when it came to remembering little things like that. Clearing the thought from her head and focusing on the present, Judy resolutely turned her attention to Mary.

"Okay. That's alright!" She tried to reassure. "The obstacle course isn't for everyone, and fighting is a developed skill. I'm sure you'll master both in no time, though!"

The bunny held back on mentioning that if Mary didn't hone either of those two traits, that she might have some trouble graduating the academy. There may have been cops that relied less on those traits and more on other abilities, like Nick, but there was no denying that a strong fighting form made a memorable impression on Major Friedkin.

"I hope so." Mary muttered flatly before sighing, slumping against the tiled wall, and sitting down on the bathroom floor.

Judy felt a pang of sympathy rise up from within her. She approached the sheep slowly before leaning down on one knee and looking her in the eye.

"Hey now, don't be so glum. We've been here for a while, sure, but there's still plenty of time to learn how to run that course, I promise you! Practice makes perfect."

The sheep stifled a slight smile. "My father used to throw that phrase at me all the time. Though, I'm sure he never imagined I'd be in the running to become a police officer."

"My own dad was like that a lot too." Judy added. "Sometimes, our goals and dreams can surprise those closest to us."

"Yeah. I guess so."

There was a momentary period of silence before Judy broke the ice again. "You said your father never imagined that you'd become a police officer. Why is that?" She asked.

Mary took in a deep breath before answering. Her brown eyes narrowed as she recounted the story of her decision to join the Zootopia Police Academy, and become a cop.

"I grew up in the Meadowlands. My parents always wanted me to be a doctor, just like the both of them. But I thought; where's the fun in that? I didn't want to be a doctor. I would see you on TV, risking your life and going on all sorts of adventures, and I knew that I wanted to be just like you. So, I joined the academy, but it's been... A bit harder than I expected. I knew that I would be doing some rigorous physical activities, and I thought I was prepared, but I never could have imagined that they would be this hard!"

"Yeah, the ZPA doesn't hold back one bit." Judy said. "Out there in the real world, it can get pretty dangerous, so you have to be fit both physically and mentally."

The rabbit smiled warmly, and continued;

"But I'm glad that you had the heart to join, and follow in my footsteps. That means a lot to me. It takes a lot of courage to join the academy and become a police officer. Don't forget that for as long as you're here. You should be proud of yourself. Must've been a bit on the tight side to join, though, since you're a small mammal and all, huh?"

Mary nodded her head in concurrence.

"Mayor Lionheart may have done some pretty shady things back when he was in office, but his creation of the Mammal Inclusion Initiative was definitely a plus." She said.

"Yeah, that's for sure." The rabbit agreed. "Without it, I probably never would have been able to get to where I am now. Not in _those_ days, at least."

The two mammals shared a quick round of laughter before sighing and returning to silence.

Within her mind, Judy thought back to how Mary's story about growing up in the Meadowlands. She likely had a very privileged and easygoing life there, so it came of no surprise to the rabbit that the sheep's abilities in the physical arts were somewhat lacking. Judy's teaching in the classes could only go so far, it would seem, and with her tight schedule of teaching the recruits, reporting to Major Friedkin, and more, there likely wasn't enough time to instruct Mary on how to fight and run with individual lessons.

That's when an idea came to her: An idea that would allow Mary to learn what she needed to improve her physical fitness, all the while letting Judy stick with her schedule.

"Hey, I know! If you really want to improve your grades on the physical courses of the academy, you should ask for some tips and pointers from Harlan O'Conall!"

Mary's eyes narrowed in apprehension. "Why him, of all mammals?" She questioned sharply.

Judy gladly answered;

"Just think about it! He's one of the class's top performers on the physical side of police training: He's a great fighter, runner, and lifter, and can probably help you out with that kinda stuff. Officer Wilde and I are busy enough trying to manage the entire class of recruits, as is, so we can't juggle around individual cadets all that often. If you want some further training, then seeking out Harlan is the best bet! Apparently, he's been practicing combat his whole life. If anyone can teach you how to get stronger, it's him."

"I-I don't know... I don't want to be a burden on any of the other recruits." Mary stammered.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine! Being a part of a class at the ZPD means working together - making friends, and getting outside of your comfort zone. You won't be a burden."

"It's more than that, I just..." The sheep began, but promptly trailed off. "M-Maybe I should just try to train myself. Yeah."

"What? No, you can do it! C'mon, follow me, and we can go ask him now-" Judy started, but faltered as her subordinate spoke out;

"Lieutenant Hopps, please, I really don't think that is a good idea."

"Why not?"

Mary bit back her next statement just as she was about to say it. The sheep clearly didn't feel comfortable with answering that question.

"You can tell me anything." Judy reassured.

Without any more reluctance, Mary locked eyes with Judy as she gave her final answer;

"Because... Because he's a wolf."

The weight of that final proclamation hung in the air for a few seconds of tense silence.

"Oh..." Judy muttered at last. "I see."

Mary's ears dipped as though a slight weight had been tied to them, dragging them downward with humiliation. She then stated;

"I know that it's unfair of me... That it's against your hopes, and what you fight for, and therefore _my_ hopes, and what I fight for. But every time I look at him, I just feel-"

"Afraid." The bunny concluded.

Mary's gaze sunk even lower in shame. "Yeah... Afraid." She admitted in a soft voice.

Judy knew plenty about fear: It had driven a wedge in her and Nick's relationship before, and although she had long since conquered her own diffidence towards predators, she couldn't deny that there was once a time when she couldn't look at Nick without feeling wary of him; being scared of what he might do. Clearly, there were still plenty of other mammals who had yet to overcome such mental blockades, even if the city, as a whole, had become more progressive towards predators ever since Judy became a ZPD officer, and a city-wide icon of hope and tolerance for others. Though there were still many hurdles to deal with, the rabbit believed that things were better than before.

Still, such beliefs weren't applicable on levels as personal as Mary's, it would seem. Shaking her head and clearing her thoughts, Judy leaned forward and spoke her mind;

"He may be a predator, but still, that doesn't mean that you can't learn something from him, right?"

"No, you don't understand." Mary retorted. "He isn't just any old predator, he's a _wolf_ \- my kind's natural predator!"

"So?" Judy snapped back; a tiny dose of irritation seeping into her tone. "Nick is a fox, _my_ kind's natural predator, yet that didn't stop him from putting a ring on my finger."

That last comment seemed to do the trick. Mary immediately piped down and glanced away; seemingly reevaluated her thoughts.

"I'm sorry." The sheep stifled after a few brief moments of weary quietude.

Judy simply smiled. "There's no need to apologize. You didn't mean any disrespect." She said.

There was a brief period of silence before Judy took to restating her original point;

"But Mary, you have to understand that being a part of the ZPD means being a part of a team: Working with others to build yourself, and make up for any shortcomings. I know you have a lot of admiration for me and what I do, but I'll be the first to tell you that I'm far from perfect. There are many times when I've been reckless, short-sighted, and ignorant... Times when I've almost gotten myself and others hurt. Being part of a team helps you overcome that, because whenever your own weaknesses cause you to fall short, the strengths of your allies help you reach even farther! My husband, Nick, as much as he's been a thorn in my side, has also proven to be an invaluable partner."

Judy momentarily hesitated as memories of all the times that Nick had saved her came flooding back. She then continued strongly;

"I may be a good runner and a fighter, but without Nick's social skills, half the cases I've taken would be unfinished, just gathering dust in the ZPD archives. Nick has talked our way out of all sorts of trouble, and not only that, but he's saved my sorry hide more times than I can even remember. My point is that we compliment each other. We may be different in our appearances and personalities, but working together, we can make all sorts of things happen. In fact, it's our differences that _make us_ strong! I see the exact same principal in you and Harlan: With his strength and your smarts, you could accomplish anything! You'd make a great team! The possibilities for success are there."

The bunny gave a momentary pause for thought before at last concluding her speech;

"It's just a matter of whether or not you're willing to take that opportunity, and give yourself - and Harlan, too - the chance to make it happen."

Rabbit and ewe alike were both encased in silence as the weight of the former's words sank in. Judy noticed the minute changes in Mary's facial features as she pondered over her speech. She could see how her words had an effect on her, and after a few more seconds of thought, the bunny watched as her subordinate then raised her head.

"I... I understand. Thank you." The sheep claimed as she straightened out her spine a little. "Perhaps we could make a good team, together... I'll see if I can find Harlan."

Judy smiled once more, both pleased with herself and proud of her subordinate. "Don't worry, I've got it covered." She promised as she began pacing towards the door.

"You do?" Mary asked, to which the rabbit nodded.

"Oh yeah. For sure. You can head back to the dorms, and relax. I'll make sure to convince Harlan to help you later on."

"How?"

The rabbit briefly stopped in her tracks before glancing back and locking eyes with Mary.

"Something tells me that he'll be on the difficult side to sway. For that, I'll need the smooth talking type. Thankfully, I know just the right guy."

Without providing any further context, Judy marched out of the washroom, leaving Mary all to herself. She figured that the sheep could use the alone-time to finish cleaning herself up before returning to the dorms and getting herself some well-earned rest. After taking a physical beating on the obstacle course, and an emotianal one in the bathroom, the bunny reckoned that she deserved the chance to recover, and gather her bearings once more before resuming work on her goals. Meanwhile, Judy herself closed the door to the bathroom shut behind her, and the proceeded to set out down the hallway and towards the academic wing of the academy, intent on finding Nick.

If anyone could help her with this, it would be him.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Thanks for checking out this latest new chapter update of ours. It's a bit shorter than usual, but I reckon that The Big 100 will be plenty more than enough to compensate, eh? I got some cool stuff in plan for it, so do stay tuned! It'll be much longer than thas one, will reintroduce some characters we haven't seen in a while, shed light on some newer ones, and help set-up the remainder of the story! I have a feeling that the dialogue will be especially enjoyable, seeing as how Nick gets some special time to shine (we haven't seen much of him these past few chapters, have we?), so you can be on the lookout for that. Until then, do please let me know what you thought of this chapter in the form of a review. I'd like that. I always appreciate new Favorites/Followers, as well, so feel free to join in on the fun if you haven't already. Nonetheless, I would like to thank you all for your generous time and consideration, as is.**

 **Also, if you'd like to check out some fan-art of Mary, Harlan, and various other original characters from this story of ours, then you can go and check out my devientart and/or tumblr accounts. There's plenty of fan-art on display, and if any of you ever feel like contributing too, you're more than welcome to do so.**

 **So, reviewers! Tell me whatcha thought of this chapter; of Judy and Mary's heart-to-heart, and what you hope/expect to see from the coming chapters!**

 **Anyhow, that's pretty much all I've got to say, for now. Thanks for tuning in to chapter 99, and do stay tuned for the big 100, comin' your way soon. :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: A good chunk of chapter 100 is already written, I'll have you know, so it won't be _too_ long until it arrives, I would guess. Stay tuned, all the same!**


	97. Revelations

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Welcome the the 100th chapter of WIF! I am immensely proud of how this chapter turned out, so let's get right into it!**

 **But first, a quick music suggestion for those interested. This particular theme is suited to play alongside the scene where Al explains his plan to Doug in the second half of the chapter. More specifically, when he explains his own personal motivations for doing such. It's supposed to be a very subtly dramatic scene, with tons of new revelations and information. The soundtrack fits to it quite well, I would say, even if it is a _bit_ too loud and strong for the scene.**

 **Thus Begins the Indo-Rapture - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Soundtrack**

 **That'll be all for now. Feel free to check out that song, if you're interested. Do enjoy the chapter, all the same, of course.**

* * *

"Some thoughts are so sudden, that they seem the revelations of a dream." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

* * *

1:00 PM

Setting off towards one of the academic wings of the academy's main complex, Judy had a feeling that Nick was up to something rather shifty.

Last she heard from him, he was teaching the recruits how to use stun-guns and other methods of incapacitating criminals via tools. Knowing him, the rabbit figured that he'd try to mess with the recruits alongside teaching them. Pairing his sense of humor with electrical weapons would most likely end with something troublesome, to say the least.

And so, when Judy eventually found the classroom, she forced herself to take a breath of recomposition before opening the door and entering.

Within, the bunny could see a sizable ring of mammals of varying sizes all intentfully watching something apparently interesting going on in the very center of the ring. In the middle of said ring, Nick was conducting an experiment with the recruits: Allowing them to taze themselves, to feel what it was like. In his paws he held a standard issued stun-gun used for incapacitating criminal mammals of varying sizes. The rabbit remembered how she had been given the offer to experience what it was like to be tazed during her own run through the Zootopia Police Academy, all those years ago. Judy herself, of course, had thoroughly denied the offer of that particular academy experience.

"This won't kill ya, buddy, but it ain't exactly gonna tickle, either." Nick stated as he set the dilation charge to the proper amount and aimed at the back of a sweating skunk.

That definitely wouldn't end well for him.

"Nick, wait!" Judy called out, stopping him from pressing the button just moments before it happened, and causing many of the cadets to turn toward her. "We need to talk."

The fox glanced over at his wife. "What? It's not like I was _forcing_ them to electrocute themselves." He claimed defensively as he set down the taser.

"What? N-No, not about that." Judy corrected before letting out a brief sigh. "Look, I just need you to come with me real quick, okay?"

Shrugging, Nick waved goodbye to the recruits and excused himself from the lesson before following Judy outside of the room and into the privacy of the empty hall.

"Alright, what's up, fluff-butt?" He began curiously.

"I need your help with something."

Nick chuckled to himself. "That's a first." He joked in a sarcastic tone of voice.

"I'm being serious, Nick." Judy claimed. "There's a recruit here, a sheep named Mary Ewever, who's been having some trouble with sparring, and with the obstacle course."

"Alright, I'm listening, I promise. Go on." Nick said, to which his wife nodded.

"She wants - _needs_ \- some assistance from a recruit willing to help her. Someone who's strong, fit, and patient to growth."

"Well, why didn't you say so?" The fox huffed proudly. "I mean, I wouldn't exactly call myself the pinnacle of mammalian fitness, but I am pretty-"

"Ah, Nick, I meant, um," Judy interjected and laughed nervously. "I-I meant, well... I was hoping that you could convince Harlan O'Conall, to help teach her, see. Yeah."

The fox's ears drooped in disappointment. "Oh." He then laughed it off and shrugged. "Psh. Sure thing, Carrots. I'll go and find him for ya."

"Great! Thank you so much, Nick!" Judy exclaimed before leaning forward and planting a brief kiss on his cheek. That seemed to do the trick, thankfully.

Nick chuckled once more. "Okay, okay, no problem." He reassured of her, smiling as she leaned back down.

"So, where is he, anyways?"

"Harlan, you mean?" Nick clarified. "He didn't want to stick around watching the others electrocute themselves, so he was excused to go to the gym. I'll start there."

"Sounds like a plan. Good luck!" Judy called out as Nick turned tail and set off towards the gymnasium.

Thankfully, the fox's destination was only a few dozen seconds of walking. When he reached it, he immediately entered. Inside, a bunch of workout equipment was scattered throughout the space, ranging from weights for lifting to mounted bicycles for cardio. The place was completely empty, save for one lone wolf exercising on the bench press.

Approaching him, Nick called out in a subtle volume;

"Ya know, it can be dangerous to lift without a spotter."

No reaction. Harlan just kept pressing up the bar over and over. If he noticed Nick, he didn't let in on it. That was when the fox realized that the wolf's ears had a pair of white earbuds sticking into them, and that the music playing from them was quite loud. That certainly explained the lackluster reaction to Nick's initiation.

Taking a big step closer and listening in on it, Nick immediately recognized the artist, and couldn't resist grinning.

"Jon Bovine, huh?" Nick started, trying to break the ice. "I love his music!" He said, this time much louder than his first statement, to make sure Harlan heard. "Great artist."

One of Harlan's eyes glared up at the fox beside him. He didn't exactly look grateful for Nick's company. Nick at least took some solace in the fact that Harlan now knew he was there. Hopefully he would be able to get a better response, though for now, it seemed that the wolf was far too keen on pumping iron. The fox smile and then spoke out;

"So, how's the workout comin' along?"

Harlan grunted in acknowledgement, but otherwise remained silent as he continued to push up on the barbell before bringing it back to his chest and repeating.

Nick pursed his lips. It wasn't much, but it was a start. Regardless, he decided to continue with his conversation, hoping to get Harlan to engage with him some more.

"I can't exactly say that I've been the biggest fan of this place, in all honesty, but it's nice to see that it's being put to _some_ good use, at least."

The fox spoke the truth. When he had watched Harlan's boxing match with Judy the other week, he had good reason to believe that the wolf would be spending much of his time here in the gym. If anything, that score of predictability made Harlan that much easier to read, but still, Nick kept his distance and tried not to do anything too sudden.

"Yeah." Harlan muttered in between breaths.

Past the loud music and the focus put in to his workout, Nick wasn't sure if the wolf had even heard his last statement right. He chose to go with the more optimistic route.

"Truth be told, I actually came here looking for ya to talk to you about something." The fox stated. "I heard that you've been having some trouble with your grades in class."

Nick tried to recall everything that he had learned about Harlan over the past few weeks here at the academy. It was obvious that he was a stellar fighter and runner, not too different from Judy herself, but he clearly lacked her exuberant personality. Apparently, his grades on the more academic side of the police academy were lackluster, as well. The few times that Nick had spoken with Harlan in the past had been brief and rather bland. All he knew about the wolf's past was that he was originally from Happy-Town, had a high-school education, at best, and had honed his considerable hand-to-hand combat skills over time by engaging in many rough street fights with the other ruffians and scoundrels living in his area. Nick was all too familiar with Happy-Town, having been raised there himself, too. It definitely wasn't the land of freedom and opportunities.

Despite both living in the same environment, fox and wolf had gone down vastly different ways of surviving in it: Nick had used his sharp wit and intellect, while Harlan had made use of his considerable strength and muscle to carve his own path through life. Yet here they both were, at the Zootopian Police Academy, paths crossed in the end.

However, Harlan still seemed too stubborn to really open up to Nick. He could understand that, but couldn't deny that it was frustrating; like trying to break down a wall.

No matter how difficult it may have been, Nick was still intent on completing his mission. Judy has personally asked him to contact Harlan, after all, and he wasn't just about to let her down. Besides, if what she said was true, then there was another recruit who needed his help, and that was good enough a reason if any for him to continue this.

The thought of the other recruit sparked a new potential route of conversation in Nick's mind. The fox remembered her name instantly, as Judy had said, and then he stated;

"You know, there actually may be someone who can help you, if you're interested: Mary Ewever. She's a sheep, and an officer-in-training here, just like you. Sound familiar?"

"Doesn't ring a bell." Harlan muttered as he racked the barbell and sat up on the bench. He removed his headphones from his ears and then rose to his feet.

Ignoring the wolf's display of ignorance, Nick continued with his own explanation;

"Apparently, she's got some of the best grades in the class, from what I hear. She may be able to teach you a thing or two. Help you pick up the slack, and fix your grades, maybe in return for some lessons on sparring, running, lifting, whatever. I've been told that her skills in that, uh, _department_ are lacking. Might be good for the both of you!"

Nick watched Harlan pace over to a nearby duffel-bag, and pull out a small towel. He wiped down his head and neck, all the while staring glumly into the gym's dirty mirrors.

"I'm not good with other mammals." The wolf grumbled, his reflection mirroring the movements of his mouth. "Prey especially."

Nick just barely stopped himself from asking why. He figured that Harlan wasn't exactly the approachable type, given his hard expression and muscular frame. The guy had probably dealt with discrimination in the past, too, much like Nick himself, so he could understand why he'd be so cynical about forming relationships with other mammals.

But still, if there was anything else that Nick had too much experience with, it was wasted potential: He wasn't about to sit back and let Harlan throw away his opportunities.

"That doesn't matter. We're on a team, here at the ZPD. It took me a while to realize that, myself, but it's true. Not just at the academy, but on the job, too: We all watch eachother's backs, and learn from our mistakes. We stay sharp and stay alive by working together. If you can't accept that, then you shouldn't have joined in the first place."

The fox was surprised to see that his wolfish counterpart didn't appear to be angry over his rather scathing speech. Instead, Harlan just lowered his head and sighed.

"When I first came here, I wanted to be able to put my skills to the test: To prove myself... _To_ myself. All those years taking hits and throwing punches down in Happy-Town have gotten me nowhere in life but hospitals and court rooms. My potential has been _wasted_ picking fights with riff-raff on the streets of that filthy ghetto, when I actually could have been putting my talents to use. Could have been making myself more than just a better fighter, but a better mammal, too. _That's_ why I joined. I did it for me."

From there, Harlan turned around and locked eyes with Nick. The latter could see the pent-up frustration in the eyes of the former, like a dam swelling with pressure.

"Sometimes our best interests come from purely selfish reasons." The fox replied. "Believe me, I would know. You can still make that connection, though. It's not impossible."

Harlan nodded. "I can't promise you that I won't think the same way when working with this sheep friend of yours." He started. "That I won't be doing it just to help myself."

The wolf then did what was perhaps the last thing that Nick had expected from him: He cracked a coyish, toothy, almost good-natured sort of grin, and smiled right at him.

"But, I suppose giving a helping hand to a fellow cadet would be a step in the right direction." Harlan admitted, clenching his fist with determination. "For both me _and_ Mary."

Nick couldn't help but return the smile in full. "There's the spirit!" He exclaimed.

The fox was pleased that his words had managed to reach his wolfish counterpart, even past that rather stubborn, gruff exterior of his.

"I've gotta hand it to ya, Harlan, you seem a pretty solid kind of a guy. I like that! Sticking up for your fellow recruits, even if you don't like them. Now _that's_ determination!"

Harlan allowed himself a slight snort of a laugh. "Well, if I'm gonna be a better person, I suppose this is a good start. Uh, what's her name again? The sheep?" He asked.

Nick's emerald eyes sparkled slyly beneath a half-lidded grin. He had to remind himself to refrain from teasing Harlan about his forgetfulness.

He still needed the wolf's help, after all, and didn't want to scare him away just yet.

"Mary Ewever." Nick replied. "I've got no clue where she is now, but I'd be happy to help ya find her."

Nodding in agreement, both wolf and fox set off, leaving behind both the gym and whatever preset expectations they had of one another. It was as good of start as ever.

* * *

1:15 P.M

 _Somewhere in the Rainforest-District..._

Doug's eyes opened wearily as a metallic grinding sound filled his ears, rousting him from his dreary slumber.

As he rose his head, the ram's blurry vision trailed along the ground. He had been sleeping on the floor, next a wood chair that had been knocked over late last night. There was a large pile of wool beside him: The remnants of his previous punishment; shaven from his flesh and strewn carelessly around the floor as an ominous reminder of what he once was, and could no longer have. His naked body shivered from the cold of the room, and his eyes clenched tighter as the big metal door in front of him cracked open.

He cowered, thinking it to be his personal torturer; that vile tayra that had been shaving him clean for the past few days. Or was it weeks? Being locked in this dingy closet for so long has skewed his perception on the passage of time. For all he knew, he could have been the mob's hostage for nearly a month. But it didn't matter. He was too frightened to think, for there was nothing left for the tayra to take from him, lest he started clipping his hooves or even pulling his teeth out. The ram braced himself for pain.

Yet instead of more anguish, there was only silence. Instead of torment, there was an eerie sense of peace.

Slowly, timidly, he opened his eyes and stared up at the mammal before him. The light from outside the closet was almost blinding, yet Doug still managed to make out a face. This time, it wasn't his tormentor, Pazzo, but instead, the very mammal that had ordered Doug captured and interrogated in the first place: Al Catpone, the leader of the Rainforest-District's most notorious criminal mob, and the ram's current captor. Doug sneered with hate, thinking about how pristine and clean the jaguar looked, with a freshly tailored three-piece suit and oil-black overcoat. Compared to poor, tortured Doug, with his ragged clothes and clean-shaven skin, he looked incomparably posh and fit.

"Get up." The jaguar ordered, his deep voice flowing over Doug's eardrums like a river current. "There's something I want to show you."

"Wh-What?" Doug stifled creakily, his voice having not been used so casually in entire days on end.

"You heard me." Al replied. "Get up, and come with me. Now."

From there, the jaguar turned tail and left the room, leaving the door open for Doug to follow through. Doug wasn't sure whether it was some sort of trick, or trap, but seeing as how he was practically already in one, he figured that he didn't have much of a choice. Besides, if it meant a chance to at least get away from this rotting closet for a while, he would gladly take it. Standing to his feet, Doug rubbed the sleep from his eyes before trotting out of the closet and after his considerably larger captor, Al Catpone.

Doug continued down the hallway, eventually catching up with the jaguar. He didn't bother asking what he had in mind to show him, but he still wondered to himself in private just what must have been important enough to Al for he to fetch himself for, not that he was complaining. The two mammals walked in silence down the length of the green-tinted hallway, venturing deeper into the heart of Catpone's secret compound. Doug had no idea where they could have possibly been, save for somewhere likely in the rural depths of the Rainforest-District. Smelly pipes and puddles of dark liquid stained across the floor accompanied the two of them on their journey deeper into the building.

Eventually, after a decent amount of time twisting and turning through underground hallways and passing through various storage rooms, Al and his hostage reached a new room. The doors were much larger and seemingly heavier than anything else that Doug had seen thus far. Al opened a keypad mounted on a nearby wall and punched in a few numbers so fast that the ram didn't have time to fully register them all. He silently cursed himself for missing that, for it could have been useful info for a potential escape.

Nonetheless, the large doors slid open; the two mammals entering without wait. The interior was still a greenish concrete bricking, just like the other hallways, but rings of chairs and even a few couches filled the room like a movie theater, all facing a single glass window that was positioned in the center of the farthest opposing concrete wall.

A few of Al's gang members were lounging about the room. Doug spotted a small female margay sitting still on a plush couch, bored, and licking at her forearms, and a fat male tapir standing quietly nearby, fiddling his thumbs like he was playing an arcade game. Slouching in the shadows at one of the room's corners, Doug caught sight of the only one of Al's henchmen that he knew by name; his personal tormentor, Pazzo, who cracked a yellow, toothy grin, and winked at Doug as he locked eyes with him. The ram gave one last look of hatred toward the vile tayra before averting his gaze to the centerpiece of the room: A large, rectangular window that separated the room from another.

Doug's large eyes widened at the sight of a testing room. A thick pane of glass separated it from the viewing room that they were currently standing in. Large claw marks ringed the edges of the window, as though something monstrous had been trying to escape from within. Past the glass barrier, a large, slimy looking medical table and bed, complete with restraints, had been set up. Rows of glistening silver pipes lined the walls, and puddles of water sat in the corners of the room. It definitely didn't look like a very sanitary area, far less the kind of place where you'd want to be performing medical experiments on patients, judging from the many tables of needles and cotton swabs.

"Just what in the hell are you mobsters doing here?" The ram questioned with an edgy tone to his voice.

"That's exactly why we brought you here." Al Catpone stated firmly. "To answer that very question. If you're going to be assistin' us in our work, it's time we came clean."

Doug huffed in disapproval. He was tempted to spit at the jaguar's feet, but he had a feeling that that wouldn't bode well with him, so instead, he chose to listen in on what his captor had to say. Besides, if he was to finally learn what this criminal syndicate was planning, there was no better way to find out than hearing it from the boss himself.

The ram turned his attention towards Al Catpone, who loomed over him as stiff and motionless as an oak tree. Deep down in the jaguar's eyes, Doug almost sensed a shred of pity, likely for the poor condition that he was in. Whatever amount of empathy that Al had was overshadowed by the tension in his expression, due to the weight of what was to soon be spoken aloud: The plan of the Rainforest-Outfit, and the very reason that Doug himself had been kidnapped, hauled here, and tortured for in the first place.

Whatever it was, Doug had a feeling that it would be rich.

"Fine then. Explain." The ram ordered, crossing his arms.

Al Catpone nodded in agreement.

"As I told you before, my men and I are workin' on somethin' big: Somethin' bigger than all of us. However, we've lacked the resources we needed to make it happen, that is, until we found you. We all know that you helped Mayor Bellwether make the original Night-Howler serum, and now, we need your expertise to enact our own, far better plan."

"I've already heard this junk from you before." Doug grumbled, clearly irritated. "Get to the point already."

The jaguar narrowed his eyes in distaste. "To understand what _we_ hope to achieve, you first need to understand where _you_ failed." He growled lowly.

"Huh? What do you mean?" The sheep questioned.

Some of Al's cronies snickered, and Doug had to force himself from paying any attention to them. Instead, he remained focused on Al Catpone and his words.

"When Mayor Bellwether used her Night-Howler serum to infect predators and enact her scheme, all those years ago, she overlooked one _crucial_ detail: Potential." Al said.

"Potential?" Doug repeated skeptically.

"Yes; potential. She desired to use her drug to oppress predators. To keep them in line, while upholding her own chauvinist agenda. However, she lacked an understanding of potential, which is typical of those who seek power, but nothing more substantial from it. She only sought to kick down others and hoist herself up, when she could have used her drug to make true wonders: Medicine, technology, even bio-chemical weapons! All of that was lost when her plan went down the drain. My men and I intend to pick up where she left off, yet instead of using her invention to inspire terror for political gain, we will take and use what she never saw: The true potential of this tiny, simple drug."

Al smiled, his sharp white teeth standing out amongst his yellow-spotted fur. He held out a tiny, dark blue orb clutched between two of his talons like a minuscule insect. With a shock, Doug realized that it was one of the pellets from the original Night-Howler serum that were used as bullets to infect unknowing predators from a safe distance. He instantly recognized this. He had, after all, been the one that helped design and create them in the first place. Now, with the thing balanced between Al's claws, it looked so very small. It was almost hard to believe that such a tiny, simple thing had been able to inspire so much terror, and panic across the city of Zootopia. It was just like Al said.

The jaguar's grin grew. "We will use the powers of the Night-Howler serum to create a _new_ savage serum, and we will use it to change this world!" He stated proudly.

From there, Al slipped the blue orb back into one of the pockets on his overcoat before turning around and facing the window of the testing room. The big cat continued;

"My men and I have already begun to develop this new strain of ours. Instead of overriding the cognitive parts of the brain like the Night-Howler serum did, causing violent and primal instincts to overtake reason, logic, and control, ours will unlock the hidden potential of any mammal that consumes it, transforming them... Into an apex predator!"

"W-What do you mean by an... An _apex_ predator?" Doug stammered, causing Al to smile with pride.

"That's right; An apex predator. A predator that even other predators can't touch! The very tip-top of the food chain. While a Night-Howler dosage can turn its host savage, _this_ masterpiece of a drug can do one better: It can give you all of the benefits of the Night-Howler serum - increased strength, heightened senses, lack of fear - all _without_ the side effect of losing control of yourself! You can retain command over both mind and body as the drug takes effect, bringing out your most primal strength and abilities."

"That's insane." The ram muttered in disbelief.

"Maybe." Al admitted as he turned around and faced down Doug once again. "But a drug like this could change everything."

"How?" Doug asked.

"Just imagine it: A predator uninhibited by weakness and fear! A creature unbound from its mental restraints, free to feel _real_ power! Renewed primal strength bolstered by modern-day intelligence and cognition. A true apex predator. And I know of many mammals and corporations alike who would be willing to pay _millions_ for a thing like that."

Doug shook his irritably head from side to side.

"Did it never cross your mind that some mammals out there might exploit a drug like this? T-That _absolute anarchy_ could ensue if... If _everyday_ _predators_ got a hold of this?"

The jaguar let loose a bellowing laugh that practically shook the room. He then retorted;

"Don't you worry, pal: That's part of the plan! Pharmacies and insurance companies would all be _very_ interested in this drug of ours, yes, but did I mention that I also know of a certain group of mammals out there who would universally benefit from such a product? Quite a large one, too: Say, about ten percent of the population, give or take."

Doug bared his teeth. "Oh, I see what you're planning, now." He claimed.

Al Catpone grinned wide. For the very first time since being captured and taken hostage here, the jaguar's razor sharp smile sent a paisley chill down the sheep's spine. There was something more sinister about it now, this time around. For the first time since meeting Alphonse Catpone, Doug was actually afraid of him, and what he planned to do.

"Yes... Once my product trickles through the ranks of society, and reaches the very bottom of the barrel, where my kind - _all_ predators - have been stuffed and left to rot since this city's inception, it will finally give them the power they need to take control! To liberate themselves, and finally strike back at the city government for all it's done."

Doug shook his head. He could hardly believe his own two ears.

"So not only do you plan to profit from this, but you plan to let predators take your drug, and revolt against the government?" He asked.

The jaguar nodded. He explained;

"Happy-Town is the perfect target: The predators there have always had it the hardest. Sprinkle in our drug bit by bit - Give them all the power to fight back, and they'll seize it. They'll pay the city government back in blood for all the pain that it has caused. They will rise up, form a revolution, and with their newfound strength, take back the city!"

"And what makes you think that it is their's to take back?" Doug argued. "That the city government is your ultimate enemy, of all things? I hate them too! Who doesn't?"

Al Catpone let loose a roar as he lunged forward and grabbed Doug by the throat, pulling him so close that his hot breath filled the sheep's nostrils. The jaguar snarled;

"Of all the stupid things you've said and done, that has to be the dumbest drivel I've heard yet. The city government is the _only_ enemy! Their policies have left my kind to rot in ghettos like Happy-Town! Their disregard has nearly wiped out entire species! The Night-Howler incident, the Blood-Crisis, the Shock-Collar conspiracy, and so many more! More than I can even care to remember. Don't you tell me that the city government is innocent: Every single problem that Zootopia has ever had - It all starts with them!"

The jaguar threw Doug away from him and down onto the ground. The sheep coughed and clutched at his aching throat, all the while his captor continued his rant.

"The evidence is everywhere. Why do you think that every single police chief, spare two, is a prey species? Or better yet, why do you think that _every single_ crime-lord is a predator, even that little shrew, Mr. Big ? Because all of us recognize the truth at hand: That this city hates us, and that the only way for any of us to make a difference is to turn to crime. To etch out our _own_ destinies, in line with our _own_ beliefs. Big recognizes this. Vladzotz recognizes this. Iluka recognized this, too, before he was sent to jail."

Catpone got a strange look in his eye, as though he were imagining better times when working alongside his old criminal associates. Doug, however, wasn't having any of it.

"And what then?" The sheep interrupted as he got to his feet and glared up in defiance of his captor.

"Hm?" Al mused, to which Doug rolled his eyes and stated;

"Say this plan of yours actually works: All your kith and kin are turned into monsters, and you somehow manage to get them to overthrow the city government. Then what?"

Al straightened his back out. "That's simple. We create a new utopia, by predators, for predators. A new society for us all. And this time around, we'll do it right." He said.

"That's no utopia _I'd_ want to be a part of. Too radical." Doug grumbled.

"As opposed to how radical it is to turn predators savage so that prey can feel better about fitting us all with shock collars? That was the second phase of Bellwether's plan, right? Compared to a conspiracy of _that_ scale, a forced overthrow of city-hall is a minor operation! But no matter what you think, you _will_ help us. You don't have a choice."

The jaguar laughed aloud, as though an amusing thought had just reached him.

"It's ironic, that the very same drug that _you_ created to oppress predators will lead to their salvation." Al chuckled. "A racist inadvertently giving power to what he hates."

He then stepped away from the ram, all the while meticulously straightening out the collar on his rather expensive looking three-piece suit. Al continued;

"Our new serum is still in a beta phase: A prototype, in need of bettering. That's where you come in, Doug. We've gotten this far on our own, but we need _you_ to finish it."

"I'd never help a bunch of scum like you!" The sheep hissed, backing away from his captor, who simply smiled as though admiring a child standing up to an abusive parent.

"You should feel honored!" He stated. "Your old work will help ignite the spark of a flame that will _burn down_ this city, and from the ashes, create something even grander."

The jaguar slurred that last word a little bit as his eyes spaced out, no doubt mentally imagining what his new utopia would be like, that was, until another voice piped out;

"But boss, you don't plan to literally burn down the city, do you?"

Everyone's attention whirled towards a portly tapir standing some dozen feet away. Admittedly, Doug had completely forgotten that he was in the room along with them.

Al Catpone grit his teeth with frustration.

"What? _No_! Of course not!" The jaguar growled. "Dammit, Donnie! What did I tell you about ruining my monologues?"

The tapir winced. "S-Sorry, boss." He stammered pitifully. "Just making sure."

"It doesn't matter." Al muttered, waving one of his paws in exasperation. " _Sheesh_... Just stop doing it already!"

At that, the jaguar shook his head and then turned his attention back towards the dirty window before him. He gestured at the empty medical bed with a pointed claw.

"Enough talk. From here on out, it's nothing but progress." He claimed firmly. "Bring out the next test subject. It's time we got started on the preliminary trials."

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **Here we are at long last: Chapter 100. Two and-a-half years since the release of chapter one, we stand at yet another pivotal moment for this story. We've long since crossed half a million words, over a million and-a-half views, and other similar achievements, but lemme tell ya, there's something about hitting 100 chapters that feels extra special. Hard to put a finger on exactly what, though. Maybe it's just because 100 is such a well-rounded number, I suspect.**

 **No matter the case, one thing is certain: I couldn't have gotten this far without you guys. Thank you all, truly, for your continued support and interest in the likes of my work. It means a lot to me. I've learned a lot about working online over the past few years, and even more so about my own writing capabilities, which I have continually worked on improving since day one, and I have none more to thank than you guys, for helping to give me the inspiration to evolve.**

 **Thank you all for just how far we've come. I promise that what remains will be even grander. Do stay tuned, for it'll be comin' your way soon enough! :)**

 **In the meantime, do please leave a review telling me your thoughts on this latest chapter update, from Nick's conversation with Harlan, to Al's secret tests in the Rainforest-District. When I wrote the scene with Nick and Harlan, I wanted it to juxtapose how sweet and understanding Judy and Mary's own talk in the previous chapter was; to show a difference in character and personality. And in new Al's scene, well, I figured it was time that that particular plot got kicked up a notch! This is the final chapter (figuratively): The culmination of everything that has happened thus far, tying together the events of the original movie with the aftereffects shown in this story. I'd love to know what you all think of it all. Alongside that, if you haven't already, feel free to Favorite/Follow this story of ours. Each one is highly appreciated, and only helps bolster my motivation to keep on writing. Be it five or five hundred to boot, I can't be thankful enough, as is.**

 **Oh, and also, there's some new art on display on my tumblr and DevientArt accounts, I might add, including a comic that was developed for my recent short story,' Surging Senses.' You all can check that out if you'd like, alongside new pieces depicting the fight scene of Judy and Ivar way back in chapter 44, a standalone piece of Mary Ewever, and more. If any other artists out there reading this would like to contribute to the gallery, all you need to do is PM me.**

 **Yes, to recap: Thank you so much for everything, stay tuned for what's to come, and do be sure to lemme know whatcha think of Nick and Judy's scene at the academy, and Al Catpone and Doug's scene, as well. With everything that has happened in this chapter, I personally see it as one of my favorites so far!**

 **So, what do you all think of it?**

 **Anyways, that's just about all that I have to say, for now. Again, thank you all so much for everything we've accomplished thus far, and do stay tuned!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	98. Knowing And Owning

"Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice." - Anton Chekhov

* * *

1:30 P.M

Nick was happy to know that he and Harlan weren't so different from eachother after all.

Despite their divergent paths through life, both mammals seemed to have much more in common with one another than they first realized. Aside from both growing up in the same run-down ghetto of a neighborhood during their youth, Happy-Town, they both had rather cynical dispositions, and a love of making personal progress, be it putting money in the bank, in Nick's case, or achieving weightlifting records, as Harlan's. Idly chatting as they paced down one of academy's many hallways, the two mammals only managed to further learn about one another's personality and preferences. Once Harlan had at last fully opened up to Nick, it seemed that he was a pretty likable kind of guy.

On their way to nowhere in particular, the two mammals casually conversed most of all about their common background; growing up in Happy-Town.

"And there was that stupid wooden cut-out sign near the entrance - you remember that? - and all the kids would spit on it when they went to school." The fox exclaimed.

"Hard to forget." Harlan replied. "That thing was disgusting enough _before_ it was dripping with saliva."

Nodding his head, Nick produced a half-lidded grin. "Oh yeah. Happy-Town always was the biggest misnomer in the city." He said. "Might as well make the sign match, eh?"

The wolf barked a gruff sort of chuckle.

"I couldn't agree more."

Continuing their meandering stroll around the academy, the two of them eventually reached a sizable lecture-hall not too far off from the cafeteria. Inside, they could detect the sounds of mammals talking in chaotic tones. It was clearly a class of recruits, waiting to be lectured over something. Nick gestured to the hallway while eyeing the door.

Just through the tiny rectangular window, he could see Judy standing patiently on the other side, tapping her foot repeatedly. Nick had a feeling she was waiting for him.

"Looks like the class has gathered for another lesson. You go and find Mary." He instructed Harlan. "Judy told me she was last seen near the restrooms. I'd start there."

Harlan pursed his lips. "Wait, so you're basically telling me to be late to this lesson? After all that talk about staying up on my grades?" He asked.

The fox laughed. "I just think it would be a good idea for you to find Mary and bring her here yourself. Doesn't look like the class has started. You won't miss much, I bet."

"Alright, sure. I'll go looking for her."

"Good plan. I'll be sure to vouch for you if Friedkin yells at ya for being late. Now go! Time's a wasting." Nick stated with a quick wink of the eye.

The wolf nodded his head in agreement before setting out down the hall. Exhaling in preparation, Nick then opened the door and immediately entered the lecture-hall. A blast of sound hit him as the door swung open and closed behind him. With all of the recruits in one spot, it only made sense that the gross volume of the room increased greatly. When she caught sight of the fox approaching her, Judy ran up and grabbed his forearm before tugging him along beside the nearby podium, where Major Friedkin herself had set up shop behind. From what Nick could tell, it seemed that Judy was in a rush because she and the Major had been waiting on him to return before starting the latest lesson.

"So, what's going on here?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Major Friedkin's about to teach the recruits their first lesson on the crime-lords."

Nick's cheery expression melted. "Really?"

"Yeah. Really. We've been waiting on you to show up. She's probably gonna want us to explain how we took some of them down, so try to remember how we beat them!"

"Uh, luck?" The fox quipped, earning himself an unamused sigh from his wife.

"You know what I mean." She stated. "Just be ready to talk, okay?"

The vulpine's smile returned. "I always am." He claimed easily.

"Good." Friedkin added, leaning down and grumbling at the two smaller officers. "Because I don't want to be hollerin' here the entire time. Speaking of which..."

At that, the polar bear cleared her throat aloud before shouting out to the crowd of mammals before them, of which instantaneously quieted upon hearing the Major's voice;

"Alright, listen up, cadets! You're all gathered here today for a special seminar on criminology. Today you'll learning about - surprise, surprise - criminals. But not just any old criminals! Zootopia happens to harbor a batch of extra elite baddies that we at the ZPD so generously refer to as crime-lords. They're at the top of the pyramid: Zootopia's worst, most dangerous and prolific criminal figureheads. One for each of the five primary districts. You'll be learning a bit about every single one of them, so pay attention!"

Friedkin pressed a button on the side of a nearby projector, powering it up. As soon as the machine whirred to life, she used a handheld clicker to start a presentation. The first slide that appeared on the screen's projection was a dark, blurry image taken from afar. The picture was taken from the ground, and the background seemed to be that of the Nocturnal-District's cavernous rooftop, complete with hundreds of rocky stalactites and millions of shining blue glow-worms. High above, if one looked closely, a dark splotch in the shape of an outstretched pair of bat wings could be seen. The photographer must have caught a brief snapshot of Nick's least favorite bat, Vladzotz Fangpyre.

Sure enough, Major Friedkin immediately took to explaining over the mysterious contents of the presented image, including the likes of its shadowy main attraction.

"This; this is Vladzotz Fangpyre, or at least, the best picture that we have of him so far. His shtick centers around espionage, subterfuge, and blackmail. He's easily the most elusive of the crime-lords, and the relative isolation of his home-turf, the Nocturnal-District, makes him difficult to keep tabs on, due to being farther away from the greater influence of the ZPD. Chief Condy, of Precinct Six, definitely has his work cut out for him. Some of you, if assigned to Precinct Six, may one day have to face down this guy."

The Major changed the slide by clicking a button on her device. Another few images of Vladzotz's outline from a distance popped up, though none were as clear as the first one. Alongside those, a few new pictures popped up showing Castle Fangpyre, Vlad's old manor, before and after it was burned to the ground. Nick recalled that incident well.

"He was thought dead for a long time, that is, until recent happenings have proven his existence to us once more. When his family estate, nicknamed Castle Fangpyre, was destroyed in a fire, much of the Nocturnal-Mob's credibility and power went up in smoke along with it. However, in recent months, they've been making some exceptional comebacks, in part, likely due to the assistance of another criminal that has recently been reported associating with the Nocturnal-Mob: A female vampire bat named Lucy."

Fingering the button once more, another image showed up on the projector's screen, this one being a shadowy outline of a smaller looking vampire bat perched on a roof. This picture also seemed to have been snapped in a very rare and rather quick moment, making the overall quality of the photograph exceedingly poor, and quite blotchy, too.

Yet still, Judy remembered all too well who the picture showed. She didn't need a roll-call to remember how arduous her fight with that vampire bat had been, at the time.

Friedkin continue her explanation;

"We don't know her last name, but intel classifies her as a night-time burglar responsible for dozens of counts of petty theft, extortion, impersonation, and grand larceny. She is also the primary suspect for the recent arson attack, at Precinct One. She currently has a search-warrant on her, but so far, nothing useful has been produced from it. Her true relationship to the Nocturnal-Mob is largely unknown, for the most part, but we can speculate that she has allied herself with them for standard crime-business benefits. Both bats are believed to be responsible for a large string of rodent murders, with the victims completely drained of their blood. Considered as highly dangerous mammals."

Clicking a button on her little handheld device, Major Friedkin then changed the slide to the next subject. Nick was glad to see his old enemy's visage blink away for good.

What came up on the proceeding slide looked to be a grinning mugshot of the very same tasmanian-devil that he and his partner Judy had gotten to know oh-so well in the Deciduous-District. It was difficult to forget that wide, confident smile, the jet-black fur braided with wooden beads, and the wild look buried deep in his burnt-orange eyes.

"Iluka Rombahe," The polar bear steadily began. "Recently apprehended in the Woodlands by our very own ZPD officers, Judy Hopps, and Nick Wilde."

She briefly gestured to the bunny and fox, who both nodded and waved politely, before continuing her presentation on Iluka Rombahe and his particular line of work;

"Currently serving a life-sentence in Zootopia County Prison. He's a charismatic, yet hot-tempered archaeologist-turned kingpin that got his money out of extorting ancient marsupial-tribe artifacts from his homeland of Outback-Island. When that wasn't enough, he turned his attention toward the mainland, and eventually got himself caught."

Nick recalled all too well the debacle that Iluka had forced him and Judy through. The entire district had nearly collapsed in on itself, thanks to that devil's reckless drilling.

"Thankfully, we don't have to worry about him anymore, now that he's behind bars again. Precinct Five over on Outback-Island has reported a sharp drop in criminal activity, lately, no doubt in part due to Iluka's imprisonment. Without their poster-boy leading the charge, they all just seem to lose motivation. All the better for us officers, at least."

Friedkin clicked on the button again, and everyone watched as Iluka's grinning mugshot disappeared, only to be replaced by another, this one being of a familiar pangolin.

"Here we have Shahaz Pholmok, more commonly referred to as The Stinger, due to his interrogation methods involving live scorpions. A brutal pangolin with a penchant for racketeering and high-class fraud. The most infamous scheme he developed was the former shell-company of Sahara-Square Sundries, which funneled black-market goods across district borders. Many of his scales were sharpened, turning him into a living weapon. _Also_ recently brought down and imprisoned by one Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps."

Judy thought back to how that nasty pangolin had cut up her paw pretty badly with those sharpened scales of his, during the tussle in his desert warehouse, all those months ago. She still had the scar from it, though it was quite faded, by now: Just a thin, white line stretching across the length of her palm. She was glad that he was behind bars.

Major Friedkin's booming voice moved on to the next criminal on the line-up. When she clicked her button, Shahaz's mugshot disappeared, and a number of family portraits of what Judy assumed to be Mr. Big showed up on the screen. A brief pang of guilt swelled up within her chest, thinking back to her own ties as a Godmother to that shrew.

"Mr. Big. Fiercely loyal to his allies, and notoriously terrible to his enemies. Infamous for his execution methods involvin' the dunkin' and drownin' of his victims in ice-cold water. The results ain't pretty. Tundra-Town is his territory, and he is Precinct Two's biggest threat! His mob gets its money through extortion, hard favors, and real estate. Many fine officers have lost their lives to this sleazeball. Alongside him and Fangpyre, there is only _one_ more crime-lord still out and active on the streets of this city. _Him_."

When Major Friedkin pressed on the button one final time, an image taken from a distance of a heavy-set, spotted jaguar flashed onto the screen. A large, black overcoat obscured most of his features, and on the top of his head nestled a clean fedora, the bowl of which was wrapped in vines. From the looks of the image, it appeared as though his likeness had been photographed in the middle of some unsuccessful, late-night ZPD stakeout. He was the one crime-lord that Nick and Judy had yet to meet, or even see.

"Al Catpone. Jaguar, from the Rainforest-District. This guy's got a massive hold on Zootopia's drug market, and controls it with an iron fist. He's peaceful, for a crime-lord, at least, with the lowest officially documented murder count on record. That doesn't make him any less dangerous, though, so be warned, those who are assigned to Precinct Four, once your days at the academy are over. Intel portrays him to be lax compared to his associates; preferring to stay in the background and wait for his moment, rather than work offensively, like some of these other crime-lords. However, he can still be deadly when backed into a corner, and is willin' to take desperate measures for power."

Friedkin jabbed a crooked finger at the screen and shouted out loud;

"You hear that, in the back? This guy is _desperate_! That makes him _dangerous_! Don't forget that! All his buddies are gettin' locked up, and he's one of only three crime-lords left standing! It's very likely that he'll try something crazy to push back at the ZPD for costing him so much, especially this past year alone. Be on the lookout for this guy."

Both Nick and Judy knew that Major Friedkin must have been calling out the spy. She was practically challenging them to do something rash. Yet still, the two tiny officers kept quiet, knowing that this must have been part of Friedkin's plan: To intimidate the infiltrator, and dissuade them from acting out. It was almost hard to believe that somewhere in the crowd of mammals in front of them, there was a single traitor trying to undermine the efforts of the Zootopian Police Department, and the academy, too.

They may not have acted yet, but it was likely only a matter of time before they tried something. Judy made herself a mental note to pay extra attention to those around her. Nick, on the other hand, had just noticed Harlan and Mary sneak in through the door, mostly unnoticed due to the Major's fiery, attention-sucking personality. The fox watched as the two of them clambered their way to the very back of the farthest row in the lecture-hall, and take a seat for themselves. They both looked calm and at ease.

Nick smiled, believing his good work to have paid off. He made himself a personal promise to fill Harlan and Mary in on what they missed from the lecture sometime later on.

Nonetheless, when Friedkin clicked her button one more time, and the screen went black at last, she immediately resumed her explanation on the crime-lords and their work;

"Now, one thing that you need to understand about these freaks is what they have in common: That they all see themselves as business-mammals, or even as victims. They take what they want, don't play by the rules, and care nothin' for those hurt along the way, and you can be damn sure that each and every one of them has an excuse for it."

Friedkin grinned as the topic took a more optimistic route.

"However, that makes them all the more predictable, and easier for us to read. We at the ZPD are constantly monitoring the criminal activity that these mobs, gangs, and hooligans stir up, and as police officers, you lot need to be prepared to face any one of them, if the time comes! That's why I'm teaching you this: Know your enemy, because if you do, you're one step closer to beatin' them. Our very own officers Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps have gone toe-to-toe with a number of these mammals, recently, in fact."

The polar bear turned towards her smaller-sized associates.

"You've dealt with some o' them before, and know them better than most other officers on the field. Is there anythin' you'd like to add, while we're on the topic?" She offered.

Nick and Judy both stepped forward a bit, putting themselves in the spotlight of the classroom.

"Right... All of these criminals, and others like them, are very dangerous mammals, as the Major said. A few of them have been apprehended, yes, but there are still others out there. We may not know where they are or what they're planning yet, but if we stay vigilant, we can outlast them, and eventually put them in jail, where they belong."

Clearing his throat aloud, Nick himself leaned forward before adding his own two cents;

"Oh, and to clarify, it's important to keep in mind that these guys aren't unbeatable. They may have power, money, and influence, but not as much as we do. Criminals can make mistakes, become petty, careless, or too-driven for their own good, and lead to their own downfall. Sometimes, you don't even need a tranq-gun to bring them down."

"Wise words, Wilde." Major Friedkin interjected. "It seems that that silver tongue of yours can do more than just make bad jokes, after all."

The classroom stirred with chuckles at the Major's quip. Nick just shrugged nonchalantly, choosing to remain silent this time around, rather than retort.

Turning back towards the crowd of recruits, Major Friedkin then shouted out with exaggerated joy;

"Alright, that's enough worldly advice from our esteemed tutors, for now. Next on the list, I get to teach you newbloods how to properly file a traffic log!"

The entire class groaned, knowing that this meant more paperwork for them. Nick couldn't help but snicker. He then locked eyes with Judy, and grinned at her with ease. She gave him a thumbs-up, which Nick figured to be a sign of approval for his success in pairing up Mary and Harlan together. Spotting them out among the crowd, he nodded as his gaze met that of their own. The wolf nodded, and although Mary still looked a bit timid, Judy herself thought that she definitely didn't seem as nervous as she was before.

And that seemed a good step in the right direction.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, somewhere in the Rainforest-District..._

Doug watched in awe as a number of burly ocelots forced a sniveling male hyena into the medical bed behind the dirty window, and restrained his paws to the sides. He was wearing nothing but a standard light-blue patient gown, just like the ones in regular hospitals. His fur was matted and disheveled, and his eyes were wide with sheer terror.

"What is this?" The ram questioned to his captor.

"The test subject. He'll be helpin' us in our experiments. Don't worry 'bout the ZPD lookin' for him. He's homeless: No friends, no family, no life. The perfect liability for us."

Pursing his lips in disapproval, Doug stared back at the window separating himself from the frightened hyena. Doug may have been a criminal himself, but he never was a fan of violence, or at least, wasn't a fan of it when it was directly in front of him. He could see the fear and confusion in the hyena's eyes, and hear his pleas even past the glass.

When the ocelot thugs were done with him, having made sure he was fully secured, they all left him alone in the room, save for one lean panther with a doctor's facemask covering his mouth. He double-checked the restraints on the patient before performing a few minor medical examinations such as shining a flashlight in his eye, and pressing down his tongue with a wooden tongue-depressor. The hyena tried biting at him to no avail, much to the amusement of the mammals watching from the other side of the window, save Doug himself, who just kept on watching in silence. Once the doctor was done with his inspection, he gave a thumbs-up to Al before swiftly exiting the room.

Al approached the glass window before him. He tapped on the pane before leaning down and pressing a small button on the wall that Doug hadn't noticed before. A small control console popped out of the wall like a DVD player. On it, Al lingered over a few brightly colored buttons before at last pushing down on a lever, causing a slight grinding noise to fill the air, as though giant metal fans had just been turned on, somewhere above. Doug watched with fascination as a continuous plume of bright-blue gas pumped out of the rusted air-ducts in the roof of the testing room. Al Catpone smiled darkly as the mysterious gas floated down to ground level, coating the room with blue.

The hyena must have known that something sinister was about to happen. He tried to hold his breath, and for nearly a minute, he kept the air in his lungs until he could take it no more. He gasped out, and with each recovering breath that he took, more and more of the blue gas entered his system. He shook his head, not knowing what was to come. Then, something odd began to happen: The hyena's body momentarily stiffened out before starting to tremble like he was having a seizure. His mouth began to foam.

Al smiled, and then pulled back down on the tiny lever that he had first pushed. The grinding sound returned, and within a few seconds, all of the gas had been sucked up back into the ventilation chambers up above, leaving only the hyena left in the room. With all eyes on him, everyone watched intentfully as he thrashed around in his strong restraints, trying to break free. But something was wrong: His muscles clenched and his teeth gnashed in a way that no ordinary mammal's would. His eyes were glazed over, like his mind had been overcome with primal instinct. They seemed cloudy, and off focus. This hyena was not some apex predator: He had turned completely savage.

Pazzo growled so strongly that droplets of saliva fell from his clenched teeth. "It didn't work!" He shouted, which Doug thought to be so obvious to the point of offense.

The crowd of mammals watched as the savage hyena thrashed around, still restrained to the medical bed. He howled and snapped at everything around him, causing the medical bed to shake violently. The hyena quickly calmed down when he caught sight of the window, however. He then simply resulted to growling at it with wild aggression.

Al Catpone grit his teeth almost as hard as the savage animal. He pulled a walkie-talkie out of his overcoat and radioed in to the other end;

"The test has failed. Take the beast back to his pen."

The band of burly ocelots returned, this time pushing the medical bed out of the room, along with the savage hyena. The door closed shut behind them, and he was gone.

"You see?!" Al roared, pointing at the window. "Our tests haven't been working! That's why we need you, Doug: To help us figure out what's wrong with our formula."

"And why should I help you?" Doug argued. " _Especially_ after just witnessing _that_ mess?"

"You're our prisoner. We can _make_ you, if we must." Al snarled menacingly.

"I wouldn't count on it!" The ram piped out. "You hurt me, and there's not a _chance_ I'm helping!"

Catpone seemed to give this some thought. He had been hoping that Doug wasn't clever enough to realize that they needed him in one-piece. Unfortunately, the sheep lived up to his intellectual reputation. The argument between the jaguar and Doug had left an uneasy stillness in the air, yet after a few soft seconds of ease, it quickly dissipated. Al was tempted to say something along the lines of Doug being in no position to bargain, but unfortunately, he was: The Rainforest-Outfit needed his health and compliance.

"Well, we may be able to compensate you for all your troubles, then." He mused, his soft voice filling the room's previous silence. "Perhaps some money could do the trick."

Doug let loose a slight hiss of air from between his teeth. He remembered how his old partner, Duke Weaselton, had caved in to his demands at the offer of money. Now, it seemed that he was on the opposing side. He had to admit, the thought of financial compensation was definitely an appealing one. But was it worth all of this cold suffering?

"Fine. I'll help you, on the condition that you pay me back for my hard work, _and_ entitle me to future financial benefits with my creation if this thing _doesn't_ go south!"

Al looked at his men skeptically. He then shrugged before stating;

"Consida' it done. But you _have_ to make a workin' formula, understand? Fix our mistakes and make us proud, and I will _gladly_ make you the richest sheep in Zootopia."

Doug gave his own ominous smile. The richest sheep in Zootopia... Now _that_ was something that he could get used to.

"It's a deal, then." He concluded. "Besides, I suppose I'll take some pride in being able to have the privilege of altering my original formula into something even greater."

Al nodded. "That's right. Your work here will change the world."

"Can't say I'm a fan of what you're doing, but hey, if I'm up to my ego in money by the end of this, I couldn't care less what you do with the city of Zootopia." Doug claimed.

The jaguar chuckled with a villainous smirk, but behind his words laced a true, genuine tone of compassion;

"Well said. I'm glad you understand. You should know that all I'm tryin' to accomplish here is to make a better future for predators. Prey will be left unaffected. City hall is the only target: _They_ are the ones I plan on bringing down. With them gone, this city will be able to heal at long last. No harm will come to any prey species. You have my word."

Uttering a slight sigh beneath his breath, the ram took some ease in knowing that Al Catpone didn't plan on doing anything totally insane, like forcing all prey species into ghettos or camps, or eating them like fish. A plan like that just wouldn't work. He still thought that the crime-lord's plan was a total waste of time and effort, but at least he could do this without any weight on his conscience, knowing that he wouldn't be putting his fellow friends and other prey mammals into a completely nightmarish situation.

Doug then turned around, took in a deep breath of air, and shouted aloud at the small crowd of mobsters before him.

"Listen up, you mouth-breathers! I'm gonna need two things: First, I want full access to your lab and all of its equipment."

He looked at Al pointedly for confirmation.

"Done." The jaguar said simply.

"And second..." The sheep continued. "I need a blanket."

"A what?" Al scoffed.

"A blanket." He repeated flatly.

"Why?"

"Gee, I don't know, why don't you ask _him_." Doug growled, jabbing his chin in Pazzo's direction. The tayra simply snickered beneath his breath at the ram's misfortune.

"Alright, sure. Wouldn't be of any help to us if ya caught a cold, or somethin' like that." The jaguar grumbled. "Margaret! Go find something to keep him warm."

The thin margay that had been lounging on one of the nearby couches rose to her full height, stretching out her limber body before exiting the room.

"Sure, whatever." She muttered flatly as she vacated the area.

Doug then stared down Catpone himself.

"Alright. Now take me to your lab. I want to see how this drug of yours works up close."

From there, the jaguar and his henchmen took the ram to a large, hidden room positioned behind the previously seen testing room. In it, all kinds of medicinal contraptions were available, from fully operational brain-scanners to simple test tubes. Plastic pipes and vials of bubbling blue liquid not too different from Doug's old lab lined the walls, and hypodermic needles and other minor medical utensils, alongside basic chemistry equipment, was filled into every last nook and cranny that the ram could see. It wasn't exactly a clean and orderly work station, but there was definitely a lot more toys to work with than his old lab ever had. That would play to his advantage by a wide margin.

Doug may have been a prisoner, but he was happy to be able to to do the kind of work that he loved. Just about anything was better than being in that gross closet, at least.

Turning his attention towards the farthest end of the room, Doug approached a small work table that was empty save for three items: One being a single, solid Night-Howler orb, another being a glass beaker filled with extracted Night-Howler fluid, and the last being a small, compact plastic bag filled with a dark-blue gas, just like the ones that Al's minions had forced that homeless hyena to inhale from earlier. Scratching at his bare chin, a slew of questions erupted into the sheep's head. He gestured at the table.

"Explain this to me." He instructed to his captor. The jaguar took a deep breath before doing just that;

"That orb is one of the original pellets that you used durin' Bellwether's scheme. The liquid next to it is just a glass full a' the juices that we squeezed out o' those orbs. We call it the Linear-A formula, cuz it's designed to be directly injected, rather than shot through a gun with a pellet. Other than that, it's the same Night-Howler formula that you created. And as for the bag, that's the Linear-B formula: The new drug that we're tryin' to make. The compounds in it seem to work most effectively when it's in a gas form."

"Oh, so you recreated my Night-Howler formula into a purely liquid form, as well?" Doug growled in question before sighing. "All my good work exploited by fools like you."

The sheep then glared at the plastic package pulsating with the blue-colored gas. He sneered, knowing it to be the counterfeit replacement of his original creation.

"So _your_ new drug is in a gas form, unlike my original formula, which was solid." Doug spared a glance at the nearby Night-Howler orb on the table. "At least on the outside."

"Yes. We have two formulas: One, the original - liquid - that turns you savage, and one gaseous, that is _supposed_ to turn you into an apex!" Al said, clearly frustrated with it.

Doug pondered over the jaguar's last statement. "Why keep the liquid form? It's the gas form that you want, right?"

"We need the liquid form to _create_ the gas form." Catpone responded sternly. "Besides, we're planning to make some more use of it soon, at the ZPA. A field test, you see."

"The ZPA, huh? Interesting." Doug muttered before turning his attention back towards the table. "So, the liquid is your dependent, and the gas is your final product. Alright."

"You understand now?" Al asked.

"Yes, I do. Don't take me for an idiot: It's not that hard." The sheep growled. "You're taking my original formula and turning it into a gas, which explains what I saw earlier."

The jaguar nodded. "Good. So you do understand." He muttered. "That puts us one step closer to figurin' out what's wrong with it. As you saw, our gas isn't workin' right."

"I noticed." The ram said flatly. "The test-subject turned savage, instead of whatever it is that you're trying to make, here."

"An apex predator!" Al growled.

"Right, sure. So many nicknames: Linear-A, Linear-B, apex predators, gas forms, and liquid forms. Ugh. Even _I'm_ starting to lose track of them all."

Shaking his head from side to side in irritation, Doug then settled his conscious;

"Let's just keep things simple and try to refer to the drugs, in general, as Night-Howlers, alright? No need to overdo it with all the nicknames."

"Fine. Whatever." Al grumbled. "Just help us figure out what's wrong with it!"

Exhaling through his nostrils, Doug drummed his fingers on the side of the table before beginning to pace around the space of the laboratory.

"Judging from what I saw, I would guess that your drug isn't working properly because some trace amounts of the original Night-Howler formula is still in it. I know that your drug is based off of my own design, of course, so that's a given, but to be _specific_ , I'm thinking that the components that turn mammals fully savage are having an effect on whatever you cooked up in this lab. It isn't working right because it's contaminated, in other words. I also noticed that the consumption rate of your drug is exceedingly fast."

"Uh..." Donnie the tapir stifled in a timid voice. "What's all that supposed mean?"

The ram rolled his eyes before explaining;

"Meaning that after being inhaled into the lungs, it directly enters the bloodstream, allowing for almost immediate effects to take place. It might even be working _too_ fast for the counter-agents in the drug to prevent the user from turning savage! This thing, after all, is based off of my original Night-Howler design. It may be different, but it still has those particular traits inside them. Hmm... In fact, I have reason to believe that those very traits could be having a negative effect on the metabolic rate of your drug!"

"What's your point?" Pazzo snarled lowly.

"My _point_ , is that your disgusting abomination of a drug isn't working the way that it's supposed to, because a certain chemical from _my_ _old_ design that turns mammals savage is _still in it_ , and that you won't be able to keep your test subjects from going savage unless you either get rid of that chemical completely, which risks ruining the effects of the entire formula, _or_ , by adding in a new ingredient to nullify and subdue those effects: A counter-agent. And _that_ comes with its _own_ set of risks, entirely!"

"You're gonna need to explain it to us some more." Al Catpone claimed, trying to divert the tension between Pazzo and Doug. "How do we get rid of it with a counter-agent?"

Doug had to resist rolling his eyes again. He may have been impressed by how far these gangsters have gotten on their own, but it was quite clear that they all understand relatively little about the detailed workings of chemistry, even Al Catpone himself, the head of the operation. He had even heard tales about Catpone having a botany degree.

Then again, Doug didn't expect much from a bunch of crooks.

Saving his disappointment for later, the ram then formed a rebuttal to the jaguar's previous statement, all the while providing some further explanation on counter-agents;

"Get rid of it, you say? Easier said than done. You can try to graft it out, but the most effective way to negate it would be either to strengthen your existing counter-agents, if you even _have_ any in there, of course, or to add more: To find another chemical that counteracts the effects of the savage trait, and then add it to your gas formula, thus allowing its user to maintain their grasp on reality, all while having full access to the benefits of savagery. In short, you need to do some maintenance on your stupid drug."

"Once we have this chemical, you think it would allow our drug to work properly, as intended?" Al asked curiously, ignoring the sheep's last comment.

The ram nodded his head. "It's just a matter of finding out which chemical you need to _form_ the counter-agents."

"And how do we do that?"

Doug chuckled dryly to himself before answering.

"Also easier said than done. There could be thousands of different chemicals that could work or not work, each with thousands of different combinations to be added to the formula. In other words, it's like finding a single needle in a haystack the size of a mountain, and then hoping that needle interacts with your drug the way you want it to."

From there, a coyish smile grew upon the ram's muzzle.

"Lucky for you, I happen to know exactly what kind of chemical you need. I'll gladly tell you what it is and where you can get it, if you can let me go once my work is done here, in addition to all of the other compensation that we already talked about. Having some money for the job would be nice, but most of all, I'd just like to get out of here."

Some of the mobsters snarled beneath their breaths, clearly not keen on that agreement. One of them piped out;

"How do we know you aren't tricking us?"

The sheep shrugged. "I have nothing left to lose, and nowhere to go. If the chemical source doesn't work, then you're free to kill me as you so please. But it _will_ work."

Despite his henchmen's protests, Al Catpone himself seemed to consider this offer.

"Alright, Doug. You win. I will personally ensure your freedom, once this is all over, in exchange for the location of the ingredient, and your help with making it work."

"Ah-ah," The ram tutted. "Shake on it." He insisted.

Without any hesitation, Al leaned forward and took Doug's hoof within his own. The two mammals shook. Quickly letting go and wiping his palm on his pants, Doug then said;

"Excellent. As promised, I'll tell you what it is that you need to complete your precious formula: You're looking for a mushroom."

Silence encompassed the room.

"What? Are you kidding me?" Pazzo hissed in disbelief. "Mushrooms, of all things?"

"Hey now, who has the bio-chemical engineering degree here?" Doug spat back. "You?"

The tayra just growled beneath his breath, remaining silent as he averted his gaze from Doug, who for the first time since being captured, had just stood up to him.

"That's what I thought." He muttered. "But yes, you're looking for a mushroom. A small, slimy blue one. Glows in the dark. It may not seem like much..."

Doug let those words briefly sink in before continuing;

"But it contains the chemical that you need to form the counter-agent. In fact, I'm pretty sure that this same mushroom was an ingredient in the Night-Howler vaccine that undid all of my good work! If I can get my hooves on some of those mushrooms, I may be able to use 'em to reverse-engineer your new formula: Getting rid of the parts of it that are turning your test-subjects savage. With those parts gone thanks to the chemicals in the mushroom serving as a counter-agent, your drug will let you take advantage of the high without the side-effect of losing your minds. Now, if you're going to get these mushrooms for me to work on, you're first going to have to know where they grow."

Al Catpone furrowed his heavy brow. "Sounds like a plan. And where would they grow, exactly?" He inquired.

Doug remained silent for a few short seconds before turning around and staring his captor directly in the eyes as he answered his previous question.

"They grow in dark, rocky environments, typically next to glowworm fecal matter. In other words; The Nocturnal-District."

The jaguar crime-lord narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but otherwise went along with Doug's previous assertion.

"I know a guy who can help." He said before pointing to Donnie the tapir. "Get me a phone. It's time we give old Bo a call."

* * *

 _Meanwhile, somewhere in the Nocturnal-District..._

The safehouse was quiet, save for the sharp, metallic ring of a dial-up phone reverberating throughout the structure.

Despite the sensitive ears of the house's owner, it failed to capture his attention as he rested within the bed chamber.

Within the deeper confines of the room, Vladzotz hung from the ceiling, quietly reading over a fresh newspaper, his reading glasses perched carefully on the very tip of his leaf-shaped nose. He was dressed in his usual three-piece suit, minus the sleeves, of course, to allow for maximum flying capabilities. Meanwhile, across the room, his mate, Lucy Sang, was pampering herself in a large mirror fashioned to the wall. She sat with one leg draped across the kneecap of the other as she cleaned out her pointed teeth. The female's body was coated in her standard oil-black bodysuit. It was quite comfortable to wear, after all, and it never hurt to be ready for a potential sneaky escape, too.

In the mirror, Lucy examined her fangs; meticulously prodding over and picking at them with her talons. She pulled out a minuscule, fleshy chunk of something - probably a piece of skin leftover from her last meal. She adored the taste of blood, though with every bite that she administered, there was always the chance of something getting stuck in her teeth along the way. It was just a fact of life as a vampire bat. Most of the vampire bat civilians survived off of donated blood, but Lucy always preferred it fresh.

Tossing the bit of mouse skin into a nearby garbage can, Lucy then took an even closer look at the inside of her maw.

One of the pointed teeth in the back of her mouth had gotten loosened out from her fight with that rabbit officer, Judy Hopps, back in the heart of the Deciduous-District. As Lucy recalled, she had taken a rather hard blow to the jaw with the butt of a tranquilizer gun. The vampire bat growled beneath her breath. Just thinking about that bunny was enough to make her mad. Judy had managed to land some pretty solid hits during that fight, which Lucy could admittedly admire, but the fact that she had also knocked loose one of her teeth was enough to cement the bat's hatred towards her. She promised herself that she'd be feasting on that rabbit's blood, one day. One day very soon.

Choosing not to dwell on what bothered her for very long, the female bat diverted her attention away from the mirror and over to Vladzotz, who hung silent and still from the roof. Leaping off of the stool and waltzing over to him, she admired the thin, dark fur on his face before leading her gaze into his ear canal. She furrowed her brow in disgust.

"Vladdy, have you been taking care of your ears?" Lucy asked as she scratched at those of her mate's with her sharp talons.

"Yes, dear." The male bat replied, clearly invested in his newspaper.

"Oh yeah?" Lucy questioned sassily. "Then what's this?"

She then dipped two of her fingers into Vlad's ear canal before pulling out a small white parasite from within. She displayed it in front of his face to let him get a good look at it before popping it into her mouth and chewing on it. For as much as blood was a staple part of the vampire bat diet, munching on the occasional parasitic insect didn't hurt.

"You've gotta keep up with this stuff, Hon. As tasty as these things are, I don't want to have to be pulling them out of your ears all the time." The female bat chided.

Vladzotz chuckled to himself. "You're right. My apologies. I've just been very invested in my work, these past few days. There's been little time for such trivial pleasantries."

"Trivial? Maintaining a healthy appearance is far from trivial, Vladdy. I'd say you're a pretty fine specimen, as is, but I don't want to be seeing any more parasites, okay?"

"Very well. You have my word." The male promised. "And I must say, you're looking quite fine, yourself, too." He wooed, eyeing her lithe body up and down from his perch.

Having been grooming herself for the past half-hour, Lucy easily succeeded in attracting her male counterpart's full attention. She liked it when she had his attention.

Before Lucy could respond in full, there was a sharp knock on the door that separated the bedroom from the outside hallway. Lucy sneered, the moment having been ruined.

"Come in." Vladzotz called out, mild irritation tracing his voice.

At that, one of his criminal henchmen, a portly raccoon, opened the door and peeked inside. "Sir! There's a phone call for you." He claimed.

Vlad briefly locked eyes with Lucy, who shrugged before casually gesturing towards the door.

"Yes, thank you. I will be there in a moment." The male stated.

With that being said, the raccoon excused himself from the chamber, leaving the door open for his master to follow shortly behind. Vlad then hopped down from his perch.

"How 'bout we continue this later, huh?" Lucy mused before puckering her lips and mockingly blowing him a kiss.

The male bat chuckled lightly. His mate always had been one for sultry gestures paired with frequent teasing. Yet still, he nodded his head in agreement to her last question, causing his female counterpart to grin mischievously before shooing him off and out of the bedroom. Clearing his throat aloud, Vladzotz recomposed himself before making the journey to the nearby library, where an old dial-up phone had been set up for calls across city districts. He wondered who had the purpose of making one at these hours.

Once he entered the library, he approached the phone, which was currently being handled by the same raccoon that had notified him of it in the first place. Handing the old phone to his boss, the raccoon then scampered out of the room, leaving Vlad alone and to himself, with his only company being the mammal on the phone's opposing end.

"Hello?" He initiated with ease.

From the other side of the line, Vlad heard a deep and sleazy voice break out. "Ey, Bo. Long time no talk."

Vladzotz snorted. "Alphonse. It's been a while." He acknowledged. "This wouldn't happen to be about those counterfeit shippings I sent you the other week, would it?"

"Nah, don't you worry 'bout that. They all arrived on time." Catpone claimed. "I'm here for something special, you see."

"Special, hm? Pray tell, what could be so special enough for you to call me at this hour?" The bat inquired.

"My boys an' I got a new drug cookin' up here in the rainforest. Night-Howler based. It's gonna make a _lot_ of money for us. Might even use it to cause some troubles for the city government, too. Sound appealing? It still needs some tweakin', and a few new ingredients to get it just right, mainly a mushroom that only grows down where you live."

"Yes. So?"

"So I's was wonderin' if you could pick a batch of 'em for me, and bring them here to the Rainforest-District?" Al requested.

The bat's left eye twitched. Irritation started to build within him. He may have been Al's associate, and a friend, however loose, but he was certainly not his errand-boy.

"I am a criminal mastermind, and one with a busy schedule, at that!" Vlad exclaimed with annoyance. "I am not going on some... Some _truffle-hunt_ for you!"

"Then find someone who can! Send one of your lackeys, or maybe even that girlfriend o' yours. She likes takin' things that aren't hers, right?" Al hissed. "She'd be perfect."

Vladzotz sensed the animosity in the jaguar's voice. He was tempted to hang-up on him for bringing up Lucy, but instead chose to play that topic to his advantage. He stated;

"Alphonse, I am sorry that she stole some of your finances, but that was many years ago, and she's long since decided to put her clandestine talents to better use, working alongside myself. I can ask Lucy to retrieve some of these mushrooms for you if, in turn, you promise to refrain from holding any more judgement against her from now on."

The other end of the line was completely silent to the count of five.

"Fine." Al spoke at last. "I promise. I'll also give you a few vials of my new formula, when it's finished, as a token of my appreciation. Good stuff?"

"I'll hold you to that, you know. Having a sample of whatever kind of drug that you're brewing up could be most... _Salubrious_ , for the Nocturnal-Mob."

"Uh... I don't know what that word means." The jaguar mumbled.

Vladzotz rolled his one good eye. For as smart as Al was, he definitely didn't have a very diverse vocabulary.

"It means beneficial to a person's health or well-being." The bat replied. "And what could be more salubrious for my men and I than having a chemical weapon at our disposal?"

"That's the spirit, Bo!" Catpone exclaimed happily. "I promise to send you a dose as soon as it's ready."

"Excellent. And I, in turn, shall send Lucy to retrieve your special ingredient, and then deliver it to you right away."

"Thank you, Vlad. I knew I could count on ya. You can find the mushrooms growing next to, uh, glow-worm droppings. They're small, slimy, and blue. Good luck."

From there, the two mammals exchanged farewells before hanging up and ending the conversation for good. Vladzotz paced out of the library before returning to the privacy of the bedroom where he and Lucy had been relaxing together earlier. When he arrived, he immediately spotted her; still examining her fangs under the light of the mirror.

"Lucy, my dear," Vladzotz began. "I have a new mission for you. Could you track down some mushrooms growing in the glow-worm deposits for Alphonse Catpone?"

"Huh? And why would I do that?" She grumbled.

The male bat sighed. He had had a feeling that Lucy wouldn't jump on the wagon instantaneously. She did, after all, quite despise Al Catpone. But still, he chose to explain;

"Apparently, he's making some ridiculous new version of the Night-Howler formula that plagued the city some years ago, and he needs some rare mushrooms for the final ingredient. I'm not precisely sure what he plans to do with this potential concoction of his, but he did say that he plans to use it to cause troubles for the city government."

The female bat pursed her lips, as though the plan sounded mildly interesting to her, but she still kept her eyes narrowed in dissatisfaction. She voiced her own thoughts;

"I like a bit of anarchy as much as the next mammal, but that overgrown kitten is gonna have to offer something extra special if he wants _my_ help! I'm still peeved that Iluka got captured by that stupid bunny cop and her foxy friend before he could fulfill his end of our deal, so I'm not about to jump in on some new operation without good reason."

Vlad's ears lowered a bit. He could tell that Lucy wasn't feeling up for the mission, at the current moment, likely because her last one had resulted in some major setbacks.

If he was going to get her help with this new mission, then he'd need to coax her some more.

Approaching her from behind, Vladzotz carefully draped his pointed claws on Lucy's shoulders as though he were about to give her a neck massage, and then calmly stated;

"I understand that what happened in the Deciduous-District wasn't of your highest favor - that your fight with that rabbit left you injured, and that Iluka Rombahe was imprisoned before he could repay you for your work with him - but you shouldn't forget that said work has left every criminal in the city with an unpayable debt to you, my dear. Even me. Who knows what would have happened to us if the ZPD had managed to acquire the full usage of Ratsputin's extortion archive before you had destroyed it?"

The bat-lord carefully drummed his long talons upon Lucy's collarbone.

"As I recall, you even promised Alphonse that you'd burn all of the information that they had on him, even though you do not like him. Perhaps, if you were to help him one last time, you may very well be able to hold him against your _own_ leverage. He already owes you a near unpayable debt, as I said. Why not let him sink down even further?"

Lucy made a slight _hmm_ sound from within her throat, contemplating her mate's attempt at compromise. She _did_ find it both intriguing and rather flattering, as well, that Vlad was putting herself ahead of his old friend. It made her feel better, even if her tooth was still aching. To know that Vlad put her before that irritating cat was reassuring.

"That does sound appealing." She admitted. "But it isn't enough for me. Not after last time."

"Understandable. However, did I mention that Al has promised the two of us a gift for our troubles?" Vladzotz mused.

"What kind of gift?"

Vladzotz gave her a fanged smile. "You said you wanted something extra special, yes? How does a dosage of Al's new Night-Howlers sound to you?" He asked.

The female's large ears perked up at her mate's previous notion. Her eyes lit up with shining intrigue, as they did whenever she realized she could acquire something new.

"Really, now? That's more like it." She said, all the while thoughtfully tapping at her chin. "I bet it'd be worth a lot of money!"

"Indeed." Vlad concurred. "And it can be all ours, if you simply pick a few mushrooms for Al." He finalized, sensing her about to give in. "So... Do we have a deal?"

"Hmph. Not exactly the most harrowing job, but I'll give it a shot." Lucy concluded, at last, much to her mate's approval.

"Grand." The male bat stated. "I'm sure that once Alphonse enacts his plan, there will be plenty more opportunities for you to claim, both from him, _and_ the city of Zootopia."

"Yeah! Like getting even more favors to make up for losing Iluka's!" Lucy said with fervor. "And whatever fun kind of chaos arises from Al's plan!"

She then whirled around and lept off the stool to her feet, straightening out her back and rising to her full height, even though she still stood a few inches smaller than Vlad.

" _And_ plenty more blood to sample, too." Vladzotz added with a wicked grin etched across his muzzle. "As I know you particularly enjoy."

Lucy licked her lips hungrily. "Ooo, sounds exciting! I can't wait!" She exclaimed, bouncing up and down excitedly.

Vladzotz smiled, happy to see his mate's usual exuberance returning to her in such quantities. He had a feeling that good, if not a tad bit chaotic opportunities were to arise from Al Catpone's plan, and if said opportunities were enough to keep Lucy herself from getting bored or unmotivated to do what she loved, then Vladzotz was all for it. The male bat watched as his female counterpart recomposed herself, calming down and then proceeding to cock her hips to the side and allowing herself to sport a rather sly grin.

"What's on your mind?" He asked curiously.

"Oh, just thinking about how I'm gonna get you back for draggin' me into this. I have a few ideas." She claimed in a sultry voice. "Maybe we can try 'em out tonight."

Vlad laughed. "Whatever you wish, dear." He stated chivalrously. "But now is not the time for idle talk. There is planning to be done, if your next mission is to be a success!"

From there, Vlad stepped back and made his way out of the bedroom, beckoning with his long black claws for Lucy to attend him. The female bat just sighed with indignation, her moment having been ruined again, though not without a slight smile tugging on the edge of her lips, for she knew that she'd be able to snag him all for herself later on.

"Such a spoil-sport." She muttered to herself before following after him, all the while steeling herself for next assignment.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **We haven't seen much of Vlad and Lucy in a while, have we? Truth be told, I had no need for them until now: They've just been going about life until Al showed up, though I'm sure you noticed how I made sure to recount Lucy's fight with Judy, which many of you ranked as your favorite action scene in the story in one of my older public polls, as I recall. It's one of my favorites too! Seeing these characters duke it out for dominance was quite entertaining, especially since one has the moral high-ground while the other, well, just plain doesn't. Point is, I couldn't just let that scene go unmentioned, since it was, after all, the last time that we've seen Lucy. Given that the story is coming to a close eventually, I can promise you that this won't be the last time that we see of any of these characters, and that each of them will play important enough roles in the upcoming finale and the proceeding chapters.**

 **Until then, I sure hoped that you enjoyed what they had to say and do this time around!**

 **So, to all my reviewers out there: What did you think of Friedkin's new lesson, Doug's secret work alongside Al Catpone, and Vlad and Lucy's new scene? **

**I'd love to know your thoughts on it all! Alongside that, if any of you reading this have yet to Favorite/Follow this story of yours, I'll have you know that you are more than welcome to do so, if you'd like. All new readers and reviewers alike are greatly appreciated! Oh, and one last thing: Like the flower that the original Night-Howler's are based off of, the mushroom that the antagonists are looking for, of course, does not really exist. I'm no chemist, but I figured it would be fitting for a new make-believe component to be introduced to the make-believe drug, not all too different from the flowers in the original movie.**

 **Just thought I'd point that out, at least. You'll be learning more about them soon enough.**

 **One last announcement: I'd like to point out that although the last two chapters have been pretty focused on Al's plot, the coming chapters will focus much more on Nick and Judy's work at the academy, and what comes after. There's gonna be some fun new stuff to experience, I can promise you all that much.**

 **Anyways, that's just about all that I've gotta say for now, really. Thanks for reading, truly, and do stay tuned for the next chapter, comin' your way soon!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


	99. To Each Their Own

**Got another quick music suggestion to pair along with the second scene of this chapter, taking place over in the Nocturnal-District, for those interested.**

 **Call of Duty Black Ops 2 - Hidden (Soundtrack OST)**

 **A very fitting addition to a very tense and atmospheric setting. Feel free to check it out, if you'd like. Without any further ado, let's jump right into this.**

 **Enjoy...**

* * *

"To each their own." - Cicero

* * *

1:00 P.M

Three days after the lesson on the various district crime-lords at the Zootopia Police Academy, Nick and Judy still had much to teach to their temporary subordinates.

In the present, the lapin and vulpine officers watched over the class of recruits as they enjoyed their one-hour lunch at the academy's mess-hall. It was a noisy affair, with lots of bragging and arm-wrestling matches across the board. The two officers even had to work together to quell the beginnings of what could have turned into a nasty food fight. Major Friedkin managed to put a stop to that quickly enough, though, threatening any potential would-be food-fight initiator with the punishment of severe bodily harm.

Despite all the hard work that they had been putting in over the past month or so, it was clear that many of the cadets still needed some lessons on proper dining etiquette.

All the while, Nick kept a close watch on two mammals in particular: Harlan O'Conall, and Mary Ewever. He had noticed that both wolf and sheep alike had begun to sit with one another during lunch, and spend their free time studying for police policy exams and even practicing sparring lessons together, too. It seemed that Harlan had taken the little sheep under his wing, and took Nick's advice on giving her self-defense lessons in exchange for help with studying and other academic-related activities. Wherever Nick saw one, he also saw the other. They seemed a good match for eachother, as Judy had once mentioned to him, with each mammal playing off the weak points of the other.

Nick was quite pleased with himself, in having managed to convince the pair to give eachother a shot. Seeing them working together so well only made him feel even more confident about his social skills. Harlan had been a bit of a tough nut to crack, at first, but once he had opened up to Nick, the fox had all that he needed to know how to convince his wolfish counterpart to stick up for his fellow academy recruits. It was nice to see that all of the mammals involved left the situation with beneficial outcomes.

Sparing a glance over at Major Friedkin, who stood beside him to his left, an idea suddenly came to him. The fox then singled out Judy herself from across the open space of the mess-hall, helping a piggish recruit pick up the contents of a lunch tray that he had accidentally knocked over onto the floor. He smiled slyly to himself, recognizing an opportunity for even more benefits to both he and Judy, and Harlan and Mary, as well. Besides, Nick had figured that he'd spent enough time watching the recruits, and not enough actually conversing with them. He had learned a lot about Harlan, but had never truly gotten to sit down and meet Mary, yet, and the exact opposite applied for Judy.

Guess there was never a better time to idly chat with another mammal than over a meal.

Nick turned towards his superior. "Do you think that Hopps and I could take a quick seat with a few of the cadets, if that's alright?" He asked her nonchalantly.

The polar bear stared down at the smaller fox from beneath the brim of her baseball cap.

"Sure, knock yourselves out." She grumbled. "We still have thirty minutes left to burn, anyways."

"Alright, thanks Major. I love ya, I owe ya!" He stated, shooting her a few exaggerated finger guns before making his way towards Judy.

Rolling her eyes, though not without a slight grin of amusement, Major Friedkin simply turned her attention towards the other recruits, intent on sniffing out any potential troublemakers. The fox himself continued his short journey, that was, until he finally reached Judy, who was still helping to pick up after the pig cadet's unintended mishap.

Nick leaned down and plucked up the last remaining item from the floor - a bright red apple - just as Judy herself was about to pick it up. He let out a brief huff of air from his mouth onto the fruit's hard surface before rubbing it on the shirt of his officer's uniform, effectively cleaning it of whatever it had picked up from its time on the grimy floor. Grinning wide, he offered the apple to Judy, who returned a silent smirk of her own before returning the apple to its previous owner, who then scrambled off to find a new seat.

"Thanks for the help, Slick," Judy started. "But I'm pretty sure you didn't come all the way over here just to help me clean up that guy's mess. What's on your mind?"

The fox couldn't help but chuckle.

"Ah, you know me so well, don't you?" He mused. "Truth is, I thought I might let you know Harlan and Mary over there are lookin' like they could use some company."

"So you want to go talk to them?"

"Something like that, yeah. What do you say?" Nick asked in clarification.

"Sure! It'll be fun." The rabbit exclaimed. "I'm tired of standing around waiting for more food-fights to happen, anyways. Let's do it."

Nodding in agreement, Nick and Judy together then approached the table where the aforementioned wolf and sheep were sitting by themselves, their lunches mostly having been eaten, and their only company being a few small books that Mary must have stacked on the table, likely for further studying purposes. Upon reaching the table, Nick and promptly tapped on its surface in an effort to garner the attentions of the two mammals sitting before it. Both Harlan and Mary looked up from their meals and at the fox.

"Hey there, you two." He began with an easy smile. "Mind if we join ya?"

"Not at all." Mary said. Harlan simply nodded in agreement. He definitely wasn't the wordiest mammal in the world.

At that, Nick and Judy then seated themselves at the table, the both of them occupying one side while their two subordinates occupied the other.

"So, how have you been keeping up with your grades, buddy?" Nick asked the wolf, who raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "I noticed you seem to be studying some more, no?"

Harlan allowed himself a minuscule smile. "More or less. It's not exactly my forte, but if it helps me with those tests you give out, then I can't complain."

"That's good! Putting in the extra effort to achieve something great is what we're all about, here at the ZPD." Judy added.

The bunny then turned towards Mary, across the space of the table between them.

"And what about you?" She asked with a mote of intrigue to her words. "Have your athletic activities with Harlan gotten any easier?"

Mary smiled sheepishly, which must've come easy for her, considering that she was one. "Not really, no. I suppose I _am_ getting the hang of it a bit more, though." She said.

"That counts for something, at least." Nick stated. "I was never the best at that kinda stuff either, but it's definitely good to keep up with."

Judy snickered to herself. "And when was the last time _you_ actually went to the gym?"

"I went there with Harlan no more than three days ago, remember?"

"You just went there to pick him up."

"True, but you gotta be more specific with your words, Carrots." Nick advised. "Someone choosy like me might cherry-pick them."

"Oh, you know what I meant. Dumb fox."

The two officers shared a laugh amongst themselves, with Harlan and Mary watching intently all the while, taking note of their banter and apparent chemistry with eachother.

When they had finally recomposed themselves, the ewe took to expressing her gratitude to her superiors;

"I just want to thank you two for introducing me to Harlan. He's been a real help these past few days, and I bet I'll be whipped up into shape in no time!"

The wolf nodded, and then added his own comment;

"And I wouldn't have been studying these past few days, either, if it wasn't for Mary. Thanks to you, Nick, I was able to get outside my comfort zone."

Both bunny and fox simply smiled at the gratitude bestowed upon them by their two subordinates.

"It's our pleasure." The latter insisted. The former then added;

"Yeah. You two seem to have made some great progress on your own. Just don't forget to keep up with Major Friedkin's lessons, too! You don't want to fall behind on those."

"Officer Hopps here can be pretty tight on the rules, sometimes, huh?" Nick mused, elbowing his partner. "Don't mind her being herself. Though, I do apologize for my wife."

Judy rolled her eyes. "Could you not be so public about that during working hours, Nick?" She requested.

"Aw, and why not?"

"It was hard enough to deal with Chief Bogo when he first found out we were dating... Almost lost our jobs. Can you please at least _try_ to be a bit more professional?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Nick teased. "Instead of wife, would you prefer _special mammal_ , then, or perhaps _significant other_?" He quipped, emphasizing with air quotes.

"More like significant annoyance, in your case." Judy grumbled, though not without a slight smile tugging at the edge of her lips.

"Ouch. I'll get you for that."

Mary just blinked as she stared back and forth between her bantering superior officers. "You two are weird." She said flatly.

"I personally prefer the term well-balanced." Nick stated.

Harlan chuckled gruffly. "So how did you two meet, anyways?" He asked with an undertone of curiosity to his words.

Knowing Harlan, Nick figured that he must have been genuinely curious to have bothered asking in the first place.

Both Nick and Judy instantly turned towards one another; locking eyes and seemingly sharing a million thoughts between themselves at once.

"It's a long story." The two of them said in unison.

* * *

10:30 P.M ; _Later that night..._

It felt good to be back in business.

Lucy Sang had never been a fan of spending her idle time waiting for fresh opportunities to come to her. She much preferred seizing them for herself!

Flying high above the Nocturnal-District, she surveyed the land down below: Rocky buildings, shambling factories and mining facilities, and a vast network of flat stone roads twisting in between, connecting them all. It had always been a place of industry and negligence. Above her head was easily a much better sight to behold; the vast cavernous ceiling of the underground district glittered with millions of tiny glow-worms, their soft blue light reflecting across the chunks of assorted crystals embedded throughout the rocky dome, creating a swirling display of color that never failed to shock any visiting surface-dwellers. After all, few would expect a place with a reputation for crime and squalor like the Nocturnal-District to be so surprisingly colorful and vivid. It was nothing that Lucy didn't see on a daily basis, of course, but she couldn't deny it was beautiful.

Beyond that vividness lay much disgust, however. As enticing as the light from the glow-worms were, they themselves produced a constant mess to look after.

Although much of the sticky blue residue that they produced simply clung to the ceiling like vines of slime, vast amounts of it fell to the cavern floor far below, where it quite often needed to be cleaned up before it began to congregate. Much of it was collected in vats used for refining and other oil-based products that could be extracted from the fallen gunk. Because of the value of such a potential market, the facilities that created these products were off-limits to the public, and hidden away behind barbed fences.

To Lucy herself, though, it wasn't a challenge: She could simply fly right over them, and enter the property without so much as a trace to leave behind.

Landing behind the fence, the vampire bat touched down on the rocky floor. Around her, large vats of bubbling blue liquid, glow-worm slime, lay exposed like open pools. Her objective was simple: To collect a sizable batch of the mushrooms that grew around the deposits, place them in the bag that she had brought with her, and transport them all the way to the Rainforest-District as contraband, all without being caught. Easy enough. That jaguar had promised a good reward for completing a mission so simple, and Lucy was more than willing to put in the effort to do what she loved: Stealing things that weren't hers. Although she had been reluctant to engage in this particular mission, at first, her good business partner and mate, Vladzotz Fangpyre, had managed to convince her to give it a shot. He always seemed to know how to get her in a better mood.

Staring over the vast, bubbling vats of glow-worm residue, Lucy reminisced to the first time that she had met Vlad: When she had stolen his silver locket right out from under his nose, and gotten herself chased throughout the Nocturnal-District because of it. She remembered how she had managed to trick her male counterpart into ensnaring himself in the sticky glow-worm vines that hung high above in an effort to put a stop to his pursuit. It had worked magically, with Vladzotz getting himself quite stuck, and thus allowing Lucy to tease him unabated. She had even taken the opportunity to drink some of his own blood, soon after. The female bat snickered to herself. She liked to affectionately refer to that whole altercation as their first date, even if Vlad had been practically trying to kill her, at the time. A good first impression, if there ever was one.

From there, their relationship had blossomed over time, becoming closer and more affectionate, and now, here they both were working alongside one another so often that they practically shared the same roof. Lucy didn't mind, of course: Despite being a free-spirited thief, she enjoyed spending time with him. It made her feel more complete.

Before meeting Vlad, most of her work had been freelance, and of her own accord: Steal a jewel for herself here, gather some scandalous information for an employer there, and so forth. Almost whatever came to her was worth pursuing if it meant acquiring more money, power, or was just plain fun to do. These days, she worked alongside Vlad, which was a much bigger role than just being a professional thief: Working beside a full-fledged crime-lord with their own criminal syndicate was definitely a big step upward.

She may have been a part of his mob, but past it all, Vlad still gave her the freedom to do other things that she loved, such as freelance missions for different employers. Her recent work with Iluka, where she had to burn the ZPD's evidence archive and fetch that old sword before delivering it to him in the Deciduous-District, and now her current mission for Al Catpone, were two good examples. It gave plenty of spice and opportunity to her existence, and being able to share it with Vlad made it all the more enjoyable.

In the now, Lucy realized the potential of getting this job done for Al. She knew firsthand just how much money he had laying around, and if his promise of an additional gift, as Vlad had said, was true, then there was no time to waste! She intended on gathering what she needed and leaving before anyone noticed, and so, began sneaking around.

The vats of glow-worm residue were ringed with bushels of tiny blue mushrooms. They glowed in the darkness of the nocturnal atmosphere ever so slightly - Letting off a weak blue tinge, not too different from the many glow-worms that clung to the cavern ceiling high above. Lucy figured these to be the mushrooms that she was looking for.

Leaning down to pick one up, Lucy's leaf-shaped nose scrunched up in irritation as a smell suddenly hit her. The glow-worm vats themselves didn't exactly have the most enticing aroma, but this new scent was far worse; like a chunk of flesh marinated in a mix of sewage and pepper. She deduced the mushrooms themselves to be the source.

They may have been small, slimy, and blue, just as Vlad had said, but he never mentioned anything about them having such a powerful odor! Lucy made herself a mental note to chew him out later for not warning her beforehand. Quelling the urge to gag, she picked as many mushrooms as she could; creeping around the edges of the nasty glow-worm deposits and selecting several dozen choice toadstools before placing them in her bag. Being as slippery as they were, due to the residue that coated them, the female bat had trouble gripping them, at first, and the build up of not only the weight of the mushrooms, but the slime that coated them as well was starting to make her bag surprisingly heavy. She knew that she could only carry so many before her flying abilities were hampered due to the excess load, and so, made sure to wrap up her errand.

Just as she had finished gathering what she deemed to be the perfect amount of mushrooms, her sensitive ears twitched in detection of someone moving around nearby.

"Hey! Who are you?" A voice suddenly shouted out. "This is a restricted area!"

Whirling around and facing the noise's source, the vampire bat spotted a pair of badgers in police uniforms - likely officers from the Nocturnal-District's Precinct Six - running towards her with flashlights and tranquilizer guns clutched in their big meaty paws. The bright beams emanating from their flashlights were trained on her like dual spotlights.

"Crap!" Lucy hissed to herself.

She then quickly slung the bag of mushrooms over her shoulders before taking to the air. The added weight of the mushroom sack briefly stalled her ascent, but as she beat down her powerful wings over and over again, she quickly managed to gain some considerable altitude over her pursuers. Sparing a brief glance down at the two badger officers, the vampire bat took note of the tranquilizer guns that they were now pointing in her general direction. She knew that just one hit with those would spell her defeat.

"Stop flying!" One of the badger officers yelled.

Flapping around in the air, Lucy began a series of evasive maneuvers just as a pair of feather-tufted darts whizzed directly past her, with one just narrowly missing her upper shoulder. She flied as erratically as she could, if only to lower the chances of getting struck with another dart. As the officers down below reloaded their ammunition, Lucy then focused on putting as much distance as she could between herself and the scene. Besides, now that she had enough mushrooms, she figured that the second part of the plan could begin: Delivering the mushrooms to Al Catpone in the Rainforest-District. She saw another two darts swish past her, but grossly far below their intended target.

The vampire bat allowed herself a triumphant cackle, for she was now out of range of the officer's tranquilizer darts, and virtually home-free, for the most part.

Now, all that was left to do was to drop off her precious cargo at her employer's assigned rendezvous point, which happened to be the jaguar's secret jungle facility. Recalling where the place was located, the vampire bat let out a slight groan of displeasure, remembering that it was all the way out in the very heart of the Rainforest-District, which by wing, was a considerably sizable journey. Lucy just sighed, figuring that such an endeavor would at least prove a decent workout for her. Alongside that, it definitely didn't hurt to get out and stretch her wings, every once and a while. Being a free-spirit of her own accord, such adventures were always a cherished part of the vampire bat's life.

Her and Vlad would even occasionally take casual flights around the city's various districts, just to get out and enjoy themselves. Even criminals had to take it easy, sometimes.

Flying up the long and slanted tunnel that led to the surface-world, Lucy dodged over a few vehicles as they followed the road leading to the depths of the Nocturnal-District, before at last breaking free from the underground and shooting up towards the moonlit sky above. She let loose a cheer of pride in her efforts; stretching out her wings as far as they could reach and then shouting aloud to the starry dome above her head, before swiftly recomposing herself and putting her primary focus on the long journey ahead.

"Alright!" She cheered to herself. "Time for the real fun to begin."

As she recalled, the underground entrance to the Nocturnal-District, which she had just cleared a few seconds earlier, was positioned several short miles from the northern border of the Rainforest-District. Below that and to the south was Savanna-Central, of which she reminded herself to steer clear of, since the officers at Precinct One likely still had a search warrant out for her head because of her arson attack at the ZPD's Head-Quarters. Letting that situation blow over by staying away from the Downtown area for some time was a given. Besides, her current mission only required her to stop by the Rainforest-District, so that was definitely a plus: The officers there were competent and thorough, and they likely had their eyes peeled for her as well, since all of the precincts must have been at least somewhat notified of her criminal likeness by now, but thankfully for her, the dense woods and dark, shady atmosphere of the Rainforest-District would provide the perfect amount of cover for a mission as clandestine as this one.

And to Lucy herself, secrecy was a priority. Even though the ZPD knew of her break-in at the archive and her tussle with that rabbit officer in the Deciduous-District, they still didn't know anything about her appearance and routine, which was all that she needed to be able to effectively avoid them. Having the ability to fly away from most sticky or tricky situations was a huge plus, too. Paired along with her and Vlad's vast underworld resources and connections, there was little chance of her getting captured or cornered by the police anytime soon. That much she had faith in. And so, the female bat felt free to be able to do just about whatever she wanted throughout the city with confidence, even if she did have to remind herself to be more cautious when in public, if only to avoid arousing suspicion. Having a good plan for a potential escape didn't hurt, either.

Nonetheless, Lucy steeled her mind on the task ahead of her, recognizing her latest new mission as her latest new priority.

After about twenty minutes of flying over the rolling grassy cliffs that stretched between the entrance to the Nocturnal-District and the border of the Rainforest-District, Lucy finally managed to reach the district of her intended destination. After crossing over a sizable body of water, and weaving through a perimeter of trees, she at last entered the jungle district. Towering trees of wood and steel reached towards the stars, with the dense, leafy canopies high above concealing the majority of the nighttime sky. Not that Lucy cared, though: It would allow for a much dimmer lighting, and in turn, a more advantageous place of work for herself. Yet still, past the shadows cast from the canopy above, streetlamps and other sources of artificial light were all around; nestled in the nooks of trees, hanging from branches on higher levels above, and standing erect as poles on the forest floor down below. She made herself a habit of avoiding them whenever they obstructed her flight path. She figured it better to be safe than sorry.

Echoing around her in the deeper darkness, Lucy often heard the sharp clicks of other bats - likely fruit-eating species, since they were common in the jungle district - as they went about their own duties at this hour of night. High above her head, she would occasionally see one flap by, but otherwise didn't come into physical contact with any other mammals on her journey. She flew ever deeper into the depths of the jungle, dodging around bundles of vines and sprinklers spewing streams of water to hydrate the copious amounts of vegetation that grow around the towering mammal-made structures. The chirping of insects filled the air, and the sound of nighttime traffic emanated far below.

However, as she gradually closed the distance to her final destination, a new problem began to surface.

Lucy's little excursion with the badger officers from earlier had reminded her just how thirsty she really was. All this flying around didn't exactly help, either. Figuring that she still had some wiggle room in her schedule to fit in a brief drink before delivering her cargo to Al Catpone, the vampire bat dipped her wings down and begun to glide lower and lower through the jungle's misty treetops, eventually flapping just a few dozen feet above the forest floor. She hid her sack of mushrooms in a groove between two thick vine branches about half-way up the length of a tree, intent on coming back for it once she had found a meal. Below, she surveyed the winding black roads that meandered through the massive trees for something to sate her ever growing thirst. She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth a few times, making use of her echolocation abilities before quickly managing to hone in on a lone target trudging through the foliage down below: A male rat making his way along a small sidewalk that stretched in and around the roots of a nearby banyan tree. The vampire bat moistened her lips in preparation for the coming hunt. Her heart began to beat even faster in fervid anticipation.

She then quietly flapped lower to the ground, closing the distance between herself and her target. Her hunting grounds were completely dark, save for the occasional green street-lamp illuminating the area just below it, and the soft glow of the moonlight as it trickled through the foliage in the treetops high above her head. Aside from herself and the unsuspecting rat, it seemed that no one else was around. Perfect. The only greater thing that Lucy could have wished for was for her prey to be a mouse: They were small enough to suck dry in a few gulps like a juice-box, and as such, were her favored type of prey. Rats were still small, but were much bigger and stronger than any old mouse, and because of that, Lucy often avoided drinking from them. She preferred tinier, weaker rodents to feed off of. But alas, her thirst for blood was overpowering, and she had no intention on wasting any more time trying to find a different target; Especially not when one was so easily accessible, just waiting to be pounced on from behind.

Besides, she couldn't deny that she liked the occasional challenge: A decently sized rat might be able to put up a good fight for her. The one that she surveyed down below was about half her size. Still a small mammal, but large enough to be a worthy contender. He was dressed casually, and had a pair of earbuds stuck deep into his ear canals, occupying his sense of sound. The bat grinned with glee. Those things would make it almost too easy for her to get the drop on him! It was almost amusing to think that in this modern day and age, a prey mammal had so little reason to worry about being hunted by a predator that they could divert the very senses that kept them alive and alert in prehistoric times toward other things, such as phones and music. It was a cruel irony to think that those senses wouldn't be able to save the rat from his hunter, this time.

Lucy snickered softly to herself in amusement. This would be quite the feast, indeed.

With her stomach growling lowly for attention, demanding sustenance, Lucy decided that it was finally time to initiate the hunt. Grinning wide with excitement, she flapped down even lower and positioned herself atop a leaf large enough to hold the weight of a fully grown rabbit. Peering over the edge, she made sure that the coast was clear one last time before at last beginning to approach her target. Carefully hopping from one ginormous jungle leaf to another, the vampire bat closed in ever closer with each leap.

Once she reached the last leaf, she launched herself forward and dove towards the rat as fast as she could, flapping her wings a few times to increase her speed all the while.

As silent as a knife piercing flesh, Lucy's body collided with the rat's, causing the two mammals to be flung forward and off of the sidewalk, away from the revealing light of the nearby street-lamps, and into the dark foliage off the course of the concrete pathway, where no one could see them. The bat's sudden impact against the rat's body had completely knocked the air out of his lungs: No scream escaped from his mouth as the both of them tumbled down a small hill and deeper into the depths of the rainforest.

When their combined momentum had finally come to a halt, Lucy planted one of her palms against the rat's mouth, preventing him from making any further noise. Her sharp, polished black talons squeezed against the side of his face, and the flaps of her wing on the corresponding arm covered a big portion of the rat's body like a leathery blanket.

Using her ankles, Lucy pinned down her prey's lower body as best she could, and with her free arm, pressed one of the rat's wrists into the forest floor, immobilizing it. Much to the vampire bat's convenience, the rat's other arm was stuck beneath the side of his body, and with Lucy's added weight keeping him from pulling it out from beneath him, he would be unable to use it to defend himself. It was the perfect position, with Lucy having all the control while her prey was stuck helpless beneath her. She grinned wide.

"I was just passing by, and I couldn't help but notice you all by yourself. I figured you could use some company... _I_ could use a little something to drink."

From beneath Lucy's grip on his mouth, the rat tried to let out a scream of disapproval, but otherwise found himself near completely mute, thanks to the grip of Lucy's paw.

"Sorry sweetie, but we can't have anyone interrupting us, now can we? Just be a dear and try not to move around so much... I need to find a good vein."

The rat squealed out as loud as he could from between Lucy's clenched fingers, trying to squirm away before she shifted her weight some more, pinning him down for good. Fear filled the rat's beady little eyes as Lucy leered down at him, her fangs bared in a smile. She licked at her teeth hungrily, all the while relishing in her prey's look of terror.

"Cute!" Lucy cried with delight. "You'll taste delicious!"

And at that, the vampire bat lunged down and sank her fangs deep into the rat's neck. She immediately tasted blood; That warm, salty flavor washing against her tongue as it seeped from her prey's body and into her waiting mouth. Lapping it up greedily, she continued to drink from him for a few short moments, satisfying that sense of thirst that had been ailing her ever since she had first left the Nocturnal-District, that was, until a sudden swell of noise filled her eardrums, effectively earning her fullest attention.

Annoyed, Lucy glared up toward the top of the nearby hill. It sounded as though a pair of mammals were walking down the same side-walk that this rat had been a few minutes earlier. Perhaps a pair of late-night joggers, tourists, or something of that sort. Below her, the rat tried calling out to them with what little volume he could manage.

Turning her attention back towards her prey, the vampire bat narrowed her eyes in irritation.

"Hey!" She hissed quietly. "Shut up already!"

Just as Lucy was about to divert her gaze to the passing mammals again, she felt a light force smack her upside the head. It wasn't that painful, but it was hard enough to disorient her a fair bit. At first, she thought that those joggers or whatever they were must have found her and came to help out the rat, but there were no voices nor was there the sound of leaves ruffling and crunching beneath anxious feet. Instead, Lucy was greeted with another strike, this time to the side of her head, causing her to yelp.

Staring in the direction of what had hit her, she suddenly realized that the rat beneath her must have been using his tail to defend himself. Lucy had completely forgotten about his tail, and from the looks of it, the rat had too, since he hadn't bothered trying to attack his captor with it before now. With her head momentarily disoriented, Lucy nearly lost her grip on the rat as he wriggled around, nearly freeing one of his arms and slipping out from beneath her. His tail smacked her once again directly on the face.

"You stupid little-!" Lucy growled, cutting herself short before readjusting her position in an effort to halt her prey's sudden movements. "Stop squirming!"

The two mammals thrashed around for a bit, struggling as the rat tried to wrestle off his captor. A small stream of blood was dripping from the piercing that Lucy had made in his neck, but he didn't show any signs of being weakened because of it. Thankfully, though, after a short while of struggling, the rat eventually tired himself out, and seemed to give up; His eyes closing and body going limp. Lucy prodded his face with one of her talons. The rat's heart was still beating, but he was seemingly unconscious, likely due to having fainted, or perhaps even blood loss. Whatever the case, Lucy herself was just glad to be able to finally finish her meal in peace. She glanced around, making sure that nobody was watching, and then resumed her feeding. She drank her fill without any further interruptions, and then abandoned the rat, still groaning in his fitful slumber.

Lucy returned to the place where she had stashed the mushrooms, and much to her relief, found them there, still sitting snug and untouched between a bushel of vines.

Content with her efforts, she retrieved the cargo before resuming her previous mission. She had no watch with her, but reasoned that there was still enough time left on her schedule to make it to Catpone's compound and back to the Nocturnal-District without much trouble. Taking a brief detour to feed hadn't been part of the plan, sure, but it was worth it, in her eyes. Vampire bats needed consistent sustenance to stay alive, and although Vlad let her drink from him occasionally, and his own henchmen offered up samples of their own blood as payment, Lucy couldn't deny how much she enjoyed the thrill of hunting for her own meals. There was just something about it worth pursuing.

With her craving quenched at last, though, she could now turn her full attention towards finishing the mission at hand.

Continuing deeper into the depths of the Rainforest-District, Lucy soon entered the deepest part of the jungle. Here, the vegetation was denser, the atmosphere darker, and the bustling night-life far less abundant. Below her flight-path, the female bat could spot seedy-looking mammals including wolves and raccoons shuffling through the streets.

Eventually, she reached the designated rendezvous point: A large steel balcony jutting out from the trunk of a massive tree. Through holes in the many branches, Lucy could see dim lights flickering and hear voices moving about on the inside. A slight mist had developed around the vicinity, fogging up the area. She doubted that this was the true head of Al Catpone's criminal empire, but whatever this hideout was, it definitely didn't seem like the kind of place you wanted to wander into by accident, that was for sure.

The bat noticed a lone mammal watching her near the edge of the big balcony. He appeared to be some sort of weasel species, possibly a tayra, and had most likely been out waiting for her arrival. As Lucy touched down on the balcony, she slung the bag of smelly mushrooms off from her shoulder and stared down at her weaselly greeter. He was dressed in a wrinkled, too-large pair of black slacks with a white button-up and suspenders wrapped around his collar. A few pink scars etched along his face, and his black fur was greasy and matted like an oil cloth. Lucy wasn't surprised that Al had sent one of his lackeys to pick up the mushrooms for him, rather than make the trip on his own.

"Well, aren't you a pretty one." The weasel muttered, eyeing over the vampire bat with a pair of hungry eyes.

Lucy was unimpressed.

"Save it, creep." She growled, making sure to show off her bloodstained fangs as a warning. "I'm just here to deliver these to your stupid boss."

With one paw on her hip and a flat expression across her face, she tossed the bag of mushrooms to Pazzo, who caught it without flinching. The bat then continued;

"And don't forget to tell him that he owes me one for this! He'd better cough up that reward he promised sooner or later, or else he'll be sorry."

Pazzo laughed dryly, and cracked a yellow, toothy grin of amusement. "I like you." He stated with a slight chuckle. "I'll be sure to remind the capo of his vows."

"Good. Hop to it. I'm outta here."

At that, the vampire bat pushed herself up off of the ground with a hard gust from her wings, and began to fly away, intent on returning to the Nocturnal-District. Along the way, she grinned smugly to herself, imagining what it would be like to tell Vlad the tale of her latest adventure. Pazzo quietly watched as she flew off and into the treetops of the branches high above. He then stared down at the plastic bag full of mushrooms that Lucy had thrown his way. Opening it, he took a whiff of their scent and recoiled back.

"Sheesh, these things reek!" The tayra hissed, resisting the temptation to throw the bag as far away from himself as he could.

Choking back his disgust, he slung the bag over his shoulder like a heavy backpack, grumbling, before making his way back into the depths of his boss's secret compound.

* * *

 **Hey Everyone!**

 **This latest chapter of ours sure had a lot with Lucy, didn't it? Truth is, I did plan to have another scene with Nick and Judy at the academy, and a new scene with Doug and Al in this chapter, but since the chapter was starting to get a bit too big, I decided to split it up and place those particular scenes in chapter 103. Nonetheless,** **I did have a lot of fun writing it, as it was neat to give Lucy some more screen-time, especially since we haven't seen her in a long while, bar the previous chapter, of course. Indeed; this latest chapter was designed to shed some light a bit more on the villain's perspective as they work for their own goals, all the while having that quick scene at the academy up above, to provide some aftermath of what happened last chapter. Advancing the plot little by little behind the scenes, it seems that everyone has their own goals, huh? This latest update of ours may have been a rather Lucy-focused chapter, this time around, but I figured it would be fun to see some more with her. Sort of a short solo adventure, just so we can see what she's up to, and how it plays in to the story's coming events, which will be quite pivotal. You'll see.** **I hoped you enjoyed what this new chapter had to offer all the same.**

 **Other perspectives will be explored in the coming chapters, though. You'll see!**

 **And don't worry, you'll be getting plenty more content involving Nick and Judy as they work at the academy in the coming chapters! You may even be getting a scene with Bogo and the other chiefs in one of the upcoming chapters as they do their own jobs, as well. Whatever the case, just know that you can expect a lot more scenes at the academy with Nick and Judy before the next phase of the seventh story arc begins at last! In fact, after the next chapter (103) is released, it'll be nothing _but_ the good guys for a few chapters, before some new things start to kick off. ****I can't wait to make it happen. Do stay tuned!**

 **Until then, I thank you for reading this latest chapter. If you haven't already, do feel free to Favorite/Follow this story of ours! I would appreciate that very much. Really helps with the motivation, as you might suspect. And as for my reviewers out there; What did you think of Nick and Judy's brief talk with Harlan and Mary at the beginning? And what did you think of Lucy's new solo scene, and all that came with it? I'd love to know your thoughts on it all!**

 **Anyhow, that's all I've got to say for now, really. Again, thanks for reading, as always, and do stay tuned for the next chapter!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: That quote up there by the Roman philosopher Cicero is actually the shortest quote in this story to date, believe it or not. I figured it a fitting choice, along with the title, since the corresponding chapter deals with the perspectives of both the good guys and the bad guys as they strive to accomplish their own goals.**


	100. State of Affairs

"Reputation runs behind the current state of affairs." - Mason Cooley

* * *

8:00 P.M ; _Precinct One, Savanna-Central_

Mulling over the stack of paperwork at his office's desk, Chief Bogo couldn't escape the distracting thoughts that ailed his mind.

Bogo had hoped that sending Nick and Judy off to the Zootopia Police Academy would be a blessing in disguise: A way to allow them both to at least temporarily escape the wrath of their most potentially dangerous critics - some of the other city police chiefs - and to subsequently prove themselves to their persistent detractors once and for all.

After all, if anyone could show the next generation of ZPD recruits how to be good cops, it would be those two. Plain and simple.

But still, the thought of the spy trying to undermine their good work at the academy was a discomforting one. When the water-buffalo had first came to the realization that there was a mole at the academy, he admittedly had had trouble believing it himself. Yet still, all the evidence recovered from the archive was about as compelling as it got.

Bogo could only hope that his two best officers would stay one step ahead of their enemies, and deliver justice to those in need.

A slew of knocks at the door severed the buffalo's train of thought. Glancing up from his paperwork, Bogo stared down the door in front of him before calling out;

"Come in."

The door swung open, revealing a gruff-looking old coyote standing in the hallway just outside. His lean body was wrapped in a beige-colored police officer's uniform, and he sported a thin bullet-vest on his torso for extra protection. A red bandana was tied around his neck, and the top of his head was capped off with a dusty brown cowboy hat.

"Chief Latran." Bogo stated flatly. "What an unexpected surprise."

The coyote's eyes narrowed beneath the brim of his hat as he tipped it down in a gesture of greeting. "Chief Bogo." He simply acknowledged as he walked into the room.

Compared to Bogo, the coyote was downright small. Yet still, he held his head high and back straight, and carried himself into Bogo's office with an astute aura of confidence.

"I hope you don't mind the surprise visit, Thelonious, but I came here to address some important matters with you. Precinct Three needs your collaboration."

"On what accounts?" Bogo inquired.

Jesse shut the large door behind him before locking eyes with the water-buffalo. "The academy's." He claimed ominously as he approached Bogo's office desk.

"This is the first time in half a decade that you've visited me personally rather than phoning in." Chief Bogo noted. "What could be so important at the ZPA to have gotten y-?"

"The spy, for one thing." Chief Latran interjected, causing Bogo to cease his speaking for a few seconds of tense silence between the two high-ranking officers.

"I wasn't aware that you knew." He muttered quietly.

"Of course I knew." The coyote spat. "Precinct One isn't the only branch of the ZPD tied in to academy intelligence briefs. _All_ of the district chiefs received word about the spy."

"Yes, I know, but I just figured that you would have... Brought it up sooner."

"Why, because I've been gunnin' for yer two best officers, and you think that I'd jump at the idea of a spy in the academy because it puts the blame on them?" Latran guessed.

Bogo nodded in confirmation, causing the coyote to sigh bitterly. He then continued;

"I don't like officer Hopps, _or_ Wilde, and think that they're a danger to the peace of this city, but even I recognize that this excursion is beyond their own influence: That they weren't the ones that up an' started it. The true blame falls on whoever sent that darn double-agent in the first place. And as a matter of fact, that's why I came to you tonight."

The coyote tugged on his bullet vest before reaching into the space between it and his button-up ZPD uniform. He then pulled out a slightly wrinkled manilla envelope, twisting it around in his wrist before leaning forward and dropping it on Bogo's desk for him to see. The water-buffalo slid the item closer to his side of the desk, and examined it carefully. The dark-yellow envelope had a large stamp in bold red letters on it that read ' _CLASSIFIED INTEL'_ , and had been packaged in a discreet way, suggesting something risky inside.

"What is this?" Bogo rumbled.

"Documented evidence from Precinct Three. We may have unintentionally got our paws on some info relating to the spy. The other night, a routine patrol over in Sahara-Square nabbed a shipment of narcotics that was being smuggled in from the Rainforest-District's border. But these weren't just any usual old street drugs... They were Night-Howlers."

Bogo's eyes widened. "Night-Howlers? That's preposterous!" He thundered. "There haven't been any sightings of those drugs since the crisis ended nearly four years ago."

Latran scoffed. "Well, clearly, someone's been makin' 'em again, and it ain't hard to guess who." He growled irritably.

The water-buffalo nodded. "Al Catpone."

"That lily-livered jungle-cat's been shippin' whole packages a' these things into my district right under my nose. Disgraceful." Chief Latran spat.

"How much was there?"

"Not a lot: Just a few of those little blue orbs that were used as bullets back in the day, but there were enough to turn at least a dozen mammals savage. The truck that was carryin' 'em got pulled over on a broken tail light. Dumb driver couldn't keep his cool, and tried to get away. My officers made short work a' him. When we busted open his backseat, a whole bag a' Night-Howlers just slipped right out. The driver was a low-rankin' street smuggler, so we couldn't get much info out a' him, but the fact that he was ferryin' around Night-Howlers, of all things, across district borders doesn't exactly spell luck for us. Like you said, this is the first time we've seen any Night-Howlers in years."

"And you think that this is somehow connected to the spy at the Zootopia police academy?" Bogo asked.

Chief Latran nodded grimly. "Thas' right. Can't be much else. This whole thing reeks of conspiracy, an' I don't like it one bit. Somethin' big is comin' our way."

Bogo narrowed his eyes as he opened up the manilla envelop with his hooves and extracted the paper documents from within. He briefly scanned them over before saying;

"You were wise to bring this to my attention, Jesse. Thank you."

Latran's gaze flitted to the side. "Since the whole spy situation down at the academy is real hush-hush, I decided to drop this off to you personally." He claimed.

"A good choice. I appreciate your assistance, and I'll be sure to notify Major Friedkin, and tell her to keep on the lookout for anything suspicious at the ZPA."

"She's been doin' that already, though, hasn't she?"

"Indeed. So far, there hasn't been anything worth looking in to. Whoever the spy is, they're playing their cards slowly and deliberately."

"Smart a' them to do so." The coyote added. "Whatever they're plannin' must be dangerous."

"That's putting it lightly. The first Night-Howler sighting in nearly four years, and coming just off the back of the news on the spy. You were right to be suspicious."

Shaking his head slightly from side to side, the coyote chief of police gestured to the envelop with his left paw. "You take good care a' that evidence."

"I will." Bogo declared. "I'll ensure that from now on, everything relating to these state of affairs are treated with the utmost amount of care and precision."

"Well said. I have faith in your abilities. With that all taken care of, I best get back to Precinct Three, now."

At that, Chief Bogo watched as his desert counterpart turned tail and began to pace off towards the nearby door. He unlocked it before pulling on its weight, and then halting.

"Oh, and one more thing, Thelonious," Chief Latran added. "Your two precious pupils may not be the cause of this whole spy situation down at the academy..."

The coyote opened the door to the office before glancing over his shoulder and locking eyes with Chief Bogo.

"But if they don't keep said situation in check, as ordered, and let chaos strike at the ZPA; then we may just have to seek further retribution for their inadequacy."

Straightening his back and furrowing his brow, the water-buffalo leaned forward in his desk as he directed his coming words with unbreakable pride and conviction;

"I'm sure my officers will keep the situation under control. Hopps and Wilde are the best that the ZPD has to offer. If anyone can handle it, it's them. I promise you."

Chief Latran blew a stream of air out through his nostrils. "I hope so." He muttered bitterly before turning towards the exit. "Goodnight, Thelonious."

Bogo could have sworn that he saw true optimism in his counterpart's eyes.

"Goodnight, Jesse." Chief Bogo stated, all the while watching as the coyote officer vacated his office and closed the door behind him in his wake.

Sighing deep, the water-buffalo leaned back in his chair. It had been a long enough day already, but this latest new development was definitely the icing on top of the proverbial cake. Sparing another weary glance down at the classified manilla envelop that Chief Latran had delivered, Chief Bogo could only wonder in silence what this meant for his city.

* * *

1:00 A.M ; _Somewhere in the Rainforest-District..._

For near of five hours straight, the ram labored over his hard work, stopping only to take short breaks for water and momentary rest every half hour or so.

With a blue blanket wrapped around his wool-free body and a yellow hazmat suit around even that, Doug silently mixed two flasks of colored chemicals together, intentfully watching over their immediate reactions. Satisfied with the new concoction, he then turned his attention to the sack of slimy blue mushrooms sitting on the table before him.

When Pazzo had returned with the mushrooms needed for the new formula, all the while ranting about their rancid scent, Doug had allowed himself to take a small amount of gratification in knowing that their horrible smell had caused discomfort to the tayra and his fellow mobsters. He figured it was the very least that vile creature deserved for shaving off all of his beloved wool. At the thought of his once illustrious fleecy coat, the ram couldn't help but sigh and tenderly rub at the cold skin hidden beneath the layer of hazmat fabric on his neck. The blanket helped, but it was a far cry to what he once had. Being able to watch his criminal captors squirm was his way of biting back at them, however small, even if he _was_ still helping them in their efforts to make a new and improved version of his own old Night-Howler formula. That much he couldn't help.

Still, knowing that his good work wouldn't go without reward was all the motivation that he needed to continue it.

A scream of pained rage echoed from somewhere behind Doug, effectively derailing his train of thought. He would have thought that he'd get used to the test-subject's cries of protest by now, but each time that poor hyena let loose a bellowing roar of anger or torment, the ram couldn't help but cringe with distaste at the ramifications of his work.

The hyena test-subject had been used continually as an experimental base for each new concoction of the ram's formula, and so far, each one had ended in failure, with the test-subject simply turning savage over and over. Al's mobsters had somehow managed to get their paws on a hefty supply of Night-Howler vaccines, and so, after each new setback, they would convert the hyena back to his normal state before prepping him to relive the experience again and again until they got it right. Admittedly, even for a mammal like Doug, who hated predators with a passion, the whole ordeal was disturbing to him. He hoped to be able to make the new formula work each new time, if only to prevent the hyena from suffering any further. It was almost ironic that Doug, the same racist individual who had helped to ignite the Night-Howler pandemic all those years ago, was starting to sympathize with a predator in distress. He didn't like what Catpone was doing here, but if it meant ending the torment, then he was willing to cooperate.

Besides, the promise of both freedom from the mob and financial compensation after his formula was complete definitely didn't keep the ram from stalling with his work.

However, his task did not come without challenge. Not only was it difficult to work with the gas, as it was surprisingly volatile, but the airy nature of the substance made containing it both a prominent and arduous priority. Doug was all too used to the liquid attributes of the original Night-Howler formula, and so, working to properly exploit a gaseous substance, especially one as potentially dangerous as this one, proved a slow and difficult endeavor. Directing the bright-blue gas through different curled tubes and enclosed plastic sacks, he carefully extracted a new dosage of the stuff before siphoning it into a small consumable bag of air no bigger than an apple, of which was tightly connected to a rubber gas mask, in order to allow whoever consumed the gas to keep it to themselves. The process was similar to how he used to extract the liquid residue from the Night-Howler flowers in his old savage formula before putting it into the orbs that he used as bullets, the biggest difference being that this new stuff was gaseous, and instead of orb-shaped bullets being used to administer the drug, gas masks would provide all the same applications of consumption and usage for his brand new formula.

Apparently, the mobsters believed that the new formula would work better in a gaseous form rather than a liquid one, which Doug could understand. A gaseous form would allow for its consumer to feel the effects of the drug much faster than a liquid one. Even though the gas was more difficult to work with in the lab, the advantages couldn't be denied. Besides, Doug had no intention on altering what the mobbies had made too much, if only to prevent them from getting upset with him. All that he was supposed to do was to make the new formula work by getting rid of the leftover components in it that had turned Al's test subjects completely savage, rather than into an apex predator.

Once he had all of the ingredients down, it was a surprisingly simple process: Add the mushroom extractions that Al had acquired from the Nocturnal-District into the new gas formula bit by bit, and let the natural counter-agents in them work their magic to subdue the leftover savage chemicals. Once that was done, all that was left to do was to quarantine the new and improved gas, extract it into a clean environment, and then test it out. Staring over the final product of his work, Doug couldn't help but feel proud.

Even if he was helping a bunch of sleazy mobsters, that was.

Now all that was left was to test it out. Holding the bag and gas mask in his hoof, Doug sighed before unseating himself and making his way out of the lab and to the nearby testing room, which was positioned just a few yards down from the connecting hallway. At the far end of the corridor, he locked eyes with a burly ocelot mobster, watching over him with a sneer on his face as he unlatched the metal door from its bolts before swinging it open and entering the testing room. Doug tried his very best to ignore the ocelot. He knew that Al had ordered armed guards to constantly keep watch over this section of the underground facility, if only to prevent Doug from trying anything tricky. He had no intentions on escape, for he knew that it was impossible. His best strategy was to simply follow orders as best he could, and to await the judgement of his captors.

Still, the idea of so much security just for someone like himself was unnerving. It was clear that the Rainforest-Outfit and its mobsters really didn't want him to leave.

Inside the testing room, Doug came to sight with the instigator behind the experiments that the mob had been conducting here in the secret compound: A pure-black panther who simply went by Doctor Schwarz. As Doug recalled, it was he who had first brought the hyena test-subject to the room for experimentation, and was also the one that had prepped him for the experience by performing a medical examination beforehand. The doctor was tall and startlingly thin, especially for his species, and adorned himself with a long and billowing white labcoat, completely clean and spotless, and standing out in stark contrast to his midnight-black fur. His paws were wrapped in black rubber gloves, his eyes were obscured with laboratory goggles, and his mouth was covered by a light-blue facemask, exactly like the ones that surgeons and nurses used in real hospitals.

Unlike a professional doctor, Schwarz seemed to take nothing but delight in his torturous experiments with the hyena test-subject. From what Doug had gathered, he was a full-fledged member of the mob's syndicate, and one of Al Catpone's trusted lieutenants, along with Pazzo the tayra and Donnie the tapir. Doug did his best to memorize all he could about the Rainforest-Outfit's most prominent members, for he knew that if he was ever to see the light of day again, and were to report to the ZPD, then he'd need all the information he could spare. Doctor Schwarz was almost as sadistic and cruel as Pazzo himself, but seemed to be able to keep himself cool and controlled much better.

That wasn't to say that Doug liked him, though. The doctor gave off a cold sense of authority that never failed to give Doug the shivers in his spine.

"I've got good news, doc." The ram began slowly, ignoring his instincts of trepidation. "The formula is finally done."

Doug eyed the doctor as he turned around and stared him down with eerie silence. His gaunt face was featureless and impossible to read, thanks to the mask and goggles. The ram couldn't help but notice that he held a disturbingly large syringe in one paw, and as the panther looked over his shoulder, a tiny amount of fluid squirted out from it.

Gulping hard, Doug nervously held out the gas mask for the doctor to see for himself. His goggled eyes seemed to lower themselves ever so slightly as he analyzed the item. It was difficult to tell what the panther was thinking, but Doug still noticed a slight smile pushing past his blue facemask, which he figured was a good sign. Schwarz laughed.

"Ja, you have done well, little sheep." He stated in a crisp and throaty accent. "I cannot wait to see what this formula of yours can do."

At that, the freaky panther set down his syringe before pacing past Doug and to the nearby window that connected the testing room to the viewing room. He knocked on it a few times with his knuckles. Past the glass, Doug watched as a number of other mobsters nodded and lept up from their couches, beginning to pace around and shout out orders.

Doctor Schwarz then leered down at Doug with a grin. "It is time to begin the experiment. I will be taking that now." He claimed, gesturing to the gas mask full of blue air.

Nodding, the ram walked forward slowly, closing the distance between himself and the panther, who stood with open arms just a few feet away. Doug momentarily faltered.

 _Can I really do this?_ He asked himself. _If I give this thing over to the mob, there's no turning back. There will be no one on the inside to stop them from enacting their plans._

Doug's gaze flitted off to the ground. If he wanted to, he could have ended it all right there: Dropped the gas mask onto the ground before stomping on it and breaking the container, destroying what he had worked so hard to create. The ram swallowed, tossing that rash idea from his mind. He knew that it would get him nowhere but dead in a grave. These mobsters were expecting him to finish what they had started, and there was nothing he could do. The formula was already complete, and there was no way out.

It was too late. There was _already_ no turning back.

With an exhale of baited breath, the ram handed the gas mask and container over to Doctor Schwarz, whose twisted smile grew even wider by the second.

"Good lad." He said. "Now, please vacate the testing room while I summon the test-subject for our next experiment. The capo will be expecting your presence in the lounge."

Sighing once more, Doug turned away from the panther before exiting the room, hoping that his decision was for the best. He closed the metal door shut behind him before making his way over to the nearby viewing room, or the lounge, as the doctor had so casually described it. Over his many days of working with the Rainforest-Outfit, Doug was still just beginning to pick up on mobster-speak. Still, he knew that the word capo referred to the leader of the crime syndicate, or in this case, Al Catpone himself, whom Doug was dreading to meet up with once again. The ram hated that jaguar for forcing him into this whole ridiculous turn of events, and for what he planned on using his new creation for. Doug couldn't deny that he was terrified of the potential repercussions of Al Catpone's master plan, and what could mean for the city of Zootopia in its entirety.

But past it all, the ram could understand his captor's motivations, and could even appreciate his leniency: Catpone had claimed that he simply planned on striking back at the city government as a message against their pastime of malpractice, and that he had no intentions on hurting any prey along the way, even if their own continued subjugation against predators was the reason behind this scheme in the first place. Doug could tell that Catpone meant no harm to prey, but was still wary as to the plan's ramifications.

Knowing that brooding over it would get him nowhere, the ram breathed in deep as he cleared his mind once and for all, and entered the viewing room without hesitation.

Inside, his eyes flickered over the forms of over a dozen mobsters milling about the area, with some lounging on the couches, playing cards, a few skulking in the shadows at the back of the room, and some quietly watching the window as the awaited the results of the latest experiment. Standing beside the window, Al Catpone, Donnie, and Pazzo were quietly discussing something amongst themselves. As he approached them, Doug took sight of the scene through the window just behind them: The hyena test-subject being forced into the hospital bed by a band of burly ocelots, while Doctor Schwarz stood silently nearby with the gas mask ready and at his disposal. Doug averted his gaze.

Stepping up to the trio of mobsters at the front of the room, Doug caught wind of a choice piece of information just as it left the mouth of Donnie the tapir;

"-Over at the academy. Our spy is still reporting in, and it sounds like the place will be the perfect opportunity for us to send a message, boss."

"Quiet, you idiot!" Pazzo hissed as he thwacked Donnie on the shoulder with his paw before glaring daggers at Doug. "The sheep is here."

All three of the mobsters stared down Doug as he set foot beside them.

"Glad you could make it, my friend." Catpone started, stepping forward and patting Doug on the head. "We wouldn't want you to miss out on this, would we?"

Pazzo snickered beneath his breath, and even Donnie gave his best attempt at a villainous grin. Ignoring them, Doug glared up at his jaguar captor with renewed confidence.

"Don't flatter yourself, cat. I'm not your friend." He growled. "Let's just get this over with."

Narrowing his forest-green eyes, Al then shrugged to himself before turning around and staring through the window before him. He explained;

"Your ambition does you well, Doug. I'll have you know that this latest test of ours is lookin' up to be quite the spectacle, especially if your new formula does you credit. But not all is well: Since our test-subject nearly broke a cuff when we last experimented on 'im, the doc made sure to triple the restraints, just in case he manages to break free, this time around. I'm tired of experimentin' on this hyena. We've had too many failures for my tastes, and I'm growin' impatient. Your new formula better be the real deal."

Al then leaned over and placed one of his paws on Doug's shoulder. He gripped it like a vice between his thick fingers as he uttered one last ominous warning to the ram;

"But... If this latest trial doesn't work... If we don't get the results that we've been lookin' for, this time 'round... Then _you're_ going to be the next test subject. Capisce?"

Doug was half-tempted to remind Al that hurting him would only make fulfilling his evil plans more difficult, if not impossible, but the ram ultimately decided not to stretch his captor's patience. He could tell that Al Catpone was getting even more irritated with each new setback, and that if he didn't produce results quickly, then he might get hurt.

Angry mammals didn't think rationally, after all.

"Okay, relax. Don't worry." Doug said before breathing in steadily. "You can trust me, Al. The tests have been showing progress! Something tells me that this will be the one."

"It better." Al growled. "For _your_ sake."

The sheep had a bad feeling that he wasn't bluffing.

A sudden knock on the nearby glass window caught the attentions of all four of the conversing mammals. Each one turned towards the pane and silently watched over Doctor Schwarz as he gave a thumbs in a gesture of good fortune before calmly walking over to the side of the medical bed where the hyena test-subject lay prone and unmoving. It seemed that he wasn't even trying to resist the efforts of his captors, by now. The panther doctor fastened the gas mask to his muzzle before squeezing its bag, forcing the bright blue gas up the length of the connecting tube, where it poured into the mask itself and was promptly inhaled by the hyena, who let out a whimper of uneasy anxiety.

"Moment of truth." Catpone muttered lowly.

From behind him, the large crowd of mobsters quickly quieted and stilled themselves in anticipation for the results of the experiment.

The effects were almost immediate: The hyena's breaths became more labored as he flexed against the restraints and let out a snarl of pain from beneath clenched teeth. His pupils dilated into minute pinpricks, and the veins on the thinner parts of his fur seemed to push through the skin. Doctor Schwarz then backed away and out of sight from the glass window that the other mobsters watched through. With jaws agape, they took in the sight of the hyena's muscles twisting and convulsing, pushing the limits of the restraints. Thankfully, they held him down tightly, and as the hyena's eyes darted around the room, Doug noticed that something was different about them, this time around.

His eyes were no longer glazed over, and filled with primal fury. They were laced with a sense of confusion and concern, as though the hyena himself too had realized that something was different about this new transformation. Unlike all of the other times, he had kept his sense of awareness, conscience, and reason. He had not turned savage.

"No way." Donnie murmured.

"It... It worked!" Pazzo exclaimed. "It actually _worked_!"

Sensing his bolstered strength, the hyena must've realized that he had a shot, however slim, at breaking free from his prison. He roared with anger and pulled so hard on his restraints that Doug thought that he was going to dislocate an arm. The doctor's extra medical restraints, however, held him fast, even if he continually tried to break them.

"Good thing we tripled the restraints." Donnie the tapir muttered timidly just as one of the restrains popped off, causing him to seize up and whimper with fear.

"This is it, my friends!" Al Catpone then exclaimed triumphantly. "Behold, your new apex predator!"

The crowd of mobsters cheered at their success. Doctor Schwarz popped back out from his hiding place in the other room and clapped politely. Doug allowed himself a grin, for his hard work had proven itself to be effective, but still, deep down, he wondered if the consequences of his actions would be worth the short-term satisfaction of all this.

"It's about time." The jaguar crime-lord continued. "This new formula will be the instrument of our liberation!"

More cheers ensued. This time, Doug didn't even smile. His ears detected Catpone's coming words;

"But no great new discovery is complete without a name! Every new planet, every new disease, and every new drug deserves a good name. Ours will be no different."

This prospect admittedly piqued the ram's interests. It was Dawn Bellwether herself who had taken the privilege of dubbing Doug's previous creation as Night-Howlers, so the idea of being able to provide a name, and therefore a higher meaning to this new drug was something that he took some pride in. He was about to step forward when Al said;

"So, does anyone have any good ideas?"

Clasping his paws together, Al Catpone watched as his underlings began scratching at their chins and rubbing at the backs of their necks in thought.

"Ooo, ooo! I got one, boss!" Donnie piped out. "Feral-Dream!" The tapir suggested.

"Pretty sure that one's already taken. Drug company on Outback-Island." Al retorted before sighing. "Ugh, and it's such a good one, too."

"How about, uh... How about Midnight-Roar?" An unseen mobster somewhere at the back of the crowd offered.

"Those words are just synonyms for Night-Howler!" Catpone shouted back.

Donnie kneaded his hoofed fingertips together.

"S-Sorry, boss." He stifled. "It's difficult to come up with catchy names! A-And I'm not seeing _you_ offer any!"

The jaguar blinked a single time before glancing off to the side and scratching at his chin irritably.

"Yes, you're right... Hmm." He admitted. "Maybe, um, Ultra-Instinct?"

"Fitting, but that's probably already trademarked, boss." Donnie replied, causing Al to curse bitterly beneath his breath.

"Well, then what _should_ we call it?"

"I have an idea," Doug interjected, unamused with his captor's bickering. "Since _I_ was the one that created it, well, _mostly_ created it, anyways, how about _I_ get to name it?"

Al just waved his paw at the sheep. "Fine. Whatever. It's not like we've came up with anything better." He then leaned forward with interest. "So, what would you call it?"

The sheep tapped thoughtfully on his chin for a few seconds. He then smiled, having been struck with a brand new suggestion. "Apex-Affluent." He offered confidently.

Catpone seemed consider this.

"Not bad. With the side effects we've tapped in to, that name makes sense, but it's too tacky." Catpone stated. "Creative, but tacky. What about... The Savage Serum?"

Doug pursed his lips in distaste. His flabby snout quivered on end. "That's kinda boring." He claimed.

"Oh shut your trap, sheep, we're callin' it the Savage-Serum." Al growled impatiently before turning around and beginning to walk off. Donnie then called out with insistence;

"I dunno, boss, _savage_ just isn't the right word for it. The drug doesn't make ya _go_ savage, like Night-Howlers. _Those_ ones did. _Ours_ gives you the extra boost without the side effects of, ya know, goin' crazy and tryin' to kill everything in sight. That's the whole sellin' point, ain't it? I just don't think that the Savage-Serum is a good name for it."

Al stood in place silently, thinking over his right-hand mammal's previous statement. "Alright, fine, fine! Apex-Affluent it is." He grumbled.

"Oh, bravo, now we can start selling merchandise!" Doug muttered sarcastically. "What _I'm_ most concerned about is knowing just how long the effects are going to last."

"What do you mean?" Al questioned, turning around and facing his hostage.

"Exactly what I said. This drug of yours, like my original Night-Howler formula, targets the adrenal glands for maximum energy efficiency. It's what gives its user the sudden boost of strength, you see. However, unlike becoming a savage, I have a feeling that becoming an apex is only temporary. The adrenal glands aren't bottomless, after all, and with this new drug of ours putting them into overdrive, I have to wonder exactly just how long that you would be able to maintain the effects of being an apex before it wares off completely. This isn't the same as a Night-Howler, folks: It won't last forever. Once it runs out of power, its user would likely be severely drained, and lightheaded-"

"That doesn't matter right now." The jaguar crime-lord insisted, interrupting Doug. "We'll find that out once our test-subject here runs out of juice, won't we?"

Doug had to admit that Catpone was right about that: Having a test-subject to experiment with would be of great assistance to determining the limits of this new drug. They would be able to fully document and study the effects that the serum had on the mammalian physique, and also, just how long it would last before the host's body fizzled out.

Together, Doug and Al, along with all of his henchmen, watched their hyena hostage closely for another eight minutes before he finally began to show signs of exhaustion. His eyelids drooped, and his muscles began to twitch erratically, as they had when he was first ascending into an apex. Within half a minute's time, the hyena's renewed strength and aggression had completely vanished, and he was fast asleep in his restraints, back to normal. Apparently, Doug had been right about the test-subject losing their energy.

The ram tried to look at his watch to note the time, but then remembered that it had been confiscated when he was abducted by the mob.

Al Catpone beat him to it. "One-twenty." He announced to his associates.

"Just over ten minutes. That's the limit." Doug said.

Al Catpone scratched at his chin. "Given the resources we've had to work with, I'd say that's pretty darn good."

"But not what you're hoping for?" The ram concluded in question, to which his captor nodded.

"That's right. It's not enough." He admitted. "We need the drug's effects to last even longer. It seems your work has only just begun, Doug."

"If you want the formula's effects to last longer, then I'll need more time to work. Strengthening it even more could prove tedious."

"And I'm sure you'll manage." Catpone added. "I'll make certain that you have all the supplies and materials you need to make it happen."

"Good. So now, I should probably start synthesizing the-" Doug began, but was cut short when Catpone coughed into his fist.

"Actually, before you resume work on the Apex-Affluent, I have another, different task for you to take care of."

Doug raised an eyebrow curiously. "And what would that be?" He asked.

"Do you think you could turn your original Night-Howlers into a gas form too? I just caught wind that one of my shipments was intercepted by the ZPD, so we gotta be creative."

The ram pursed his lips. "It's possible. Might take a few hours, but I think I can get a sample of a gaseous Night-Howler dose ready for use. Why?"

Catpone smiled. "I guess you could call it a social experiment. As gasses, we're takin' both the savage and apex formulas, and then we're gonna drop 'em off at the-"

A loud bang echoed through the room as one of the nearby metal doors swung open and rattled hard against the concrete wall behind it. One of the muscular ocelot guards had stumbled through, winded, and had a horrified expression on his face. It looked as though he had just sprinted in a race, with his tongue hanging out and breaths heavy.

The ocelot then cried out to the room full of mobsters;

"Boss! Boss! It's Albert... He's here!"

For the first time since meeting Alphonse Catpone, Doug noticed a new expression of emotion overtake the jaguar's facial features: Shock.

"You kiddin' me? Right now?" He hissed in question, to which his underling nodded, causing the crime-lord to growl beneath his breath. "He's earlier than usual."

"Should I send him back outside, or-" The ocelot began, but was cut off when his boss growled once again.

"No, of course not! I'll take care of him." Catpone claimed. "Just keep workin' down here. Try not to make too much noise..."

He then pointed to Doug with one of his clawed fingertips.

"And make sure _he_ doesn't slack off!" The jaguar ordered. "I want that formula - the old savage one - processed, extracted, and ready to be packaged by sunrise! Capisce?"

All of the mobsters nodded their heads in agreement. "Yes sir!" They stated.

"And what of the new formula, boss?" Donnie the tapir questioned for clarification.

"Keep experimenting with it, to see if we can get it to last any longer. I'll be back in an hour's time. Keep the facility on lock-down until my return."

Doug simply rolled his eyes. "And where do you think you're going?" He asked Al lazily. "Who's Albert, anyways?"

Catpone ignored his hostage's questions as he took up a light jog and exited the room, not even bothering to close the door shut behind him in his wake. Quickly hustling down the grimy corridor, Al eventually reached a staircase that led up to the ground level of the Rainforest-District. Taking it with haste, the jaguar soon exited his compound from one of its many passageways, walking out from beneath the trunk of a massive metal tree that towered high above. Around him, dim lights filtered through the dense vegetation, and the sound of insects chirping into the night filled his eardrums. This part of the Rainforest-District was a dark and dangerous area, no thanks to his own work.

Parked before him was a sleek black limousine. Its opaque windows glistened with droplets of water, and the sound of raindrops trickling down from above and plipping lightly against the roof of the vehicle occupied the jaguar's sense of sound as he approached the limo, briefly halting as he reached down to unlock its door. With this momentary hesitation, Catpone took the time to exhale steadily from his maw. He closed his green eyes shut and swallowed hard, preparing himself for the pivotal experience to come.

Opening his eyelids and refocusing his gaze on the black metal door before him, Al tossed away whatever reluctance he still carried with him, and opened it before entering.

The crime-lord seated himself on the soft texture of the seat just behind the driver's compartment. A wall separated the front and back rows, as customary with most limos, with the only method of interaction between the two planes being the small, black-tinted window in the middle of the barrier. Catpone didn't see the driver, but didn't bother looking for him, as he knew that the truest mammal of importance was sitting directly beside him, in the other passenger seat at the limo's rear: A small, young jaguar cub, no more than ten years old. He was dressed in an equally miniature baby-blue suit, outfitted for his own diminutive size. He stared up at the older jaguar with curious eyes.

"Hey, Albert." Al Catpone started slowly, almost uneasily, though not without a minute grin. "It's been a while."

The crime-lord watched as the smaller jaguar broke out a smile of his own before rummaging forward from his side of the limousine and embracing Catpone in a hug.

"Daddy!" Albert cried out as he wrapped his little arms as far as he could around the older jaguar's broad torso. "You came!"

Catpone allowed his grin to grow as he wrapped his own arms around his son's shoulders, pulling him into a slightly tighter hold.

"A'course I did. I couldn't just leave you hanging."

Truth was, Catpone hadn't been expecting his son to visit him so late in the night. Still, he was glad to make the occasion, all the same.

Releasing his grip on the younger jaguar, Catpone allowed Albert to pull away and shift himself back into his own seat.

"I missed you." The cub whined.

Chuckling softly, Al removed his fedora before placing it on Albert's head. The young cub laughed in delight as the vine-wrapped bowl of the hat sank over his eyes, obscuring his vision. Using one of his meaty paws, Catpone ruffled his son's head with the hat between his thick fingers, causing the younger jaguar to giggle as he tried to push back.

"Oh, I know you did, my boy." Al claimed before retracting his arm and leaving his cap to his son. "I missed you too."

Lifting his tiny paws up and pushing the brim of the hat back, Albert's innocent eyes peered out from beneath, locking with those of his father.

"So, how's your mother been holdin' up?" Al asked with an iota of both interest and disappointment lacing his words, although, Albert failed to notice his father's bitterness.

"Mom's been great! She's getting married next week, and they asked me to be the ring-bearer! I'm gonna walk down the aisle after her!"

Catpone nodded, all the while doing his best to keep smiling for Albert. "That's great, buddy." He muttered. "Is her fiance treatin' you right?"

"Yeah! He brings me candy every time he visits!"

The older jaguar grunted in acknowledgement, but otherwise didn't reply. He was pleased to know that his old wife's new squeeze wasn't some deadbeat. Otherwise, Catpone might have had to pay him a visit with Pazzo in tow. He couldn't say that he completely approved of the thought, but it relieved him to know that his ex had moved on in life.

But now, the most important product of their old marriage was sitting right in front of him, excitedly bouncing up and down in the seats. Albert was all that mattered, now.

"Are you going to make it?" He asked his dad, who had admittedly begun to space out.

"Hm?" Catpone grunted, now focusing his full attention towards Albert.

"The wedding." The young cub clarified. "Are you going to make it?"

Al pursed his lips and lowered his head. "I'll... I'll try to be there." He promised.

"Thanks, daddy! I can't wait to see you then!"

"Heh... Yeah, I'm sure you'll make a fine ring-bearer."

"Me too!" Albert exclaimed. "They also want me to play the piano at the wedding, too. I've been practicing for two hours every day for the past four months!"

"That's awesome, buddy. I..." Al momentarily stammered. "I forgot you could play the piano."

"Mom's been paying for lessons. Didn't you get the invite to my school recital, last month?" The cub asked curiously.

The older jaguar averted his gaze in shame. He recalled receiving the invitation to Albert's performance, but never following through on showing up, because he had been busy working with his fellow mobsters on reinventing the Night-Howler formula for their agenda. By the time their work had finished for the night, the recital had been over.

"I did." Catpone spoke truthfully. "I've just been... Busy."

Staring down at his progeny, the crime-lord felt a swelling of warm guilt build-up in his chest as he took note of Albert's seemingly disappointed expression.

"That's okay... You're always busy." Albert sighed before his expression lit up. "But you can make it to the wedding, right? You can come and see me play the piano there?"

Nodding, Al leaned forward and picked up his fedora before fastening it to his head. "I will. I promise."

"Yay!" The cub squealed before throwing his father another hug. "Thanks!"

Catpone sighed, and pat his son on the back a few times before he pulled away and reclined in his seat once again.

"Do you think that after the wedding, I can maybe take some piano lessons from your friend from work?" Albert inquired. "The vampire bat?"

The older jaguar chuckled to himself. "You mean Vlad?" He asked.

"Yeah! Last time we met, you told me a story about Vlad, and how he plays the organ. You said he was really good! Do you think I can take some lessons from him?"

Al shook his head from side to side, though not without a smile of amusement over his son's naivety.

"I don't think so. He probably doesn't give piano lessons, and uh, he's probably not the kinda mammal you'd want to be friends with, either."

"Oh, that's too bad. So, he's not very nice?"

Catpone snorted through his nostrils. "Somethin' like that." He mumbled aloud.

"Is he a bully? Like the ones at school?"

Narrowing his eyes in immediate reaction to his son's previous statement, the older jaguar locked his gaze onto Albert, staring him down with cold intent.

"What did you say?"

Silence filled the limousine for a few tense seconds.

"Is he a bully? Like the ones at school?" Albert repeated, this time in a much softer and more timid tone of voice.

Catpone grit his teeth together with anger. Trying to restrain his volume, he then questioned;

"Is someone givin' you trouble?"

The younger jaguar was silent to the count of five, his legs swinging steadily off the edge of his seat.

"There's a big mean rhino calf who always pushes me off the swing at recess." He finally confessed. "He called me a chomper... What's a chomper?"

Albert noticed his father's clenched paws shaking with anger, and he sank down into his seat with apprehension.

"Are you okay, daddy?"

Shadows encompassed the older jaguar's eyes beneath the brim of his fedora. When he looked up and locked vision with his son, Albert could tell that he was quite upset.

"I'm fine." Catpone growled before swallowing hard and attempting to quell his growing rage. "What's this rhino's name?"

Albert hesitated, not entirely wanting to answer his father's question. "Francis Hornsby." He finally stated in a soft voice.

Al nodded, pleased with his son's honesty. "Well then... Maybe I'll give this boy's family a visit, sometime. Remind them to teach him some manners."

The older jaguar then turned towards his son and clasped one of his paws on his shoulder, gripping it firmly in a gesture of reassurance.

"But in the meantime, if that boy ever bothers you again... If he ever calls you that again... Don't be afraid to stand up and show him what you're made of." He stated.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm tellin' you not to let this bully push you around like that. Don't let him beat you up. Stand up for yourself and show him your strength as a predator."

"I don't think the teachers would like that." Albert said, to which his father scoffed.

"The teachers? When I was your age, I got in a fight with one of my teachers. Slapped 'er right in the kisser! They'll try to tell you how to be someone you're not, but don't let them! Don't listen to them on stuff like that. They just want you to be soft and weak, like them. If that boy hurts you again, I want you to get back up and hit him back."

"Why?"

"Because all it takes is a little fear to make a paper mammal crumble, my boy. Never forget that. This bully o' yours isn't brave. He's just used to being the biggest, baddest calf on the block. If you show him that you won't put up with his threats, then he'll back down and leave you alone. I promise you. Show 'im that _you're_ the bigger mammal."

Albert nodded. "O-Okay, daddy. I'll be strong for you."

Catpone tightened his jaw and nodded in approval. "Thatta' boy." He muttered as he ruffled his son's head, causing him to laugh out again, which in turn, caused Al to smile.

When the two jaguars locked eyes once more, a fatherly sense of peace settled upon them both. Catpone sighed one last time, and then spoke out;

"Sometimes, other mammals will hurt you just for bein' who you are. Don't let them. Show this world that you're more than what it wants you to be."

The cub nodded. "Okay, daddy." He agreed.

Al Catpone allowed himself another grin as he leaned in closer to his son.

"My boy... Albert..." He began. "I _will_ make this world a better place. I promise."

The older jaguar then pulled his son into a hug. He clutched him tight against his broad shoulders, hoping deep down that one day, his promise would truly be fulfilled.

* * *

 **Hey everyone!**

 **So, Al Catpone has a son! I figured it'd be neat to explore that idea, since we saw how Mr. Big has his own family, in the movie. Though, I reckon that Catpone prefers to keep his own son distant from his work as a crime-lord, as opposed to Big's daughter, who casually walked in on Nick and Judy as they were about to be iced, as we recall. Concurrently, I wouldn't call Catpone's own family completely ignorant of his work, but definitely not very approving of it, either, which is surprisingly typical of real-life mob families: They either don't know or don't care, because they know it benefits them in the long run.**

 **Anyways, you can be sure to know that this whole premise will serve as a fairly decent point of motivation for Al Catpone in continuing his work.**

 **Alongside that particular scene, we also got another scene with Bogo, too. There was a lot with the villain's perspective this chapter, yes, but a lot of it was important for driving the main plot forward, after all. This chapter gets its name and quote for a reason: Behind the scenes at the academy, there's a lot going on, and a lot at stake. It was neat seeing Chief Bogo again as he deals with his own problems while trying to piece together the mystery about the spy at the academy, and it was also neat to see a bit more dynamic given to Al Catpone's gang, since after all, they will be serving as the primary antagonists for the rest of the seventh arc. Fleshing them all out a bit more is a given.**

 **And besides, for the next few chapters, it'll be nothing but the hero's perspectives, I'll have you know, so be ready for plenty of more fun content with our favorite dynamic duo, and perhaps even along with Chief Bogo and his own fellow colleagues, to arrive here real soon. That's one of the reasons why the last two chapters (this one included) have been very villain-focused: Because the coming ones will be exclusively hero-focused.**

 **Rest assured, you lot will get your Nick/Judy in the next, and coming chapters. It'll be fun with more Nick and Judy shenanigans at the academy, you'll see!**

 **In the meantime, do please lemme know your thoughts on this latest chapter! I'd adore seeing a review from you. What did you think of all the scenes, from the developments at Precinct One, to what happened in the rainforest with Al's gang, and son? I'd love to know what you all think of it!**

 **Thank you all so much for reading this latest chapter update of ours. Do stay tuned for the next one, coming your way soon. :)**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**

 **PS: Did you know that the real Al Capone had a son named Albert who was bullied at school? I didn't, until recently.**


	101. Practice Makes Perfect

"Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect." - Vince Lambardi

* * *

7:00 A.M

If there were one thing that Nick wished he could learn from his wife, Judy, it would have been how to wake up feeling energized.

She had many admirable qualities, such as her unbreakable determination, fiery resolve for justice, and terrifyingly skillful fighting skills, yet past that, Nick found her ability to wake up prepared to take on the day to perhaps be her most impressive trait. He just didn't she how she could do it: How she could rise from her peaceful slumber, and practically be fully-dressed and out the door within a matter of mere minutes after setting foot out of bed. It virtually took Nick the same amount of time just to open his eyes.

And all the while, Judy would be egging him to rise and shine, pick up the pace, and shake off the chains of sloth. Talk about a harrowing morning routine.

Years of living in Finnick's rusty old van, lazily awaiting for the morning sun to shine through the windshield had molded the red fox's sleep schedule into that of one used to slow, nonchalant mornings filled with extra time for rest. Once Nick had joined the ZPD alongside Judy, however, it became clear that some habits did, in fact, die hard.

In the present, rubbing tenderly at his emerald eyes, Nick's vision blurred as he let out a yawn of weariness.

"So remind me again, what exactly's goin' on?" He asked, pinching at his brow.

"Major Friedkin wants to tell us... Something." Judy muttered aloud. "She didn't clarify, but she summoned us to her office to talk."

Nick shrugged nonchalantly. "It'd better be important, considering the time." He grumbled. "The next lesson isn't supposed to start for another hour."

"Whatever it is, if she wanted us to come and speak with her personally, it _must_ be something important." The bunny officer concluded.

"Let's find out, shall we?"

The fox stifled another yawn just as his previous words left his mouth, ultimately causing Judy to repeat the action with a weary inhalation of her own.

"Stop that!" She chided after quickly recomposing herself. "You're making me _do_ it."

"Aw, I knew you were really tired after all." Nick teased. "I mean, honestly, no one can be _that_ energetic in the morning, right?"

Chuckling to herself, the rabbit officer simply rolled her eyes, choosing not to retort as she gestured to the office at the far end of the hallway.

Nick nodded, stroking at his chin. "Yeah, I remember this place-" He made a picture frame at the office with his fingers. "-Like it was yesterday."

"How so?"

"Last time I was here, it was during my first run through the academy. I was getting chewed out by the Major for pocketing coins from the vending machine."

"That was _you_?" Judy choked, suddenly stopping in her tracks altogether.

"Don't you know who you're talking to by now?"

Judy couldn't help but grin. "Sometimes a little too much, honestly." She quipped.

"Oh, you know you love me."

"Do I know that?" The rabbit stated with a sarcastic undertone to her words.

"I think I already know the answer to this one."

The two mammals held their smiling gazes with one another for a few flirtatious seconds; eyes opposing, yet boring into one another with unabated sympathy. As it turned out, all it took was a little teasing to wake Nick up proper. Soon recomposing themselves for the coming endeavor, the bunny and fox both promptly made their way down the remainder of the hallway before reaching the front door of the Major's office. It was a hefty door, at that, and they knew they wouldn't be able to open it together, but not long after knocking upon it, their problems were taken care of as Major Friedkin herself swung open the door, and beckoned the two of them inside with one of her big black claws.

Following their superior inside without a word to be said, Nick and Judy made their way over to one of the chairs that was situated near Friedkin's large desk. The chair itself was sizable enough to comfortably accommodate the both of them at the same time. Unlike Chief Bogo's office, which was unremarkably bland, the Major's place of work was decorated like a little home away from home, even despite her spending more time out in the field training her recruits than doing paperwork in here. The cream-colored walls were lined with hanging multicolored T-shirts, likely of various college sporting teams, and there was an entire wall dedicated to framed pictures. Each one displayed a large pack of varying mammals standing in lines on a steel bleacher: Classes of academy recruits from the past. Some went so far back that they were blemished with age, and grainy in quality. Judy even managed to spot the frame from her own year at the academy, and could see her own framed replica smiling back at her amongst the crowd of recruits.

She also managed to pick out officer McHorn, Delgado, and others of similar stature. Directly to the right of her own classes's frame, the rabbit singled out the one from Nick's time at the academy, just one year after hers. She didn't get to know many of the other recruits in that class, when she went there to help out Nick in his run through, but still smiled warmly in reminiscence of the many fun memories she had garnered from her time there, such as throwing fresh blueberries into Nick's mouth whenever he completed a pull-up, and assisting him with the dreaded obstacle course. In the picture, she could easily make out her own form standing beside Nick, both mammals saluting the camera.

The sight of it all was enough to make Judy let out a dreamy sigh of content.

Her mnemonic indulgence didn't last long, however, as Major Friedkin soon demanded her full attention with a throaty cough into her balled-up first.

"I'm sure you're both wondering why I called you in." The polar-bear began.

"Yeah, that's for sure." Nick replied. "Waking up this early in the morning just for a meeting is downright cruel."

"What my partner means to say," Judy quickly interjected, glaring at her husband. "Is that we're both very curious as to the reasoning behind this summons."

The polar-bear nodded, and plucked up a mug of coffee before seating herself in her office chair on the opposing side of the desk.

"Chief Bogo called in again. Apparently, late last night, he received some info that he thinks is related to the spy here at the academy." Friedkin explained.

"Really? Well, what'd he say?" The fox inquired, his interests suddenly piqued.

Grimacing with discomfort, the polar-bear took a long and silent sip from her coffee-mug before finally answering;

"Just the other day, some of Precinct Three's officers intercepted a shipment of narcotics from the Rainforest-District: A whole batch of Night-Howlers."

"What?" Judy interjected. "Night-Howlers? Are you sure?"

"Yes, that's what he told me. Chief Bogo said that they found a bunch of those uh, little blue orb things that were used as bullets by Mayor Bellwether and her minions in their scheme. They were taken to a forensics lab, and tested positive as Night-Howlers: The first ones seen in over four years. I was instructed to notify you two immediately."

Choosing to let that statement sink in, Major Friedkin leaned back in her office chair as she took another brief drink from her coffee-mug.

"Who could be behind this?" Judy asked warily, breaking the previous silence.

Friedkin shrugged. "Bogo believes that it might be Al Catpone's doing."

"Makes sense." Nick added. "From what I've heard, Catpone practically controls Zootopia's illegal drug market. But how could he be making Night-Howlers?"

The Major shook her head from side to side.

"I don't know. Bogo failed to disclose his thoughts on that question, so we can only guess. But in the end, it doesn't matter. He didn't call to explain all the details: He called to warn us, and to remind us to stay alert for anything suspicious, here. That's our job, alongside training the recruits. We need to keep our eyes peeled. You understand?"

"Yes sir." Judy claimed. "But... Is there anything else can we do to keep an eye out for the spy?"

Friedkin seemed to consider this for a moment; stroking at her chin in thought as her eyes darted to the ground. After a few moments of pondering, she had her answer.

"I think there might be a few ways we can up our game. We don't know what the spy is planning, or when, if at all, they intend on enacting this plan, but we can take some extra countermeasures to minimize the chances of something hazardous happening on our watch. Keeping on the lookout for suspicious activity is one thing, but another possibility we can pursue is to make better use of the security cameras. I've got them on at all times, trained in every direction in every hallway and room in this complex."

" _Every_ room?" Nick asked nervously.

"Well, no, not _every_ room." The Major clarified, sighing in exasperation. "You know what I meant! It's not like I'm spying on mammals in the restrooms."

"Good, because that'd just be weird."

"Are you done?" Friedkin grumbled.

"Major, I think this begs the question," Judy quickly interjected, if only to prevent her husband from making things even more awkward. " _Have_ you seen anything?"

The polar-bear turned towards the bunny with raised eyebrows. "Anything suspicious? Not yet. Though I'm keeping a sharp eye out for anything that might qualify."

Judy nodded. "Okay. So the cameras haven't caught anything yet... But they'll definitely be our best way of tracking any sketchy activity, though."

Friedkin nodded in agreement.

"That's right. And I'll be sure to notify you if something comes up. Aside from keeping an eye out for suspicious activity, and utilizing the cameras, another way that you two can keep yourselves one step ahead of the spy is to ask around. You've already warmed up to a lot of the recruits, but you can always try to get a better read on them. Schmooze up to the recruits, if you have to. Build a profile for them. Learn everything you can about them, while not giving away anything about yourselves. Like being undercover."

Nick snorted. "Yeah, I remember our last undercover excursion. Definitely one for the books."

"So long as you keep to your teaching duties, and don't blow your cover to the spy, then I don't care you how do it. Just be careful out there."

"Aw, don't you worry, Major." The fox promised with a playful salute. "We'll make you proud, yet."

Friedkin allowed herself a minuscule smile. "That'd be a first for you, Wilde." She teased, to which Nick chuckled to himself.

"Now you're just being hurtful."

"So, Major," Judy piped out, hoping to keep her husband from verbally painting them into a corner. "What's the lesson going to be today, anyways?"

"I'm glad you asked, Lieutenant!" Friedkin claimed before grinning mischievously. "We'll be working on marksmanship."

"Sounds fun!"

"Yeah, reminds me of that time I accidentally shot you in the leg with a dart-gun, remember?" Nick added, nudging his wife with his elbow.

"I try not to." The rabbit grumbled.

She then momentarily shook her head before turning her attention back to her superior.

"Will the recruits be using dart-guns or real ones?"

"Darts, of course." The polar bear responded. "We'll save the _real_ ones for another lesson. Perhaps later this week."

"Now _that_ sounds terrifying." Nick muttered.

Friedkin then replied back as she rose from her chair;

"Only as terrifying as you make it, officers. You'll be helping to teach them how to shoot, after all. Meet me down at the new range in an hour. Got it?"

"Yes sir." Vulpine and lapin spoke in unison.

The Major nodded, pleased with her efforts.

"Good. Until then, you're both dismissed."

Nick and Judy unseated themselves from their oversized chair; dropping to the ground before looking up at their superior.

"Now wait just a second, before we go..." The fox mused. "Did you just say _new_ range?"

Upon seeing Major Friedkin's near-sadistic grin, Nick almost wished that he hadn't asked in the first place.

"Yup! Like I told you before, the ZPA's gotten all kinds of new upgrades since you two last set foot here. We still have the classic shooting range, but the budget for our last, eh, modification, so to say, managed to throw in a brand new one. Indoors, like the first, but completely mechanical, with moving targets and immersive sound effects."

"That sounds so cool!" Judy exclaimed, her ears shooting up in excitement. "I can't wait to try it out."

The polar bear chuckled heartily.

"I'm sure you can't. One hour's time, building five, room two-sixty-two. Don't be late!"

* * *

8:00 A.M

Together, Nick and Judy spent the next hour of their morning preparing for the lesson ahead of them.

Both mammals knew that it would be an important one. Out there in the real world, past the security and guidance of the academy, there were plenty of hidden dangers in need of swift takedowns, and because of that, a police officer could never be too careful when on the beat. There were plenty of times when Nick and Judy have had to think fast, and act even faster in order to protect themselves and their comrades on the force. To be able to help teach the academy recruits those same skills was an experience that both bunny and fox alike keenly anticipated. The two of them both vividly remembered their own first lessons with marksmanship, during their own respective runs through the Zootopia Police Academy, all those years ago. Dart guns were especially fun to work with, as their incapacitating power was greater than that of even real firearms, all with minimal potential for injury, though being properly trained in the usage of both types was an important lesson to behold for any up and coming ZPD officer.

Having a steady aim could be just as important as having a strong body, deep intellect, or sharp wit, when it came to keeping order as an officer of the law, after all.

Nick and Judy took the time to fill themselves up with a hearty breakfast at the mess-hall before setting out to the rendezvous point with Major Friedkin and the other recruits. The fox himself was happy to be able to eat more than usual, knowing that today's lesson didn't come with the chance of vomiting it all back up, unlike the athletic-related lessons such as running and combat, and even Major Friedkin's terrifyingly boring Power-Point lectures, which were enough to make any mammal lose their lunch.

With their bodies fueled-up and minds clear, the two officers set out toward the new indoor shooting range where the latest lesson was taking place. Last time they had checked, the academy had had only a simple target range for marksmanship training, but if the Major's claims about a brand new mechanical range were to be believed, then it was apparent that Nick and Judy had yet another new activity to try out with their subordinates. Judy herself was especially excited to bare witness to the coming event.

After a few minutes of meandering through the barren, milky-gray halls of the academy's West-Wing, vulpine and lapin alike eventually came across a set of large double-doors at the end of a connective hallway. The words _Shooting Range_ were plastered just above the door in bold black letters, identifying the room within as their final destination. Steeling themselves for what was to come, Nick and Judy immediately pushed upon the doors, and entered the room. Within, their twin sets of eyes flitted around the sight of a massive white and gray hall, flanked by rows of ranges on each side. At the far end of the hall stood Major Friedkin, along with all of the ZPA cadets.

As they approached the shooting range itself, Nick and Judy began to notice the finer details of the place. This was no ordinary shooting range: It was a shooting simulation, complete with gray-brick walls and hallways, open windows, and automated metal doors. Nick suspected that those doors would swing open to reveal targets, and that said targets would also pop up in other various places throughout the range, such as around corners and behind windowsills. Neither bunny nor fox had had the privilege of training on such a high-tech simulation during their own respective runs through the police academy, in the past, but being able to experience it now was definitely something to look forward to, they anticipated. Surrounding the range's end, all of the recruits were milling around in droves, awaiting orders from Major Friedkin, who stood nearby, watching Nick and Judy as they drew closer to the vicinity. She politely nodded their way, smiling wide, before turning her attention elsewhere, and then pacing off.

Near the edge of the course was a large dashboard choked full of colorful buttons and levers, no doubt the controlling force behind the simulation. Positioned directly beside the dashboard was a table piled up with several dozen tranquilizer guns. Major Friedkin selected one for herself before clearing her throat with enough force to break ice.

"Alright listen up, new-bloods!" She bellowed. "Today, you're gonna be doin' some practice with tranquilizers."

Nodding and shuffling amongst themselves with anticipation, the class of recruits almost seemed a little _too_ ready to get their paws on some weapons. Likewise, both Nick and Judy perked up at the notion of the Major's latest assignment. Getting to witness the recruits train with firearms would be fun. Friedkin then went on to explain the lesson;

"If you want to become a police officer, you need to learn how to handle yourself around a ranged weapon. The ZPD utilizes two types: The tranquilizer kind, and the bullet kind. Today you'll be workin' with the tranquilizer kind, because I don't trust the half of you not to blow holes in your squad-mate's ears! Most standard crime scenarios out in the streets involve officers usin' the dart-guns, anyways, so we'll leave training with _real_ firearms for another time. Perhaps tomorrow, or the day after. You got all that?"

"Yes sir!" The class shouted out in unison, causing the Major to grin with amusement before gesturing to the course behind her.

"This street simulator is designed to evaluate your ability to assess when, and when _not_ to use incapacitating force! You'll be usin' your tranq-guns to shoot at our life-like target dummies. Some are depicted as harmless civilians - the kind of mammals you _don't_ want to shoot with a paralyzing dart - while others..."

Purposefully trailing off as she pressed a button on the dashboard, the Major turned around and took aim down the range as one of the aforementioned target dummies - a wooden cutout in the shape of an antelope with a knife in its grip - popped out of a doorway on metal hinges. Without words, Major Friedkin then casually shot the dummy with her tranquilizer gun; all of the recruits watching with awe as the green-feathered dart impaled itself directly on the antelope's neck with an audible _thwick_ noise.

It was a perfect shot, yet none of the recruits bothered saying anything as the Major proceeded to turn around and concluded her previous statement;

"Need to get dropped!"

Some of the recruits nodded in agreement and excitement. One lanky hare at the front of the pack leaned over to one of the other recruits and whispered;

"I wonder what the highest score on _this_ game is."

A few snickers ensued, that was, until Major Friedkin marched over and glowered down at the jesting hare with enough intensity to melt stone.

"We got a joker, huh? Well, since you like showin' off so much, I'm sure you won't mind bein' the first one to give it a shot! Literally!"

The Major then reloaded her tranquilizer gun with a fresh batch of darts before tossing the item to the hare, who caught it between fumbling fingers.

"Go on, then." The polar-bear beckoned, gesturing to the edge of the shooting range. "Step on up and show us what you got, Joker."

"Uh, y-yes sir."

Swallowing nervously, the hare slowly approached the point of assignment before planting his feet and pointing the dart-gun down range, ready to fire.

"Watch and learn, cadets! We got a master marksman at the plate!" Major Friedkin shouted sarcastically, causing many of the other recruits to laugh.

She then continued;

"You all need to be able to learn how to assess your situation fast, and shoot even faster! Or guess what? You'll be _dead_!"

At that, the Major turned to her dashboard before clicking on a few buttons, causing the contraption to whir to life. The class watched with silent intent, and both Nick and Judy took note of the hare's trembling wrists. Clearly inexperienced with a firearm, he kept his elbows weak and grip far from firm, though if Friedkin noticed anything, she didn't point it out in correction. Instead, she grinned mischievously, watching closely at the hare as he timidly readied himself.

The hare gulped, glancing nervously between the various open spaces around him, trying to predict where his target would appear. There was a slight grinding sound, and without thinking, the hare shrieked in fear before shooting one of his darts directly into the smiling face of a cutout bear cub holding a strawberry ice-cream cone.

He exhaled pitifully, defeated in his efforts.

"What's the matter with you, Joker?!" Major Friedkin shouted from across the range. "You just skewered an innocent child!"

Nick couldn't help but crack a smile. The Major had definitely succeeded in getting her point across. Plucking the tranquilizer gun away from the hare before sending him back in line, Friedkin then tossed the item back onto the nearby table along with all of the other dart-guns before turning her attention toward the crowd in front of her.

"Each of you new-bloods needs to keep your head clear, and stay focused on your shooting! Otherwise, you may end up missing your intended target, or even worse; dartin' an innocent bystander. And that just makes more paperwork for everyone, so make the most use of this simulation while you can, before you hit the streets."

"Yes sir!" The chorus of cadets rang out.

"Get to it, then!" Major Friedkin ordered, pointing at the table piled high with tranquilizers.

Once the words left her mouth, the pack of recruits then descended upon the table, with each one selecting a fresh tranquilizer gun before making their way on over to the start of the simulation, and lining up to wait their turn. A few even tripped over themselves in excitement as they rushed to the start of the course. While Major Friedkin made sure the simulation was in working order, and Judy skirt along the edge of the crowd, trying to keep the recruits from dog-piling eachother, Nick took the time to spot out Harland and Mary amongst the crowd. He considered the idea of talking with them some more, as aside from Judy and Friedkin herself, they were the only other two mammals at the academy that Nick had truly gotten to know, these past few weeks. Then again, as he thought back to what the Major had instructed him and Judy to do - to build a profile for the recruits - he began to figure that it might be best to broaden his approach, and learn more about some of the other cadets, to help narrow down the field of search.

He didn't exactly figure Mary nor Harlan to be spy material, anyways.

Scanning over the crowd, Nick caught sight of the lean hare that Major Friedkin had berated earlier standing at the back of the line, far behind his fellow recruits, holding his assigned tranquilizer gun dejectedly as if it were a third-place trophy from a three-person competition. Clearly, he was still feeling rather humiliated from before.

The fox smiled to himself, now knowing exactly where to start.

As he approached the recruit from behind, he took note of the hare's light beige fur, and slovenly posture. He had ears even larger than Judy's, and stood just about an inch shorter than Nick himself. His gray and blue ZPA gym uniform was wrinkled, as though it hadn't gotten a good cleaning a few days. From what Nick had heard in the past, hares apparently took offense at being compared to bunnies, not too different from how bunnies took offense to being called cute, and so, the fox made himself a mental note not to step on the hare's toes too much, especially after that vicious verbal beatdown from Major Friedkin that he had just suffered through. He could use a bit of a break.

Nick sauntered up to the hare's side. "What's up?" He asked in a nonchalant tone of voice.

Despite all of the suave effort and charm he put into his introduction, the hare still jumped ever-so slightly at the sound of the fox's voice.

"Oh! Hi! Uh, n-nothing much." He stammered. "Just... Just watching the others."

The hare trailed off, his gaze flitting around the pack of mammals standing before him, with his eyes seemingly resting on Friedkin a millisecond longer than the rest.

"There's no need to be too intimidated by her, you know." Nick claimed.

Swallowing nervously, the hare tried his best not to appear flustered. "You mean the Major? Oh, well, I'm not intimidated by her!"

The fox raised an eyebrow pointedly.

"Alright, fine." The hare muttered before sighing in distress. "You're right. She's kind of scary."

Together, Nick and his new associate silently watched as the Major chewed out another recruit for accidentally shooting an elderly cutout cheetah in the face.

"You're dead, maggot!" The Major yelled. " _Dead_!"

"Scary." Nick repeated. "Yeah, that's putting it lightly." He said flatly, gesturing to the scene before him.

To his surprise, the hare actually chuckled, and with it, Nick found himself smiling too.

"But you don't have to _be_ afraid of her." He added, turning toward and locking eyes with the hare. "It's just her job, after all. She's tough, but it's a tough love."

The hare nodded, his own smile growing warmer by the second. "Yeah... I understand. Thanks for the advice, officer Wilde."

Nick shrugged. "Just doin' my job." He claimed. "What's your name, anyways?"

"Harold." The hare stated as he reached out with one of his paws. "Harold McCoy."

Donning his trademark half-lidded grin (all the while resisting the urge to comment on the hare's all-too fitting first name), Nick promptly took hold of the recruit's paw within his own before administering a firm shake. Nick had always considered himself as a mammal with decent social skills, so to be able to add another name to his mental list of buddies was definitely a gratifying thought. Still, the fox knew that he shouldn't warm up to the recruits _too_ much. One of them was a potential criminal spy, after all.

At that thought, Nick took a brief glance up and down the hare's lanky body, using another skill that he had personally perfected throughout his years on the streets: Analyzing other mammals. With his wiry body, timid personality, and slacking posture, Harold didn't exactly strike the fox as someone capable of performing complex tasks, especially while under the guise of a false identity. He just didn't seem like the spying type. Then again, looks could be deceiving, after all: When Nick had first met Judy, spotting her out with that ridiculous meter-maid (aka clown vest) outfit of hers, he never could have guessed that she had such lightning-speed reflexes, resolute determination, or a kick capable of knocking out mammals twice her size. Sometimes, trying to deduce a mammal's motivations and personality just by appearance alone was a doomed effort.

Still, it was difficult to imagine Harold as a threat to anything other than cutout bear cubs. Nick let go of the hare's paw before letting out a sigh of content.

"C'mon, let's go and get you a spot in the line, Joker." He teased, intent on making that nickname stick. "We'll work on those shooting skills of yours."

Harold chuckled, this time not bothered by the fox's approach. "Right then! Let's get to it." He stated with renewed enthusiasm before jumping into the line.

With the memory of his first encounter with his beloved mate fresh on his mind, Nick found himself searching for her amongst the crowd of recruits. He paced alongside Harold, and after a few seconds of careful scanning, spotted Judy at the front of the pack, helping one of the cadets - a sleek male otter - reload their tranquilizer gun. Judy looked up from her work, and momentarily locked eyes with Nick, smiling, before turning her attention back to the recruit, who had somehow accidentally gotten one of their fingers jammed into the gun's loading compartment. Around them, the other recruits were beginning to fan out; taking advantage of the additional shooting courses and simulations, rather than just waiting for their turn at the one that Major Friedkin had demonstrated at. Thankfully, it seemed that with a flick of the button on the Major's control console, all of the different simulations were able to simultaneously provide the same experience to the recruits who used them. The room was buzzing with the sounds of darts being fired, wooden cutouts grinding into position, cursing mammals, and the occasional voice of Major Friedkin shouting "Dead, dead, dead!" at some poor recruit nearby.

Truly a marvel of modern-day crime-simulation engineering.

After watching a few other recruits try their turn at one of the shooting ranges, together, Nick and Harold approached the start of the course, ready to give it a shot of their own. The fox stood directly by his new friend's side, and pulled out a tranquilizer gun of his own before holding it up and clearing his throat to Harold. He started;

"Alright, Joker, I'm gonna teach ya a few things about marksmanship. Three things, to be specific. First things first; _always_ keep the safety on when you're not actively using this thing. Doesn't matter if it's a dart gun or a real one. Like the Major said, the last thing you want is to accidentally shoot someone else. Rule number two: Do not point your weapon at anything that isn't a threat, or a target. Whether the safety's on or not, you need to refrain from acting rash. And rule number three, just for keeps: When you get out there on the streets, always expect something to go wrong, eventually. Dart guns are one-shot take-downs, but you'd be surprised how often they fail. Always!"

"Always?" Harold repeated skeptically.

" _Always_." Nick grumbled, glancing off to the side. "It's remarkable just how little these things work when you actually _need_ them to."

"What do you mean?"

"Nevermind." The fox muttered, waving the question aside with his left paw. "Just don't expect things to go your way one-hundred percent of the time. Savvy?"

"Uh, yes sir." Harold stated with a steadfast salute, to which Nick simply chuckled.

"Don't worry, you don't have to salute me." He claimed. "I'm just a guy doin' his job."

The hare smiled, seemingly grateful for his superior's lackadaisical nature. "Sure thing."

"Alright, you ready to try this out again?"

"Yeah! Let's do this."

Nodding in approval, Nick then assumed a readied shooting stance; with arms raised, elbows straightened out, and gun pointed downrange. Harold mimicked his pose.

"Now, I may not be the best runner, fighter, or lifter on the force, but I've always considered myself a pretty decent shot." The fox added. "Watch my form."

Staring carefully at the range before him, Nick analyzed all of the potential spots for targets to appear - Gray alleys, open windows, manholes, and even dumpsters. One could never be too careful. He kept a steady aim and a firm grip on his gun all the while, and maintained his fortified posture while awaiting for a potential target to show itself. In a flash, one of the doorways suddenly swung open, and a hulking rhino cutout pushed its way forward. Within milliseconds, Nick deduced the target to be harmless: The rhino was large, covered in tattoos, and had a brutish face complete with a scarily long horn jutting out from his nose, but he standing still, and was empty-handed, save for a bag full of groceries held against his side. Just a civilian. The fox grinned, pleased with himself for not darting a false target. That would have just been embarrassing.

After a few short seconds, the rhino cutout was pulled back into the door, which slammed itself shut as though a ghost had just passed through it. Nick continued scanning the environment before him, and immediately, another potential target came into view, though this time, there were two: One ferret cutout on metal hinges being pushed out from behind the corner of an alley, and a grizzled platypus with a gun clutched in his paws peeking out through an open window. With two potential threats, Nick's instincts kicked into high-gear. He knew he'd have to choose a single target to dart first, and that meant identifying which one of the two was the greatest threat. Taking a closer look at the ferret standing in the alley, Nick took note of his extended claws and snarling expression, indicating aggression, but lack of true weapons. The platypus in the window, on the other hand, had a cutout gun that was pointing straight at Nick. All of this was registered in an instant. Without hesitation, the fox shot at the platypus with a dart square to the shoulder. A fleeting _ding_ echoed from somewhere above, likely as an indicator of a successful shot, and then both targets were withdrawn back into their hiding places.

"Still got it." Nick gloated, pulling the end of his gun away from the range and then blowing a stream of air at the tip of the gun for dramatic effect.

"That was awesome!" Harold praised from the side, causing the fox to grin to himself as he turned toward and locked eyes with the beige-colored hare.

"Thanks." He stated in gratitude. "In situations like that, ya gotta know how to act fast."

"Okay, okay." The hare muttered in anticipation before resuming his shooting stance. "Ready!"

"Show 'em whatcha got, Joker." Nick said as he stepped back, giving his shooting partner some extra room, just in case.

He watched Harold as he stared down the range with renewed zeal. The hare's posture was now much better than his previous attempt from before, and Nick didn't spot any problems worth addressing with it. His paws were no longer shaking, his stance was solid, and his grip appeared as firm as ever.

Nodding in approval, the fox then took note of one new trait that had suddenly caught his attention: Harold was holding his breath.

"Hold up for a second." Nick interjected. "There's no need to be starving yourself of oxygen, you know. Just breath in, and keep it steady."

Harold exhaled the breath of air that he had been holding in. "Steady, yeah." He panted before taking in another swift slew of breaths as he recomposed himself.

"The best time to shoot at a still target is just after the exhale, and before the proceeding inhale." Nick added, to which Harold shook his head in understanding.

At that, Harold took in another slow, steady breath, momentarily closing his eyes before opening them with determination. He said no words, but as he stared down the range, Nick could tell that he was still feeling somewhat anxious, even if his confidence had bolstered, simultaneously. For a fleeting moment, Nick considered grabbing the hare's shoulders and yelling out, " _Boo_!", but he figured that that would be in bad taste, even for his standards. Instead, he pushed that thought from his mind, and simply grinned to himself as he eyed over Harold's form. Down the range, a garbage can propped-up next to a fake car suddenly popped open. Nick realized too late that it was a ploy.

With no time to spare, Harold shot his dart, and it sailed across the open space in front of him before impaling itself in the eye of an unarmed, smiling cutout raccoon child, who must have been curiously snooping around the garbage. Harold let out a groan of disappointment, and his posture slackened once again. Nick sighed, but soon found himself smiling as he pat his subordinate on the back in a gesture of reassurance. The hare slowly raised his head and looked up at his superior with a defeated gaze.

"Don't worry about it, Joker." Nick said. "We'll make you that master marksman, yet."

Harold's shoulders straightened themselves out a little. "You really think so, sir?"

The fox shrugged. "Well, you know what they say," He began easily. "Practice makes perfect."

As soon as the word's reached his large ears, the hare allowed himself a simple smile.

"Yeah, I suppose it does."

Meanwhile, from across the hall, Judy smiled wide, proud of her husband's efforts to teach and reassure one of his subordinates. She had been watching the two of them for the past few minutes; sparing occasional glances towards them whenever she wasn't busy with her own tutelage. The bunny was pleased with Nick for doing his best, and had a feeling that Harold would hone his skills in no time. Nonetheless, Judy herself had her own problems to attend to. After helping a skunk recruit pull out a dart that had somehow gotten tangled up in the fur on his bushy tail, the rabbit officer excused herself to pace around the length of the range, and spot out other recruits in need of aid.

Most of the cadets had things handled well enough on their own, even though there was still a lot of cursing and blaring mechanical noises as darts hit their unintended targets, not to mention Major Friedkin's not-so infrequent tirades, which echoed around the space of the shooting hall like an avalanche. She spotted Harlan and Mary practicing on a range together, with the larger wolf pointing down at one of the targets, instructing his sheep friend to show some confidence and give it her all. Judy smiled, pleased to see that those two were getting along nicely. She made herself a mental note to check-in with them later on, after the lesson was over.

At the far end of the hall, Judy noticed a lone mole recruit practicing by himself with one of the ranges. The bunny promptly set towards him, intent on seeing his progress firsthand, and prepared to offer some advice. As she him from behind, she deduced this particular recruit to be a common mole species, standing about a foot and a half shorter than herself. He was stout and pudgy, and had no remarkable features save for a tiny scar on his left cheek, and a pair of glasses perched on the end of his nose. He reminded Judy of that star-nosed mole police chief from the city-council meeting a few months back, Bertolt Condy, she remembered his name to be, the chief of the ZPD's Precinct Six branch down in the Nocturnal-District.

Thankfully, though, this common mole didn't have any disgusting tentacles sprouting from his nostrils, and was clean-shaven around the face. He looked so simple and unremarkable that it was almost hard for Judy to believe her own two eyes as she stared down his range of practice and took in the sight of his handiwork.

Each target that he fired upon had multiple darts sticking out of vital areas such as the neck, shoulders, and thighs; soft-tissue targets perfect for clean take-downs with tranq darts. The mole calmly reloaded his dart gun before aiming downrange and firing another shot directly into the throat of a cutout black-bear. Judy spared a glance back at the other ranges and recruits that she had witnessed that day. None of them compared to the level of precision that this mole had, save for Nick himself.

She took it upon herself to take the time to congratulate this lone mole in his efforts.

"You're a pretty good shot!" Judy exclaimed, beaming with pride. "What's your name?"

The mole turned around and eyes Judy over with swift and beady black eyes. He smiled politely.

"Thank you! You can call me Eugene. It's an honor to speak with you, Lieutenant Hopps!"

Judy's long ears perked up even more.

 _Guess the mole already knows who I am. No need for introductions, then_. Her mind told itself.

"The honor's all mine." She stated with pride. "It's been a pleasure to help train the next batch of ZPD recruits."

"And you've been doing a truly marvelous job with that." Eugene complimented, his eyes still trained on the targets in front of him.

Watching her subordinate as he scanned over the simulation before him, Judy took an even closer look at the mole's sturdy posture and solid hold on the tranquilizer gun. His beady eyes were aligned perfectly with the sights on the gun, and when another hostile target came into view - a leopard with a baseball bat - he fired the dart effortlessly into the offending target's neck. He reloaded the gun with swift paws, and trained it back downrange just in time for another threatening cutout to rear around the corner of a stack of oil-drums, only to get nailed right in the thigh with Eugene's next dart. His accuracy with the tranquilizer gun rivaled that of her husband, Nick.

"Where'd you learn to shoot like that?" The rabbit found herself asking.

Eugene shrugged. "Just a talent, I guess." He muttered as he reloaded his magazine.

Judy begged to differ, as precision like that rarely came from anything less than weeks of practice.

The rabbit felt a sly grin begin to grow upon her face. "You've been coming here to practice at night, haven't you? Using the range before everyone else."

At that accusation, Eugene glanced up from his gun and simply winked at Judy, confirming her suspicions. She planted her paws on her hips as she continued;

"I don't have anything against you fitting in some extra practice, but sneaking around past curfew can be risky."

Judy bit back the urge to add that it was risky because a potential criminal spy was afoot, but apparently, Eugene must have assumed her to be referring to Friedkin.

"Don't worry ma'am, I'm sure my sharpshooting will keep me safe from the Major, if she ever finds out!" He joked with a slight chuckle as he hefted his gun.

The bunny allowed herself a laugh of her own.

"Yeah, right." She murmured softly, momentarily glancing to the side before snapping her attention back to the mole. "Just try not to do it anymore, alright?"

Eugene grinned. "Alright, alright, I won't. I promise. Don't you worry."

Judy nodded in approval, pleased with her efforts. "Good. No more rule-breaking. Keep up the good work, though!" She exclaimed with a dual pair of thumbs-up.

The mole returned the gesture good-naturedly.

Smiling to herself, Judy then paced off, intent on checking-in with her husband, all the while pondering over what she had just witnessed. It seemed that there was a surprising amount of diverse talent abound in this class of recruits. It was just like Friedkin had said when her and Nick had first arrived, all those weeks ago: This class truly did have a lot of potential. The bunny was beyond proud to play a part in their training, and to help teach this next generation of police officers how to be the best cops they could.

And that, if anything, was a personal cause worth cherishing, to Judy Hopps.

* * *

 **Hey everyone!**

 **I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter of ours! It was fun to write, and I'd love to know your thoughts on it in the form of a review! :)**

 **Not too much happened in this chapter, but it was still fun to write, nonetheless. The idea of Nick and Judy doing some further teaching at the academy with their subordinates in the fine art of marksmanship was something I always wanted to try out, but lacked the proper ideas to make happen, that was, until I figured I could try to make the thing as zany as the obstacle course, and thus, we now have the ZPD shooting simulation, complete with life-like cutouts! However, I still wish to thank WolfofAvalon for helping to provide me with the ideas and motivation needed to conjure up that particular contraption. Your insight has proved helpful, and I hope you found the scene to be an amusing one. Thanks!**

 **Next up for announcements, I'd just like you all to know that I have been doing a lot fo revisions lately to this Clean-Version of the story, to help further differentiate it from the original. I've also been considering deleting this version, but figure that it'll stay around, for now. We'll see.**

 **Lastly, I'll have you know that the next chapter will not only be covering more academy stuff with Nick and Judy and company (we'll be learning a bit more about some other characters, while we're at it), but will also feature a new plot-driving scene with Chief Bogo as he pieces together things behind the scenes back at Precinct Once. You'll be seeing a few old forgotten plot-points brought back up, new answers provided, and new questions arisen, all the while still being given that Nick/Judy content that you all just love so much. It'll be a very fun chapter! Stay tuned!**

 **Past that, I don't have much else to say, aside from the fact that my tumblr and DeviantArt accounts have gotten some cool new fan-art on it, including the likes of Chief Latran, Lucy, and even Ivar the walrus. More character pieces, but all still fun to see. Feel free to check them out, if you'd like!**

 **Thanks a lot for reading, and do stay tuned for the next chapter! I can't wait to release it, but until then, do please leave a review!**

 **'Till next time...**

 **Peace!**


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